Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
taylor swift performs in texas for her ERAs tour
taylor swift performs in texas for her ERAs tour
Photo by Ronald Woan distributed under a CC BY-SA 2.0 license
Culture > Entertainment

Taylor Changed *That Line* In “Better Than Revenge” & Twitter Has Some Thoughts

Eileen Flaherty

Besties, how are we doing?! If you’re anything like me, you were also up until the wee hours of the night sobbing to Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). I am a Speak Now girlie until I die, so this release is very important to me. I quite literally saw “Sparks Fly” last night when I was listening to it because it’s that good. (See what I did there?)

Of course, since this is Taylor’s Version, she wants it to be the best of the best. I’ll support whatever decision this woman makes (yes, even if it was her brief relationship with Matty Healy). However, we must talk about that line change in “Better Than Revenge.” 

Don’t get me wrong here, I am a girl’s girl, a feminist, and above all else, a Taylor Swift supporter. Although, that line was simply so iconic, and now it’s gone — I can’t process it. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, let me give you some background.

“Better Than Revenge” is, IMO, the biggest IDGAF song. It’s also such an anthem and is the song a lot of Swifties turn to when a boy has wronged them since 2010. In the song, Swift sings about a girl who took the man she wanted right out of her hands. So, she writes one of the best songs calling her out, letting her know there is nothing Taylor does “Better Than Revenge.” 

When Speak Now was originally released in 2010, the most iconic line of the chorus (and arguably the whole song) is “She’s better known for the things that she does on the mattress.” Of course, this lyric has an obvious meaning that’s not too polite, or feminist by any means, but it is an iconic lyric. Now that Swift has ownership of Speak Now, she changed that line in the song to “He was a moth to the flame, she was holding the matches” and Twitter has a lot to say. 

Even Spotify is in denial about the lyric change.

Also, the Swifties are not OK.

However, some fans aren’t opposed to the change.

At the end of the day, I know I’ll grow to love the lyric change. I also know I’ll support it because Swift finally owns one of her greatest albums and that is something to be proud of!

Eileen is a senior at Fairfield University who is studying Communications with minors in English, Professional Writing, and Women’s Gender & Sexuality Studies. She has a passion for magazine writing and hopes to pursue a career in the field. Eileen is the Entertainment & Culture Intern at Her Campus where she covers all things pop culture, entertainment, and internet trends. Eileen was formerly a National Writer for Her Campus from April 2023 - January 2024. Eileen is one of the Campus Correspondents (CCs) at Her Campus' Fairfield University chapter. She oversees the entire chapter and works with her other CC to curate ideas and events for HCFU. She also mentors and trains the editorial team and helps create content and boost engagement alongside the social media team. In her free time, you can find Eileen creating new Spotify playlists, getting a sweet treat with friends, or obsessing over Taylor Swift. If she isn’t doing that, you’ll likely find Eileen with her six best friends from school talking about their “Big Three”: "Normal People," their favorite "Dancing With The Stars" performances, and Greta Gerwig's "Little Women."