It’s Taylor Swift day here at Genius (and undoubtedly throughout the rest of the world). The pop superstar dropped her eagerly anticipated 10th studio album, Midnights, last night, and since then, every track from the album—as well as from the extended 3am Edition—has dominated the Genius Top Songs chart. Near the top of that list is the LP’s lead single, “Anti-Hero,” which sees Swift rattle off her deepest insecurities.
Swift wrote and produced “Anti-Hero” with Jack Antonoff, whom she collaborated with on the entirety of Midnights. (He shares writing credit on 11 tracks and production credit on all 13.) Leading up to the release of the album, Swift revealed the concept behind “Anti-Hero” during an episode of her TikTok series Midnights Mayhem.
“I struggle with the idea that my life has become unmanageably sized,” Swift explained. “And I, not to sound too dark, but I just struggle with the idea of not feeling like a person. This song is a real guided tour throughout all the things I tend to hate about myself, and it’s all those aspects of the things we dislike and like about ourselves that we have to come to terms with if we are gonna be this person.”
On the first verse, Taylor wishes she were more mature, that she had a better sleep schedule, and that her past mistakes would stop coming back to haunt her when she’s feeling low.
I have this thing where I get older, but just never wiser
Midnights become my afternoons
When my depression works the graveyard shift, all of the people
I’ve ghosted stand there in the room
She fears that her calculating ways make her too hard to love on the pre-chorus.
One day, I’ll watch as you’re leaving
’Cause you got tired of my scheming
(For the last time)
The very memeable hook finds Taylor getting to the root of these insecurities.
It’s me, hi
I’m the problem, it’s me
Unfortunately, Swift is too scared to confront those issues head-on. She empathizes with those who still root for her anyway—it’s not exactly easy for her, either.
I’ll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror
It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero
On the second verse, Swift worries that she’s both undesirable and too famous to form meaningful connections with other people. She divulges these insecurities by borrowing an expression from an episode of 30 Rock called “TGS Hates Women,” where Tina Fey’s character, Liz Lemon, tells a new staff writer to “drop the sexy baby act.”
Sometimes, I feel like everybody is a sexy baby
And I’m a monster on the hill
Too big to hang out, slowly lurching toward your favorite city
On the bridge, Swift fears her larger-than-life persona will infect her relationships so deeply, she won’t be able to trust her own family—in life or in death.
I have this dream my daughter-in-law kills me for the money
She thinks I left them in the will
The family gathers ‘round and reads it
And then someone screams out
“She’s laughing up at us from hell”
“Anti-Hero” arrived alongside an accompanying self-directed music video, where Swift plays out some of these intrusive thoughts on screen. She’s tortured by ghosts of her past, judge-y dinner guests, and herself before she attends her own funeral, which erupts into an all-out screaming match between her future children.
You can read all the lyrics to “Anti-Hero” on Genius now.
