Dalam album "Speak Now" yang dirilis pada tahun 2010, Taylor Swift memukau pendengarnya dengan lagu yang sangat personal berjudul "Dear John." Lagu ini menjadi ungkapan kesedihan dan kemarahan mendalam dari sang artis, yang mengadvokasi kedewasaan bagi mereka yang menghadapi patah hati di usia muda.
Lirik lagu ini menggambarkan kisah pahit seorang gadis muda yang terbujuk oleh keindahan luar dari seorang pria yang lebih tua, hanya untuk kemudian menyadari betapa beracun dan manipulatifnya dia. Melalui kata-katanya yang menyayat hati, Swift mengungkapkan penyesalan dan kesedihannya sekaligus mengutuk perilaku mantan kekasihnya.
Lagu "Dear John" telah memantapkan dirinya sebagai salah satu balada patah hati yang paling mentah dan jujur dalam musik kontemporer. Liriknya yang menyentuh hati beresonansi dengan banyak orang yang pernah mengalami rasa sakit yang serupa, memberikan penghiburan dan pengingat akan pentingnya menghargai diri sendiri dan mencari hubungan yang sehat.
Dear John Lyrics
Taylor Swift
My days once revolved around you
Counting my footsteps
Praying the floor won't fall through, again
My mother accused me of losing my mind
But I swore I was fine
You paint me a blue sky
And go back and turn it to rain
And I lived in your chess game
But you changed the rules everyday
Wonderin' which version of you I might get on the phone, tonight
Well I stopped pickin' up and this song is to let you know why
Dear John, I see it all now that you're gone
Don't you think I was too young
To be messed with
The girl in the dress
Cried the whole way home, I should've known.
Well maybe it's me
And my blind optimism to blame
Or maybe it's you and your sick need
To give love and take it away
And you'll add my name to your long list of traitors who don't understand
And I'll look back in regret how I ignored when they said
'Run as fast as you can'
Dear John, I see it all now that you're gone
Don't you think I was too young
To be messed with
The girl in the dress
Cried the whole way home
Dear John, I see it all now it was wrong
Don't you think nineteen's too young
To be played by your dark, twisted games
When I loved you so, I should've known.
You are an expert at sorry
And keeping the lines blurry
Never impressed by me acing your tests
All the girls that you run dry have tired lifeless eyes
Cause you burned them out
But I took your matches
Before fire could catch me
So don't look now
I'm shining like fireworks
Over your sad empty town
Dear John, I see it all now that you're gone
Don't you think I was too young
To be messed with
The girl in the dress
Cried the whole way home
I see it all now that you're gone
Don't you think I was too young
To be messed with
The girl in the dress
Wrote you a song, you should've known.
You should've known
Don't you think I was too young
You should've known.
