Better Man
Taylor Swift Lyrics
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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
I wish it wasn't 4 AM, standin' in the mirror
Sayin' to myself, you know you had to do it
I know the bravest thing I ever did was run
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
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
I know I'm probably better off all alone
Than needin' a man who could change his mind at any given minute
And it was always on your terms, I waited on every careless word
Hopin' they might turn sweet again, like it was in the beginning
But your jealousy, oh, I can hear it now
Talkin' 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
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
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
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
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
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
We might still be in love if you were a better man
You would've been the one if you were a better man
The song "Better Man" by Taylor Swift is about a woman who is reflecting on her past relationship with a man who didn't appreciate her and treated her poorly. The woman acknowledges that she is better off without him, but she misses what they had and wishes he had been a better man. She describes the permanent damage that he caused and the emotional toll it had on her. The woman knows that the bravest thing she ever did was leave him, even though it was hard to do.
The chorus of the song repeats the line, "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." This line conveys the conflicting emotions that the woman feels – she misses him, but she knows that the relationship wasn't healthy and she wishes he had been a better partner.
In the final verse, the woman holds onto her pride and acknowledges that she gave him her best, but he couldn't do the same for her. She wonders what could have been if he had been a better man, and if they could still be together if he had treated her better.
Overall, "Better Man" is a poignant reflection on a toxic relationship and the conflicting emotions that come with a breakup. It highlights the importance of treating your partner with respect and appreciation, and the lasting impact that a bad relationship can have.
Line by Line Meaning
I know I'm probably better off on my own
I understand that being alone is better than being in a relationship where the other person is unaware of what they had.
Than lovin' a man who didn't know what he had when he had it
Being in love with someone who didn't recognize the value of our relationship was a bad choice.
And I see the permanent damage you did to me
You inflicted permanent emotional harm on me that I am still dealing with.
Never again, I just wish I could forget when it was magic
I don't want to go through this again, and I wish I could erase the memories of when things were good between us.
I wish it wasn't 4 AM, standin' in the mirror
I wish I wasn't constantly plagued by thoughts of you, especially when I'm alone with my thoughts in the early hours of the morning.
Sayin' to myself, you know you had to do it
Reminding myself that ending our relationship was the right thing to do, even though it was difficult.
I know the bravest thing I ever did was run
Leaving you was one of the bravest things I have ever done, even though it hurt me deeply.
I know why we had to say goodbye like the back of my hand
I understand completely why we had to end things, it is as familiar to me as the back of my hand.
But I just miss you, and I just wish you were a better man
I still miss you, but I wish you had been the person I thought you were and treated me better.
I know I'm probably better off all alone
Being alone is likely better for me than being with someone who can change his mind on a whim.
Than needin' a man who could change his mind at any given minute
Being with a man who could flip on our relationship at any moment was not something I needed in my life.
And it was always on your terms, I waited on every careless word
I always had to conform to your needs, and I hung onto your every word even if it was thoughtless.
Hopin' they might turn sweet again, like it was in the beginning
I hoped that you would go back to treating me well, like you did in the early days of our relationship.
But your jealousy, oh, I can hear it now
Your jealousy was a burden on our relationship, and I can still hear it in my mind.
Talkin' down to me like I'd always be around
You talked down to me like I was always going to be there, as if you didn't value my presence.
Push my love away like it was some kind of loaded gun
You treated my love like it was a dangerous weapon and pushed it away from you.
Oh, you never thought I'd run
You never thought I would have the strength to leave, but I did.
I hold onto this pride because these days, it's all I have
I cling to my pride because it's one of the few things I have left after everything that has happened between us.
And I gave to you my best and we both know you can't say that
I put my best self into our relationship, and we both know you didn't do the same.
I wish you were a better man
I wish you were the kind of person who would have treated me with the respect and love I deserved.
I wonder what we would've become if you were a better man
I can't help but think about what could have been if you had been a better person and partner.
We might still be in love if you were a better man
If you had been a better partner, we might still be together today.
You would've been the one if you were a better man
If you had abided by the qualities of a good partner, I might have seen you as the person I wanted to be with forever.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Taylor Alison Swift
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@drishtibajaj
"The bravest thing I ever did was run"
It's time to go : "Sometimes to run is the brave thing"
"I know, I am probably better off all alone"
King of my heart : "I made up my mind, I'm better off bein' alone"
"And I know why we had to say goodbye, like the back of my hand"
Breathe: "You're the only thing I know like the back of my hand"
"You would've been the one if you were a better man"
The 1: "It would've been fun if you would've been the one"
@cherryyyy123
Left me without saying anything… made me fall for everything he said and did only to leave me confused and broken.
For a few months, I questioned my worth and made me feel guilty over things am not sure about. Lost myself for the past few months… calling my friends crying, excusing myself in class just to cry in the restroom, crying until past midnight, secretly crying at work…
All he brought me was pain and confusion.
When I discovered this song, I can’t help but look back at those times when I thought it’s impossible for me to heal and move forward.
I’m still in pain but now, it’s different. I learned to move on through this pain, gently embracing the future and slowly accepting what was.
Every word of this song just seem to talk directly to my soul. Thank you Taylor for singing this song. You have no idea how this song touched the very core of what I am going through right now.❤❤❤
@joans.6919
bravery is leaving a toxic relationship and knowing that you deserve better.
@marisacoolio8542
Facts
@rachelmcgrath9853
AMEN to THAT!!!!
@haydenrose3237
And maturing is realizing your mistakes and your partners mistakes and moving on
@nehavaish1994
Even if it's not toxic, sometimes he is just not what you deserve. It's hard to leave a person whom you adore but you had to. It's like punishing him and yourself. But it's alright. It's alright
@Elizabeth-uj8vn
I’m in one and I wanna get out … I’m confused cuz I care 😫
@sarahwilliams620
Left an abusive relationship. The right thing but doesn’t take away the grief. This song has always hit hard. Thank you Taylor.
@stephane1623
Hope you found your better man :)
@amandapoteet469
Same!
@choosekindness613
Same, girl. This song always hit so very close to home for me. I can't count how many times I've listened. Always strangely comforting.