Thirteen years after the release of Taylor Swift's third studio album Speak Now, Swifties everywhere are enjoying a brand new version of the album with the release of Speak Now (Taylor's Version). But there's one song that dedicated fans will notice sounds a bit different. On the song "Better Than Revenge," the line "She's not a saint, and she's not what you think / she's an actress, whoa / She's better known for the things that she does / On the mattress, whoa" has been changed to "He was a moth to the flame / She was holding the matches, whoa."
The song had been a hot topic of discussion leading up to the re-release, with some fans — who'd long called the lyric problematic, sexist and "slut-shaming" — wondering if Swift would make a change to the song.
Swift herself has previously reflected on the lyric, acknowledging that she'd grown and changed her mindset since writing the song at age 18.
"I was 18 when I wrote that," Swift told The Guardian in 2014. "That's the age you are when you think someone can actually take your boyfriend. Then you grow up and realise no one take someone from you if they don't want to leave."
Many were convinced that Swift would alter the lyric, as she herself has spoken out about being criticized for her dating life. In 2021, she called out the Netflix series Ginny & Georgia, calling the series' reference to her dating life "deeply sexist." ("Hey Ginny & Georgia, 2010 called and it wants its lazy, deeply sexist joke back," Swift wrote. "How about we stop degrading hard working women by defining this horse sh-t as funny.") So it comes as no surprise that she updated the song to reflect her current values.
"Better Than Revenge," which has long been rumored to be inspired by Swift's breakup with singer-songwriter Joe Jonas, isn't the only Speak Now track that's had fans speculating. "Dear John," which many believe to be about singer-songwriter John Mayer (although Swift has never confirmed who the song is about), made headlines when Swift performed it during a tour stop in Minneapolis. Ahead of the performance, Swift asked fans to proceed with kindness leading up to the release of Speak Now (Taylor's Version).
"I was hoping to ask you, that as we lead up to this album, I would love for that kindness and that gentleness to extend onto our internet activities. Right?" Swift told the crowd. "So what I'm trying to say is, I'm putting this album out because I want to own my music and I believe that [those] who have the desire to own their music should be able to. That's why I'm putting out this album."
"I'm 33 years old, I don't care about anything that happened to me when I was 19 except the songs I wrote," Swift continued. "So what I'm trying to tell you, is that I am not putting this album out so you should feel the need to defend me on the internet against someone you think I wrote a song about 14 million years ago."
Swift announced the re-release of Speak Now in May during a Nashville stop on the Eras Tour.
"I first made Speak Now, completely self-written, between the ages of 18 and 20. The songs that came from this time in my life were marked by their brutal honesty, unfiltered diaristic confessions and wild wistfulness," Swift wrote. "I love this album because it tells a tale of growing up, flailing, flying and crashing ... and living to speak about it. With six extra songs I've sprung loose from the vault, I absolutely cannot wait to celebrate Speak Now (Taylor's Version) with you on July 7th."
