The speaker describes being labeled by other people, first with insults and then, suddenly, with praise. Three times they are called a name: "Brave," "Dumb," "Weird." Each one is followed by a question that pushes back. Being yourself shouldn't need courage, the speaker thinks. Having a different style shouldn't make someone dumb. Liking other things shouldn't make someone strange. The questions sound puzzled and a little tired, as if the speaker has had to defend themselves many times.
The last stanza is where the poem turns. Now the same people call the speaker "An Angel" for being exactly who they were before. The final line, "When they were telling me not to be," lands with quiet bitterness. The speaker isn't flattered by the new label. They notice that the approval is just as arbitrary as the criticism was. The mood is frustrated and wry, but also steady: the speaker never changes, only the crowd's opinion does.