The lyrics describe someone who was once beautiful but has become cruel, unrecognizable to the speaker. The person is compared to a mean flower, raising the speaker high only to let them fall and showing their head above the speaker's vanished world out of spite.

Meaning of "Mean Flower" by Joe Henry

"Mean Flower" by Joe Henry explores the transformation of someone the speaker once knew intimately. The comparison to a flower, typically symbolizing beauty and growth, takes on a darker connotation, representing a change from beauty to cruelty. The speaker is bewildered by this change in the person, highlighting the unexpected and hurtful nature of their transformation. The lyrics touch on themes of betrayal, loss, and the passage of time. The metaphor of someone being a "mean flower" emphasizes how this person's actions have a deliberate element of malice, with the ability to uplift the speaker only to let them fall. Despite this, the person seems to find some twisted satisfaction in simply existing, displaying a lack of empathy and a sense of superiority over the speaker. Overall, the song delves into the complexities of human relationships, the unpredictability of change, and the pain of losing someone to their own darkness.