This song is Swift's response to the negative reputation the media has given her.
"I can make the bad guys good for a weekend" - the bad guys are the paparazzi to Swift, but are good to the "player" since association with Swift immediately gives publicity. Any publicity is good publicity and Swift knows this.
"You can tell me when it's over" - the tabloids rumor relationships are over before the couple announces it officially.
With this song Swift is portraying the way she is portrayed by the media.
It is a sarcastic jab at how she views herself and how her "ex-lovers" only wanted to be with her to increase their fame.
I applaud the brilliance in writing about how you always write about relationships.
It is expected so Swift is giving the media what they want and profiting off the attention.
I went to look for shadows but the shadows they found me
I went to swim the ocean but I drowned up in the sea
I want to love my woman but she chose him over me
I want to be somebody else I feel I won't be free
Is this me for life?
I fought to keep from crying as I lay upon the floor
And everyone I knew right then pressed me to the floor
I tried to keep on breathing but the people would not give
And all the evil in the world the people would not give
Is this me for life?
And if you left it up to me they'd all go in the sea
with the guns and the disease and the industry of weasels
Saying: sell to them the killing gem, attack to get it back
I went to swim the ocean but I drowned up in the sea
I want to love my woman but she chose him over me
I want to be somebody else I feel I won't be free
Is this me for life?
I fought to keep from crying as I lay upon the floor
And everyone I knew right then pressed me to the floor
I tried to keep on breathing but the people would not give
And all the evil in the world the people would not give
Is this me for life?
And if you left it up to me they'd all go in the sea
with the guns and the disease and the industry of weasels
Saying: sell to them the killing gem, attack to get it back
Lyrics submitted by foggy, edited by kyke110193
Life Lyrics as written by Robin Jones Richard Greentree
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I'm not sure, but I think the second part of the song is about how when you and have a negative view of yourself, you get discouraged about all of humanity. You see the ugliness of society for what it is, and you don't see the good.
This makes me think about that study where they had a group of monkeys, and they noticed some of them seemed depressed and anxious all the time. They removed the depressed monkeys from the group, and when they came back a few months later, all the monkeys had died because the depressed monkeys were the lookouts. They were good at pointing out danger to other monkeys because were constantly worrying about jaguars, (or leopards, I have no idea what continent this was on) and snakes, and eagles. I think depressed people sometimes play the same role in society, unless they slip to far into their depression that they just completely give up on themselves and society, and I think this song is about how it feels and what goes through a person's mind when they get to that point (I was there when I started writing this, but I'm feeling a little better now).