Taylor Swift - Mean Ukulele Chords
Before you play, tune your ukulele and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.
Ukulele C chord diagram
Ukulele G chord diagram
Ukulele Dm chord diagram
Ukulele 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
[section 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?
[section 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.
[section 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?
[section 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…
How to play Mean on Ukulele (Step-by-step)
Taylor Swift - Mean on ukulele 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
To move from C to G;
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
- Place index finger on C string fret 2.
- Place middle finger on A string fret 2.
2. G → Dm chord transition
To move from G to Dm;
- Lift your index finger from C string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on C string fret 2.
3. Dm → F chord transition
To move from Dm to F;
- While playing Dm, lift your ring finger from C string fret 2.
- Keep index finger on E string fret 1.
- Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
4. F → C chord transition
To move from F to C;
- While playing F, first lift your index finger and middle finger.
- Place ring finger on A string fret 3.
5. G → F chord transition
To move from G to F;
- While playing G, lift your ring finger from E string fret 3.
- Lift your index finger from C string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
6. C → Dm chord transition
To move from C to Dm;
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on C string fret 2.
- Place index finger on E string fret 1.
- Place middle finger on G string fret 2.
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 Ukulelearn.
- Mean contains 3 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
- These transition patterns show how Mean connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.After F, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
- F → C: 40%
- F → G: 21%
After G, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).- G → C: 25%
- G → F: 9%