Here's Why John Mayer's 'Paper Doll' Is About T-Swift

Taylor Swift is not shy about airing her dirty laundry in the form of song. She's dissed several exes in hit singles, including "Dear John," which was Swift's swipe at one-time beau John Mayer. With lines like "Maybe it's you and your sick need to give love and take it away" and "Don't you think I was too young to be messed with?" it became obvious the single was about serial dater Mayer.

But here's the problem with writing a song about your songwriter ex-boyfriend — sooner or later, he's going to write one about you too.

And it seems that John Mayer has done just that. Though Mayer's song "Paper Doll" is way more subtle than "Dear John," the song is clearly a response to his relationship with Swift. Just break down the lyrics:

"Here's a dress of gold and blue/Sure was fun being good to you"

We'd never believe that John Mayer was particularly great to any of the girls he's dated. (Remember how he called Jessica Simpson "sexual napalm" in an interview?) But this line seems like a response to Swift's line in "Dear John": "The girl in the dress cried the whole way home." Plus, see below. Hello!

"You're like 22 girls in one..."

Taylor Swift's song "22" celebrates being young and free at age 22... but it's a weirdly specific number to throw into a song not about Taylor Swift.

"...and none of them know what they're running from."

In "Dear John," Taylor sings that she didn't believe anyone who told her to "Run as fast as you can." She's running from you, John. FYI.

"Someone's going to paint you another sky..."

Directly from "Dear John": "You paint a blue sky then go back and turn it to rain." Doesn't get much more obvious than that. He's either responding to her lyrics or is completely unaware that he's ripping off her metaphors.

"Was it just too far to fall/For a little paper doll?"

Taylor Swift guessed that Mayer would add her name "to your long list of traitors who just don't understand." Seems like Swift was right. The song isn't an apology as much as it's Mayer explaining to the world that Swift was just too young and fragile to understand his complex version of love. Seems kind of like an excuse for douchey behavior, but at the end of the day, we'll just have to take both of their words for the version of the relationship they want to tell.