John Mayer Reveals Feelings About Song Rumored To Be About Ex Taylor Swift

Anyone who's paid attention to pop culture in the last decade knows that Taylor Swift and John Mayer briefly dated in 2009, with the singer-songwriters channeling the emotions of their relationship and post-breakup into their art. Now, Mayer has made a surprising confession about a song rumored to be about his ex, per Entertainment Tonight.

Swift seemingly referenced her past with the "Gravity" singer in her 2010 song "Dear John," while Mayer himself dropped his own track about Swift in 2013 with his song "Paper Doll." In the song, Mayer sings, "You're like 22 girls in one/ And none of them know what they're running from/ Was it just too far to fall?/ For a little paper doll."

In a recent stop in Sacramento on his Solo Tour, Mayer confessed that regrets the tone he originally used in the song, saying it can come across as catty rather than hurt. A fan in the audience caught the moment he addressed the track and shared it on TikTok.

"I wonder if people don't like it because it sounds a little pissed off," he mused. "I don't like 'pissed off' as a song. I think it was more hurt. Is there something about it that's a little b----y? I try not to give b----iness in the song, and that happens sometimes. I guess I don't do it very well, sarcastic b----, but I didn't really see it." He added, however, that he can see how it comes across that way.

Despite fans' understanding the song is about Swift, Mayer said in a 2015 interview that he didn't want to dive into what the lyrics were really about, saying, "The song never got listened to as a song. It became a news story because of the lyrics. I'm not in the business of telling people what the song's about."