Sometimes, you have to remove a person you love to make room for the person you are becoming. It is the loneliest math in the world. But as the song proves, staying in a place where you are constantly shrinking is not love. It is a hostage situation.
And that is the saddest, bravest thing in the world. What song helps you heal after a tough decision? Drop the title in the comments below. Better Man
We don’t usually sing songs about that kind of pain. We sing about revenge, about anger, or about desperate longing to get someone back. But country-pop anthem “Better Man” —penned by Taylor Swift and performed by Little Big Town—takes a scalpel to a different wound entirely: Sometimes, you have to remove a person you
“Better Man” gives us permission to mourn a relationship even when the ending was the right choice. You are allowed to cry over the man who didn't treat you right. You are allowed to miss the inside jokes, the way he smelled, the good Sundays. Grief doesn't follow logic. This is the most mature, painful part of the song. The narrator hopes he finds a "better man" (a better version of himself) for the next girl. It is a hostage situation
We love to tell people leaving a toxic (or merely mediocre) situation, "Just be happy you're free!" But freedom isn't always warm. Sometimes it's cold and lonely.
“Better Man” challenges that fairy tale. The narrator clearly loves the man. She isn't leaving because the spark died; she’s leaving because the respect died. She is tired of crying in the shower. She is tired of begging for basic decency.
If you haven’t listened to the lyrics lately, here is the gut-punch: "I know I’m probably better off on my own / Than loving a man who didn’t know what he had."