Better Man Lyrics
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 4 a.m., standing 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
And I know why we had to say goodbye like the back of my hand
And 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's always on your terms
I'm hanging on every careless word
Hoping it might turn sweet again
Like it was in the beginning
But your jealousy, I can hear it now
You're talking down to me like I'll always be around
You push my love away like it's some kind of loaded gun
Boy, 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
And I know why we had to say goodbye like the back of my hand
And I just miss you, and I just wish you were a better man
A better man
Better man
[Bridge]
I hold on to this pride because these days, it's all I have
And I gave you my best and we both know you can't say that
You can't say that
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
Yeah, yeah
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
And I know why we had to say goodbye like the back of my hand
And I just miss you and I just wish you were a better man
[Outro]
We might still be in love, if you were a better man
Could've been the one, if you were a better man
We might still be in love, if you were a better man
Better man
About
A cut from Taylor Swift’s 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.
“Better Man” was Swift’s first country track in over two years — she crossed over to pop with her 2014 record 1989. She later gave another Red reject, “Babe,” to Sugarland, and recorded her own renditions of both songs on her 2021 Red (Taylor’s Version) project.
The song won a Grammy for “Best Country Duo/Group Performance” at the 2018 Grammy Awards.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Little Big Town talked to Q102 about the meaning behind the song’s lyrics:
Everybody can identify with the sentiment of this song. A lot of times in life, there are things that you have to walk away from that don’t necessarily feel like the greatest decision to have to make in your life, but sometimes you just know that it’s time to move on, and no matter how hard that is, you just know down in your heart that it’s time to do that. And those are very difficult decisions that we face sometimes in our lives, and I think this song talks about that beautifully."
Karen Fairchild also told Reading Eagle:
When you can’t get it out of your head, and when it becomes singable instantly, then there’s always something special about it. And then when you get that extra tug of the heart and connection then you really have just gone to a deeper level with the fans. Taylor wrote a beautiful song, and we’re just really grateful that the fans connected with it.
As reported by Tennesseean, Taylor said the following at a surprise gig in Nashville in March 2018:
When I would play writers nights, I didn’t have the experience of a writer writing something and then it going out into the world and you hearing it from someone else’s perspective until recently. Little Big Town gave me the opportunity to feel that way, to be at the Bluebird and play a song you’ve maybe heard on the radio. I will always be forever grateful to them for that.
There’s no definite answer to the question of who the song is about, but at the time of its release writer Taylor Swift’s most recent major breakup was with Scottish DJ Calvin Harris. Following the split, Tay had a fling with actor Tom Hiddleston that fizzled out. However, it’s possible that she took some inspiration from past relationships, or even wrote it years before it came out.
- 1.Happy People
- 4.Free
- 7.Better Man
- 8.Rollin’
- 10.Beat Up Bible
- 12.The Breaker