Taylor Swift Altered the Gender-Biased Lyric in ‘Better Than Revenge’

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  • Taylor Swift released the re-recorded version of her third album “Speak Now” on Friday.
  • She made changes to the chorus of “Better Than Revenge,” which previously contained a derogatory lyric.
  • Fans are disappointed that Swift is quietly rewriting her own history instead of taking ownership of her mistakes.

Taylor Swift has finally released “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),” but the reaction from fans has been tempered by an unpopular lyric change.

This is the third installment of Swift’s “Taylor’s Version” series, in which she revisits and revitalizes her pre-“Lover” albums. The decision to re-record and re-release her old catalog was in response to the sale of her master recordings to Scooter Braun.

At the age of 19 and 20, Swift wrote “Speak Now” entirely on her own. It was released as her third studio album in 2010, just before she turned 21.

The album’s main themes of idealism, regret, and innocence — the loss, desire, and manipulation of it — are all encapsulated in the fan-favorite track “Better Than Revenge.” The emo-pop anthem showcases Swift at her most rebellious and impulsive, projecting her feelings of pain and betrayal onto her ex-boyfriend’s new partner.

“She’s not a saint, and she’s not what you think, she’s an actress / But she’s better known for the things that she does on the mattress,” Swift sang in the original chorus of the song.

Swift has acknowledged that she was outspoken during that time and regrets publicly criticizing certain individuals. The album’s title itself pays homage to the messy and impulsive behavior associated with youth.

However, “Better Than Revenge (Taylor’s Version)” has undergone a significant revision. Instead of the controversial mattress line, Swift now sings: “He was a moth to the flame, she was holding the matches.”

It’s understandable why, at the age of 33, Swift made this change. The original lyric clearly slut-shamed and conflicted with her public image as a feminist.

However, as many fans have pointed out, “Speak Now” was never intended to be a feminist manifesto. It was the product of a young woman in the spotlight, experiencing and grappling with various emotions while trying (and often failing) to mature.

The internalized misogyny present in “Better Than Revenge” is not admirable. Yet, it is a common aspect of girlhood, one that Swift has moved away from. By quietly altering the lyric instead of acknowledging her mistake or using it as a teaching moment, she appears to be attempting to erase her past errors rather than taking responsibility for them.

Furthermore, this decision may be detrimental to Swift’s business interests. Up until now, the “Taylor’s Version” albums have been faithful reproductions of the original material. Changing the lyrics could devalue the new song and give people a reason to stream the original version — the exact outcome Swift is attempting to avoid by re-recording her music.

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