Taylor Swift’s re-release of Speak Now has offered her the opportunity to take back a now-controversial lyric from “Better Than Revenge.”
When it was originally released in 2010, “Better Than Revenge” contained the lyrics, “She’s not a saint and she’s not what you think/ She’s an actress/ She’s better known for the things that she does/ On the mattress.” Now, the latter two lines have been changed to: “He was a moth to the flame/ She was holding the matches.”
At the time, the song was rumored to be about her ex Joe Jonas’ new girlfriend, actress Camilla Belle. While it was largely considered “fine” back then, it’s grown controversial as the times have changed. In a 2014 interview with The Guardian, Swift expressed her regret for the lyric.
“I was 18 when I wrote that,” she said. “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.”
This isn’t the first time Swift has changed one of her releases after the fact. Back in October 2022, Swift amended the video for her track “Anti-Hero,” taking out the word “FAT” from a scene meant to depict one of Swift’s “nightmares.”
Swift is still on the US leg of “The Eras Tour,” which will continue with its first set of international dates in late August. Next year, she’ll embark on a wider tour that will feature Paramore as a special guest on the European leg. Grab tickets for all of her upcoming dates here.
