Mean

Mean is for the people who sneered at her. They mocked her voice, her country, her awards; she didn't clap back, she wrote a song: be as cruel as you like, I'll get too good for you to reach.

I love that "no argument, just proof" energy. It's not elegant, almost childish, but that "the more you push me down, the higher I'll stand" stubbornness is so satisfying. When she won the Grammy later, the song felt like a soft punch back.

This is an interpretation based on publicly available material. Not official commentary.

Full lyrics are not reproduced here to respect copyright.