Initially intended for inclusion on Red, Swift passed "Better Man" to Little Big Town in 2016, and it became an instant country hit. "Better Man (Taylor's Version)" brings Swift's songs to fans as it was originally intended. In it, she sings about getting out of a toxic relationship and reminisces on what could've been if only her ex would've been, well, a better man.
It's likely "Better Man" is about whichever ex-boyfriend Swift was getting over at the time she wrote the song (which would have been around 2011 id if it was initially meant to be on Red's tracklist), which means Jake Gyllenhaal, who is rumoured to have inspired the majority of the album, is likely its subject. It's also worth noting that lyrics from "Better Man" draw parallels to other songs rumoured to be about Gyllenhaal. For example, "Talking down to me like I'd always be around" and "Push my love away like it was some kind of loaded gun" link to other songs on the album such as "The Last Time" and "I Bet You Think About Me."