Insider confirms why Taylor Swift changed lyrics in Better Than Revenge

07 July 2023 , 16:16

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Taylor has reimagined the cover art for "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)" (Image: AP)

The wait is over! Taylor Swift has finally released Speak Now (Taylor's Version) as the third in a series of re-recorded albums. One song in particular, though, was flagged immediately by fans. "Better Than Revenge (Taylor's Version)" has different lyrics than the original release. There has been lots of discussion as to why she made the change, but an insider has now revealed all to The Mirror.

The original lyrics were: "She’s better known for the things that she does on the mattress.”

Often, these lyrics have been heralded as misogynistic and have openly received criticism over the years. Now, Swift has edited the lyrics to: "He was a moth to the flame, she was holding the matches.”

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While these new lyrics still indicate a manipulative approach to a relationship, they leave out the sexual nature of the original. An insider exclusively told us more about Swift's rationale.

An insider close to Swift told The Mirror that this change was meant to echo her sentiments from her documentary, Miss Americana. By changing the lyrics, Swift is continuing to do what she promised to do in the movie. Specifically, the insider referenced a moment in the movie where Swift said: "I'm [trying to] deprogram the misogyny in my own brain. Toss it out, reject it, and resist it."

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She later added: "There is no such thing as a sl*t, there is no such thing as a b*tch, there is no such thing as someone who's bossy—there's just a boss. We don't want to be condemned for being multi-faceted."

While Swift continues to criticise the antagonist of "Better Than Revenge (Taylor's Version)," it's clear that sexual history won't be a part of that conversation, especially if it implies a woman is a "sl*t."

Up until now, her rerecorded music only contained lyric changes that were rather semantic in nature. For example, in "You Belong With Me (Taylor's Version)," she specifies "my room" over "the room." This new lyric change, though, has a very real and impactful message behind it.

By rerecording her albums, Swift is reclaiming ownership rights and also devaluing the original tracks. Some fans have pointed out that by changing the lyrics, it may not have the same effect. Others have argued that since the new songs are "Taylor's Version," she should have the freedom to make them more true to who she is now and her values.

Swift hasn't made a lyric change like this since she removed a homophobic connotation from her 2008 song "Picture to Burn".

Alex West