Dear John Song Lyrics in English – Taylor Swift | Speak Now 2023

Here are “Dear John Song Lyrics (Taylor’s Version)” in English. From Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) album, the song features Taylor Swift. Written and sung by Taylor Swift, this heartbreaking ballad is part of her re-recording project. The music production for this emotionally charged track was overseen by Taylor Swift and her team.

Enjoy The Lyrics and Feel Free to Sing Along!

Dear John Song Lyrics in English (Taylor’s Version)

Long were the nights
When my days once revolved around you
Counting my footsteps
Prayin’ the floor won’t fall through again
And my mother accused me of losin’ my mind
But I swore I was fine
You paint me a blue sky
Then go back to turn it to rain
And I lived in your chess game
But you change the rules every day
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 shoulda 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 and 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 shoulda known.

You are an expert at ‘sorry’ and keepin’ 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
Oh…

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 shoulda known.

You shoulda known
Don’t you think I was too young?
You shoulda known.

Dear John Song Lyrics Credits

Dear John Song Lyrics (Taylor’s Version) Song Background

“Dear John” is about John Mayer, who Swift dated from December 2009 to February 2010, and discusses manipulation and betrayal in a relationship. Swift wrote the album entirely herself while touring in 2009–2010 to reflect on her transition from adolescence to adulthood. The song serves as one of the most direct and vulnerable tracks in Swift’s entire discography, addressing themes of age-gap relationships, emotional manipulation, and the lasting impact of psychological abuse.

A re-recorded version of “Dear John”, titled “Dear John (Taylor’s Version)”, was released on July 7, 2023, via Republic Records as part of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), Swift’s third re-recorded album. The Taylor’s Version maintains the emotional intensity of the original while showcasing Swift’s vocal growth and artistic maturity over the past decade.

Chart Performance & Stats

Taylor Swift rarely performs the song live. She sang “Dear John” for the first time in over a decade during the Minneapolis leg of her Eras tour on June 24, 2023. The previous time Swift performed the song in concert was during her March 17, 2012 show in Auckland, New Zealand. This rare live performance created a massive cultural moment, with fans and media outlets covering the emotional significance of Swift returning to this deeply personal song.

Cultural Impact

Musicologist James E. Perone compared “Dear John” to John Lennon’s “How Do You Sleep?” (1971), allegedly about fellow musician Paul McCartney, in how both were open letters directed at another celebrity that affected their personal lives. Chris Willman from Yahoo! wrote that not since the Lennon–McCartney affair “has a major pop singer-songwriter so publicly and unguardedly taken on another in song”, and he argued that “Dear John” was “braver… and more cutting” because of its “vulnerability and woundedness”.

Before playing “Dear John” as an Eras Tour secret song on June 24, Swift said: “I’m not putting this album out so that you … should feel the need to defend me on the internet against someone you think I might have written a song about 14 billion years ago when I was 19”, demonstrating her growth and perspective on the situation.

Technical Details

The song ‘Dear John’ by Taylor Swift has a tempo of 119 beats per minute (BPM) on ‘Speak Now’. The track runs for 6 minutes and 43 seconds, making it one of the longest songs in Swift’s catalog. The song is composed in G Major and utilizes a 4/4 time signature, featuring acoustic guitar, piano, and string arrangements that create an intimate, confessional atmosphere.

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