Tim McGraw's last release (presumably) on Curb Records is one of his best in recent memory. 'Better Than I Used to Be' was released to radio just hours after it was announced that McGraw had emerged victorious in his lawsuit against his longtime record label. Apparently, there are a few treasures that he had to leave behind in splitting with Curb.

"I ain’t no angel / Still got a few more dances with the devil / I'm cleaning up my act little by little / I'm getting there / I can finally stand the man in the mirror I see / I ain't as good as I'm gonna get / But I'm better than I used to be," McGraw sings during this introspective ballad. It's the first time fans get to experience many of the burdens the singer has talked of shedding in recent years.

"I pinned a lot of demons to the ground / Got a few old habits left / But there's still water I might need you to help me get / Standing in the rain so long / Has left me with a little rust / It put some faith in me that some day you'll see there's a diamond under all this dust," he adds during the second verse.

McGraw performed this song on tour this summer, and now that he's free to choose when and how his new music will be released, one hopes that he'll continue heading in this direction. It takes this song to realize that despite living a very public life with Faith Hill, he's been somewhat closed off musically since the 'Live Like You Were Dying' album.

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Listen to Tim McGraw, 'Better Than I Used to Be'

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