 The lyrics to " You Belong with Me " alternate between narrative modes , where she speaks of herself , a male friend whom she has an unrequited crush on , and his girlfriend . Greenblatt described Swift 's role as a storyteller , the song being a narrative set to music , which describes concerning about love and boys " just [ being ] very hard to catch " . Craig Rosen of The Hollywood Reporter believes " You Belong with Me " ' s plot is " confessional " and regards scenarios themed with high school , while Swift " is the girl next door who 's had her heart broken and takes refuge in music " . Lucy Davies of the BBC noted , " Swift deals in the prosaic imagery of high school boys " . In one verse , Swift contrasts herself with her friend 's girlfriend and states , " She wears high heels , I wear sneakers / She 's cheer captain , I 'm on the bleachers " , which Davies interpreted as the song 's protagonist feeling envy towards cheerleaders , in particular , the one dating her male friend . In the choruses , Swift attempts " to persuade some boy to come to his senses and submit to her <unk> charms " . 
