"Better Man" is the seventh track from the standard edition of Little Big Town's eighth studio album, The Breaker, released on October 20, 2016, through Capitol Records Nashville. It is also the twenty-second track from Swift's second re-recorded album, Red (Taylor's Version), released on November 12, 2021, through Republic Records. The original demo from the song leaked online on October 12, 2021.
Lyrics[]
[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 1] I wish it wasn't 4 AM, 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 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 2] 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 And 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 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
[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 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) Yeah, yeah 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
Awards and nominations[]
Year
Organization
Award
Result
2017
Country Music Association Awards
Song of the Year
Won
Nashville Songwriters Association International Awards
Swift performed "Better Man" for the first time at The Bluebird Cafe on March 31, 2018. The track was also performed as a surprise song in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 25, 2018, on the Reputation Stadium Tour. The song was performed as the second surprise song in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on May 19, 2023, on the Eras Tour.
