The Meaning of Shake It Off by Taylor Swift

If any song ever expressed the “I don’t care what others think attitude” this is the song that does it. While I’m not particularly a Taylor Swift fan I think she did a really good job of moving away from the realm of bad breakups and fantasy love stories that trumpeted as the theme of most of her other material.

When I first started paying attention to this song and it’s meaning it was because of the 2014 VMA performance. Until that point I had just passed this song off as so happy go lucky radio song that would have short term appeal to the masses for a quick buck or two.

After the VMA performance, reading the lyrics, and watching the visual representation in her music video; I had a change of heart.

Taylor Swift gives us a song that goes far beyond her personal controversy and media coverage. It’s a song that anyone can relate to that’s being bullied, picked on, or is having a lot of people talk badly about them.

Simply “Shake It Off” and don’t let them bother you because they don’t really matter.

Let’s examine some of the song lyrics.

I stay out too late
Got nothing in my brain
That’s what people say, mmm-mmm
That’s what people say, mmm-mmm

This is in reference to her party habits, irresponsibility, and a lot of people thinking she’s an airhead of sort.

I go on to many dates [chuckle]
But I can’t make ’em stay
At least that’s what people say, mmm-mmm
That’s what people say, mmm-mmm

Here are some more references what people say badly about her. They think she has too many relationships which she thinks is a joke.

The lines “that’s what people say” are a direct response that these people don’t know what they are talking about, and don’t really know her.

But I keep cruising
Can’t stop, won’t stop moving
It’s like I got this music
In my mind
Saying, “It’s gonna be alright.”

No matter what people say I keep moving forward, marching to the beat of my own drum, following my heart, and following my mind. Everything is going to be okay, it always works out in the end.

‘Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off
Heart-breakers gonna break, break, break, break, break
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off

This is an old school reference to the habits and personalities of people. “Players are always going to play” means people are always going to do what they do, and “haters gonna hate”, means there are always going to be people that don’t like what the players do. It’s a universal truth.

The counter saying to this has always been, “don’t hate the player, hate the game.” That is, don’t hate the participants of something you don’t like, hate the actual game, system, or thing that they participate in.

You can hate football all you want, but don’t hate the quarterbacks, they are just playing.

So people that break hearts are going to continue to break hearts, there will always be broken hearts. Likewise, there will always be fake people, that’s all they know how to do.

In a sense, fakers play the game of faking. Haters play the game of hating. And heart breakers play the game of heart breaking. So the people that are her worst critics are merely playing a game, and instead of hating people individually, hate the game of faking, breaking, and hating.

This chorus is actually a complete circle, but no matter what, always shake it off, that is keep on going on with your life. If you can’t change the game, then ignore it, because you can’t hate the players. Accept it as part of life and carry on as if they don’t matter to you. Letting them affect you in anyway means they are winning their game.

I never miss a beat
I’m lightning on my feet
And that’s what they don’t see, mmm-mmm
that’s what they don’t see, mmm-mmm
Now that we’ve set the basis for the song, we’re going to tell them the truth about it all now. This verse tells what they don’t see, mainly because they don’t know what she’s thinking or why she’s doing what she’s doing.

I’m dancing on my own (dancing on my own)
I make the moves up as I go (moves up as I go)
And that’s what they don’t know, mmm-mmm
that’s what they don’t know, mmm-mmm

Nobody controls her. The opinions of others don’t really matter. She’s independent and leading herself and nothing they say will get her to change. “That’s what they don’t know.”

Then she goes back into the chorus again, followed by.

Hey, hey, hey
Just think while you’ve been getting down and out about the liars and the dirty, dirty cheats of the world,
You could’ve been getting down to this sick beat.

Instead of letting others bother you, you could be enjoying life. “Getting down to this sick beat” isn’t a reference to her song, it’s a reference to the philosophy of the song, that is, none of that crap matters, be yourself, and follow your own “sick beat” or life song.

My ex-man brought his new girlfriend
She’s like “Oh, my god!” but I’m just gonna shake.
And to the fella over there with the hella good hair
Won’t you come on over, baby? We can shake, shake, shake

Don’t be jealous of your ex, there’s plenty of fish in the sea.

This is led out by the theme of the song. To shake it off, to live by your own music, march to your own drum, and be free of the thoughts and opinions of others. Be yourself always and the only standard you need to live up to is your own. Everything else, you can simply shake it off.