Taylor Swift Officially Changes Lyrics in “Better Than Revenge (Taylor’s Version)”
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Speak Now hive, rise — the re-release of Taylor Swift's third studio album is finally upon us, which means we get to revisit the achingly beautiful heartbreak anthems, go-to karaoke bangers, and savage lyricism through the lens of 18 to 20-year-old T. Swift. Stacked with hits like "Mine," "Enchanted," and "The Story of Us," the album is the first that the pop culture phenomenon wrote entirely on her own after critics allegedly doubted her songwriting capabilities. Speak Now is full of romance, whimsy, and, of course, teen angst that hits its peak on its tenth track, "Better Than Revenge."
Originally released 13 years ago, "Better Than Revenge" faced criticism because of a misogynistic lyric that dissed a subject that reportedly scooped up the singer's love interest at the time (á la Paramore's "Misery Business"). The original lyric from the 2010 track muses, "She's not a saint, and she's not what you think / She's an actress, woah / She's better known for the things that she does on the mattress."
Leading up to Speak Now's re-release, listeners speculated that Taylor might change the controversial lyric, which hasn't particularly aged well. The theory was proven correct when fans received their vinyl ahead of the album's July 7 release and checked the lyric sheets that were included. Taylor, who is now 33, dropped the mattress line for "He was a moth to the flame / She was holding the matches, woah."
In a 2014 interview with The Guardian, 25-year-old Taylor opened up about the track she penned as a teen, saying, "I was 18 when I wrote that. That's the age you are when you think someone can actually take your boyfriend. Then you grow up and realize no one can take someone from you if they don't want to leave."
Ahead, find our full lyric breakdown of "Better Than Revenge (Taylor's Version)" and what may have inspired the track when it was originally written.
Lyrics provided by Genius.
[Intro]
Now go stand in the corner and think about what you did (Haha)
Haha, time for a little revenge
The iconic opening line of the track pokes fun at the idea of reprimanding someone for doing something wrong (and TBH, makes for a savage Instagram caption).
[Verse 1]
The story starts when it was hot and it was summer, and
I had it all, I had him right there where I wanted him
She came along, got him alone, and let's hear the applause
She took him faster than you can say "Sabotage"
I never saw it coming, wouldn't have suspected it
I underestimated just who I was dealing with (Oh)
She had to know the pain was beating on me like a drum
She underestimated just who she was stealin' from
In the original lyric booklet for Speak Now, Taylor planted Easter eggs and secret messages with capitalized letters sprinkled throughout the lyrics of each song. For "Better Than Revenge," the secret message was "You thought I would forget." Chock-full of angst that can only come from an 18-year-old, the song breaks down the emotions of a young woman scorned after someone suddenly "stole" her former lover from her.
[Chorus]
She's not a saint and she's not what you think
She's an actress, woah
He was a moth to the flame
She was holding the matches, woah
Soon, she's gonna find stealing other people's toys
On the playground won't make you many friends
She should keep in mind, she should keep in mind
There is nothing I do better than revenge (Revenge), ha
Since its initial release in 2010, fans speculated that "Better Than Revenge" may have taken jabs at actress Camilla Belle. She started dating Taylor's ex, Joe Jonas, after appearing in the Jonas Brothers' "Lovebug" music video in 2008. Joe has also allegedly been the muse behind other Taylor tracks like "Last Kiss," "Mr. Perfectly Fine," and "Holy Ground." As of 2023, Taylor has never confirmed specific details surrounding "Better Than Revenge" and the people who inspired it.
[Verse 2]
She looks at life like it's a party and she's on the list
She looks at me like I'm a trend and she's so over it
I think her ever-present frown is a little troubling, and
She thinks I'm psycho 'cause I like to rhyme her name with things
But sophistication isn't what you wear or who you know
Or pushing people down to get you where you wanna go
They didn't teach you that in prep school so it's up to me
But no amount of vintage dresses gives you dignity
(Think about what you did)
In the second verse, Taylor describes the subject of the song as a sophisticated, posh woman who went to prep school and is hard to please. She continuously criticizes and addresses details about the person, which aren't painted in the best light considering the apparent situation at hand.
In other words, when you get the ick, you. Get. The. Ick.
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
I'm just another thing for you to roll your eyes at, honey
You might have him, but haven't you heard?
I'm just another thing for you to roll your eyes at, honey
You might have him, but I always get the last word
Woah (Come on, can you take it back? Come on)
Ah, yes, another Swiftian bridge to decode. Toward the end of the song, Taylor grows more unbothered as she accepts that this new girl is officially with her old flame. She's not concerned with what they might say or speculate about her because she "always gets the last word."
[Chorus]
[Outro]
(Come on) Do you still feel like you know what you're doin'?
'Cause I don't think you do, oh (No, no, no, no)
Do you still feel like you know what you're doing? (No)
I don't think you do, I don't think you do
Let's hear the applause (Come on, come on)
Come on, show me how much better you are (Oh, oh)
(So much better, yeah?)
So you deserve some applause
'Cause you're so much better
She took him faster than you could say "Sabotage"
The outro is dripping with sarcasm as Taylor says the subject is "so much better" than she is and "deserves some applause" for successfully stealing her ex from her.
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