11 of Taylor Swift’s best lyrical burns
“If guys don’t want me to write bad songs about them, then they shouldn’t do bad things.” That’s what Taylor Swift told a reporter in 2010 when asked about her songwriting inspiration.
Swift has caught a lot of flak over the years for writing songs about ex-boyfriends, but they’re not the only people she’s dissed in her lyrics. Swift’s sharpest barbs stand out for their gutting specificity, and since her music is so autobiographical, fans often try to piece together who they’re aimed at.
Swift almost never confirms who her songs are about, but she often drops hints. In “thanK you aIMee,” for instance, the unusual use of capitalization indicates the song is likely about Kim Kardashian, a noted adversary of Swift’s since 2016. Another example is “Actually Romantic,” track seven off Swift’s latest album, *The Life of a Showgirl*, which Business Insider’s senior pop culture writer Callie Ahlgrim described as “unmistakably a Charli XCX diss track.”
In honor of the song and Swift’s new album, here’s a look at some of Swift’s other sickest lyrical burns, ranked in order of gut-wrenching specificity. This list also factors in cultural impact and the quality of the songs themselves.
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### 11. Actually Romantic
**Featured lyric:** “I heard you call me ‘Boring Barbie’ when the coke’s got you brave”
**Burn level:** Singe
All signs point to Charli XCX as Swift’s target in this track from *The Life of a Showgirl*. In 2024, Charli released the track “Sympathy is a knife,” rumored to be about Taylor Swift. In that song, Charli sings:
*”Don’t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend’s show / Fingers crossed behind my back, I hope they break up quick.”*
At the time, Swift was dating Matty Healy, frontman of The 1975 and bandmate of Charli’s now-husband George Daniel. Swift and Healy had a short-lived relationship; Healy is now engaged to Gabbriette Bechtel, one of Charli’s friends. In “Actually Romantic,” Swift snaps back at sentiments Charli expressed in “Sympathy is a knife,” claiming Charli’s digs about her are actually romantic—likely a play on Charli’s track “Everything is romantic.”
However, Swift’s condescension in this song falls flat. The lyrical complexity doesn’t match Charli’s track, which explores duality—Charli grappling with both dislike for Swift and self-resentment. “Actually Romantic” comes off as mean rather than nuanced.
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### 10. The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived
**Featured lyric:** “You deserve prison but you won’t get time”
**Burn level:** Singe
This song recounts how an ex dulled Taylor’s shine during their relationship. Fans speculate it’s about Matty Healy, citing lines like “you tried to buy some pills from a friend of mine” as clues—Healy has been open about his drug use.
The line “You deserve prison but you won’t get time” is a strong burn, but the overall tone of the song is more sad than angry, earning it a lower spot on this list.
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### 9. This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
**Featured lyric:**
“This is why we can’t have nice things, darling / Because you break them, I have to take them away”
**Burn level:** Flame
From Swift’s *Reputation* album, this track is rumored to be about Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, particularly the line:
*”And therein lies the issue, friends don’t try to trick you / Get you on the phone and mind-twist you.”*
In my opinion, the song doesn’t particularly stand out and executes Swift’s playful condescension less effectively than others on this list.
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### 8. Karma
**Featured lyric:**
“Spider-boy, king of thieves / Weave your little webs of opacity / My pennies make your crown”
**Burn level:** Flame
One of the biggest hits off *Midnights*, “Karma” is more of a self-affirming anthem than a true diss track. It’s catchy, fun, and hints at Swift’s ongoing beef with Scooter Braun, the producer Swift battled over the ownership of her music catalog. Though the lyricism can be cringey, it remains a sing-along favorite.
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### 7. Mr. Perfectly Fine
**Featured lyric:**
“Mr. Never Told Me Why, Mr. Never Had to See Me Cry / Mr. Insincere Apology so He Doesn’t Look Like the Bad Guy”
**Burn level:** Flame
This scathing single comes from *Fearless (Taylor’s Version)* and is one of the vault tracks that makes you wonder why Swift cut it from the original album. It centers on an ex who appears completely unbothered by a recent breakup, earning the sarcastic label “Mr. Perfectly Fine.”
It’s rumored to be about Joe Jonas, who soon after splitting from Swift started dating his next girlfriend.
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### 6. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
**Featured lyric:**
“And you would hide away and find your peace of mind / With some indie record that’s much cooler than mine”
**Burn level:** Roast
The ultimate toxic ex breakup anthem! Fun, frothy, and showcasing some of Taylor’s best vocal impersonations, this song captures the frustration and finality of a messy relationship.
Though the song mostly repeats its title, it’s one of her biggest hits and ranks high on the list for sheer bite and pop culture impact.
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### 5. Mean
**Featured lyric:**
“Someday I’ll be living in a big ol’ city / And all you’re ever gonna be is mean”
**Burn level:** Roast
They say success is the best revenge, and Swift embodies that here. “Mean” was everywhere on the radio during its heyday, and for good reason. It’s a country-pop hit filled with venom directed at Swift’s early haters and bullies.
The vivid image of a hater ranting at a bar while Swift lives her best life in the city is classic Swift storytelling.
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### 4. All Too Well (10 Minute Version)
**Featured lyric:**
“And I was never good at telling jokes, but the punchline goes / I’ll get older, but your lovers stay my age”
**Burn level:** Roast
To be clear: the original five-minute version of “All Too Well” doesn’t rank among her sharpest burns—it’s much more sad than scathing and remains one of her best songs overall.
The 10-minute version, released on *Red (Taylor’s Version)* over ten years later, is a different beast. It includes new verses that take aim at the subject—widely believed to be actor Jake Gyllenhaal—with detailed, biting lines like:
*”And you were tossing me the car keys, ‘Fuck the patriarchy’ keychain on the ground.”*
This version is iconic for its specificity and cultural significance, being Swift’s longest song and accompanied by a short film starring Dylan O’Brien and Sadie Sink. It delivers burns about the ex dating younger women and performing for the female gaze with expert precision.
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### 3. Picture to Burn
**Featured lyric:**
“I hate that stupid old pickup truck you never let me drive / You’re a redneck heartbreak who’s really bad at lying”
**Burn level:** Roast
The only track from Swift’s debut album to make the list, “Picture to Burn” is wonderfully country and lets Swift rock out a bit. It’s an early taste of her talent for sharp storytelling—falling for a heartthrob who’s a bad liar and obsessed with his pickup truck is relatable to many.
There’s something deliciously youthful about Swift delivering these biting lines with her fifteen-year-old country twang.
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### 2. Better Than Revenge
**Featured lyric:**
“She’s not a saint and she’s not what you think, she’s an actress, woah / She’s better known for the things that she does on the mattress”
**Burn level:** Roast
From Swift’s third album *Speak Now*, this early hit takes aim at an ex’s new girlfriend. Fans theorize it’s about actress Camilla Belle, who dated Joe Jonas after he split with Swift, though Swift has never confirmed.
Swift has since expressed regret over the original lyrics, especially the “mattress” burn. When she re-recorded the track for *Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)*, she softened the line to:
*”He was a moth to the flame / She was holding the matches.”*
Many fans prefer the original for its raw impact, even if it lacks feminist sensitivity.
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### 1. I Bet You Think About Me
**Featured lyric:**
“Mr. Superior Thinking, do you have all the space that you need? / I don’t have to be your shrink to know that you’ll never be happy”
**Burn level:** Incineration
This one is the roast to end all roasts—the mother of all diss tracks—though we can’t be 100% sure who Swift is targeting. Fans suspect Jake Gyllenhaal and/or John Mayer based on lyrical parallels to their respective confirmed songs: “All Too Well” and “Dear John.”
“I Bet You Think About Me” is about living rent-free in an ex’s head, confident that you’re the one who got away. Swift perfects the condescending tone here, which falls flatter in some earlier songs.
She delivers biting details about a rich poser ex: “Mr. Superior Thinking,” with his “organic shoes” and his “million dollar couch.”
With Chris Stapleton on backing vocals, it’s not just a savage song—it’s a really great one. Chef’s kiss.
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Taylor Swift’s ability to channel personal experiences into her lyrics continues to captivate and provoke, crafting some of pop music’s most memorable and cutting diss tracks. Whether you love or hate the drama, her storytelling prowess is undeniable.
https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-best-lyric-burns-diss-tracks-2025-10
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