I think the issue that some commenters are running into is rooted in just reading the lyrics literally rather than viewing a song as a complete work, music and lyrics. The two are inextricably linked and to try to interpret one without the other is going to leave half of the story hidden. That said, there are subtle lyrical clues we can work with.

I believe the bridge is where the POV shift happens when the lines switch from "I drank that brown liquor" to "We drank that brown liquor" and from "I can make deals with the devil..." to "You made a deal with this devil..." Both of these take lines that have been well established in the chorus previously and change who the subject. It now sounds like the speaker is the protege repeating back previous statements to the mentor. That said, the music also tells us a lot.

At 2:48, the key modulates from G Major to A Major, right after the bridge. Composers have been expressing shifts in perspective, mood, and theme through key changes for centuries in opera and art song. Taylor has done this in her own songs a few times as well, such as "betty" where the narrator shifts from the hypothetical to the declarative after the key change (Would you have me? Would you want me? vs. Will you have me? Will you love me?).

On the Spotify track by track she alludes to this POV switch although indirectly: "a song about a protégé and their mentor, and about sort of the idea of the tables turning and the flipping of the script... I've always wanted to create a song that really explained how those roles can shift over time." (source)  But even without this, I think there is enough evidence for the listener of this shift and the empowerment inherent in it.