Swifties are divided by supposed leak of new lyrics for ‘Better Than Revenge (Taylor’s Version)’

It’s an open secret that some of Taylor Swift‘s old songs have questionable lyrics that might not sit well if they were released today. So with the upcoming release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), fans have their eyes locked on one track after rumors of potential lyric changes surfaced.

Audio for the Taylor’s version of “Better Than Revenge” leaked on the internet after it was discovered that the chorus had been altered. The line “She’s better known for the things that she does on the mattress.” In the upcoming Taylor’s Version, the line has been changed to “He was a moth to the flame, she was holding the matches.”

Many consider the original line to be “anti-feminist,” “slut shaming” and “misogynistic.” According to a now-deleted MTV report, “Better Than Revenge” was rumored to be about Camilla Belle, the actress Joe Jonas dated immediately after he broke up with Swift.

Before the leak surfaced, there was a lot of speculation about how “Better Than Revenge” would be re-recorded. One of them was the possibility of a lyric change. While fans agree that the original line is problematic, there’s still a want for the original lyrics.

Some are willing to just stream to the original, even if it means giving streaming revenue to Scooter Braun, the whole reason Swift is re-recording albums in the first place. Fans also remind everyone that this song was allegedly about a woman who took her boyfriend when they were still together, and that Swift can be “misogynistic for just 3 minutes” for the sake of the song’s original message.

At the same time, some fans defend Swift’s decision to change the lyrics, claiming that she can’t please everyone and that she took the safe route to avoid backlash. Others argued that Swift may no longer be happy with what she released back then, and it’s her right to change it in the new recording.

It’s very unlikely that Swift will release a re-recording of “Better Than Revenge” with the original lyrics. While it’s good that she’s playing it safe, considering how problematic the original line was, many fans are now upset that this iconic song will lose some of its edge. However, it’s worth remembering that the singer faced backlash last year due to a clip in her “Anti-Hero” music video, so maybe she did the right thing by slightly altering the lyrics.

“Better Than Revenge (Taylor’s Version)” will be on Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), which is set to be released on July 7, 2023.