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Taylor Swift - Mean Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, G, Dm, F
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow. Using the Transpose tool, switch to D,G keys to play this song with easier chords.

  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram

[Opening]
[C]You with your [G]words like knives
And [Dm]swords and weapons that you [F]use against me.
[C]You, have [G]knocked me off my [Dm]feet again,
Got me [F]feeling like nothing
[C]You, with your [G]voice like nails on a [Dm]chalkboard
Calling me [F]out, when i’m wounded
[C]you[G]picking on the weaker [F]man

[verse 2]
[G]Well you can take me [Dm]down, with just one [F]single [G]blow
But [F]you don’t know, what you don’t know

[chorus]
[C]Someday, [G]I’ll be, [Dm]living in a big old [F]city
And [C]all your [G]ever gonna be is [F]mean.
[C]Someday, [G]I’ll be, [Dm]big enough so you can’t [F]hit me
And [C]all your [Dm]ever gonna be is [F]mean,
[F]Why ya gotta be so, [C]mean?

[verse 3]
[C]You, with your [G]switching sides
And your [Dm]wildfire lies and your [F]humiliation
[C]You, are [G]pointing out my [Dm]flaws again
As if i [F]don’t already see them.
[C]I walk with [G]my head down,
Trying to [Dm]block you out cause i [F]never impress you.
I [C]just [G]wanna feel [Dm]ok, [F]again.

[verse 4]
[G]I bet you got pushed around, [Dm]somebody [F]made you cold.
[G]But, the cycle ends right now
‘Cause you [F]can’t lead me down that road,
And you don’t know, what [F]you don’t know.

[chorus]
[C]Someday, [G]I’ll be, [Dm]living in a big old [F]city
And [C]all your [G]ever gonna be is [F]mean.
[C]Someday, [G]I’ll be, [Dm]big enough so you can’t [F]hit me
And [C]all your [Dm]ever gonna be is [F]mean,
[F]Why ya gotta be so, [C]mean?

[verse 5]
And i can [G]see you years from now in a [Dm]bar,
Talking over a [F]football game.
[G]With that same big loud opinion
But [Dm]nobody’s [F]listening.
[G]Washed up and ranting bout the [Dm]same old [F]bitter [G]things,
[G]Drunk and grumbling on about [Dm]how i [F]can’t [G]sing.
But all you are [C]is, [G] [Dm] [F]mean.
All you are is [C]mean,
And a [G]liar, and [Dm]pathetic, and [F]alone in life and [C]mean
And [G]mean, and [Dm]mean, and [F]mean

[Closing]
But [C]someday, [G]I’ll be, [Dm]living in a big old [F]city.
And [C]all your [G]ever gonna be is [F]mean…

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SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookDiscover the most-used three-chord combinations in songs and build real command on guitar.
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?Master guitar today with the most repeated high-impact chord transitions.
ArtistTaylor Swift
AlbumSpeak Now
GenresCountry, Pop
Year2010
KeyC

How to play Mean on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Taylor Swift - Mean on guitar requires 4 chords and 6 core chord transitions. You can find the full step-by-step guide below. Before you start, tune your instrument. The song uses the ↓-↓↑-↑↓↑ pattern; practice it muted first, or simplify to downstrokes while you learn the changes.

Mean uses these transitions most often: Dm → F (23), G → Dm (21), and C → G (20). These transitions may feel a little challenging at first, but with steady practice you can play this song quickly.When you are ready, begin with C - G chord transition.

1. C → G chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

To move from C to G;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
C to G

2. G → Dm chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram

To move from G to Dm;

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.
G to Dm

3. Dm → F chord transition

Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram

To move from Dm to F;

  1. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from B string fret 3 to A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.
Dm to F

4. F → C chord transition

Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

To move from F to C;

  1. While playing F, lift your pinky from D string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
  4. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
F to C

5. G → F chord transition

To move from G to F;

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

6. C → Dm chord transition

To move from C to Dm;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.

Mean chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Mean.

  • Mean includes 101 chord transitions, 6 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Mean contains 3 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Mean connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After F, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → C: 40%
    • F → G: 21%
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → C: 25%
    • G → F: 9%
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookThe 200 most popular three-chord chains from real songs. See which songs use each chain and expand your repertoire with patterns that actually matter.