"Superman" Song Meaning

Today's Taylor Swift song is the meaning of "Superman" from her deluxe "Speak Now" Target album.

photo credit: Amanda Faria

At a concert in Kansas City, September 24 Taylor played this song and told the audience,  “This is about, well, a guy, as usual. This was a guy that I was sort of enamored with. This song got its title by something that I just said randomly in conversation. He walked out of the room, I turned to one of my friends and said, ‘It’s like watching Superman fly away.’”

Who is it about?

John Mayer!  We all know that "Dear John" is about John Mayer.  I haven't bothered to write that post yet because it is very obvious.  But this song is about him too.  The clue lies in the liner notes.  The liner clue notes in Dear John is LOVED YOU FROM THE VERY FIRST DAY.  This just happens to be a line that appears twice in "Superman", " 'I loved you from the very first day".

In the song Swift describes the man as "Tall, dark and beautiful, He's complicated, he's irrational", but she hopes that "someday you'll take me away and save the day", and hopes he "don't save some other girl", and "don't forget about me." Some other major clues are in these lines, "Something in his deep brown eyes has me sayin', "He's not all bad like his reputation, And I can't hear one single word they say."  John Mayer does have brown eyes, a bad reputation and she did not listen to others warnings about him.  I do not like John Mayer very much, maybe that is why I haven't written the posts about the other songs that are about him.  He led her along while she was, "Wishing the flowers were from you, Wishing the card was from you" and waiting, "right here on the ground, When you come back down."  Boo John Mayer.