Written By: Taylor Swift
Produced By: Aaron Dessner & Taylor Swift
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A cut from the original 2012 Red album, “Better Man” captures the feeling of getting out of a toxic, perhaps abusive, relationship and accepting the sorrow that follows the breakup. Swift gave the song to Little Big Town in 2016, making it her first country song since she crossed over to pop with her 2014 record 1989.
Little Big Town’s rendition of the song won a Grammy for “Best Country Duo/Group Performance” at the 2018 Grammy Awards.
[Verse 1]
I know I'm probably better off on my own
Than lovin’ a man who didn't know what he had when he had it
And I see the permanent damage you did to me
Never again, I just wish I could forget when it was magic
[Pre-Chorus]
I wish it wasn't 4AM, standin’ in the mirror
Saying to myself, "You know you had to do it"
I know the bravest thing I ever did was run
[Chorus]
Sometimes, in the middle of the night, I can feel you again
But I just miss you and I just wish you were a better man
I know why we had to say goodbye like the back of my hand
But I just miss you and I just wish you were a better man
A better man
[Verse 2]
I know I'm probably better off all alone
Than needing a man who could change his mind at any given minute
And it was always on your terms, I waited on every careless word
Hoping they might turn sweet again like it was in the beginning
[Pre-Chorus]
But your jealousy, oh, I can hear it now
Talking down to me like I'd always be around
Push my love away like it was some kind of loaded gun
Oh, you never thought I'd run
[Chorus]
Sometimes, in the middle of the night, I can feel you again
But I just miss you and I just wish you were a better man
I know why we had to say goodbye like the back of my hand
But I just miss you and I just wish you were a better man
A better man
[Bridge]
I hold onto this pride because, these days, it's all I have
And I gave to you my best
And we both know you can't say that
[Breakdown]
I wish you were a better man
I wonder what we would've become if you were a better man
We might still be in love if you were a better man
You would've been the one if you were a better man
[Chorus]
Sometimes, in the middle of the night, I can feel you again
But I just miss you and I just wish you were a better man
I know why we had to say goodbye like the back of my hand
But I just miss you and I just wish you were a better man
A better man
(Sometimes, in the middle of the night, I can feel you again)
We might still be in love, if you were a better man
(But I just miss you and I just wish you were a better man)
I know why we had to say goodbye like the back of my hand
But I just miss you and I just wish you were a better man
A better man
[Outro]
We might still be in love if you were a better man
You would’ve been the one if you were a better man
Swift told Amazon Music:
I was on tour, and I wrote it alone in a hotel room. And I remember standing in front of a mirror—I think the first thing I thought of was, ‘I wish it wasn’t 4am, standing in a mirror, saying to myself, “you know you had to do it.”’ That was an actual visual from my life that ended up being the first thing I wrote, and then I expanded outward from there. And it was a song that I really thought belonged on the album and there were just too many songs I loved that I had written in that period of time, so some of them had to be left off. I think I chose ‘All Too Well’ over ‘Better Man.’ I think that was what happened. I was either going to put on ‘All Too Well’ or ‘Better Man,’ and then I left off ‘Better Man,’ and then later on, years later, Little Big Town ended up recording that song and it went to #1, it won CMA Song of the year, it was nominated for a Grammy. That was insane. It was like the coolest thing ever, and I’m so grateful to them for doing that, and now I get to put out my version of it, so pretty fun moment.
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