Kelly Clarkson wrote “Piece by Piece” about her relationship with Brandon Blackstock before they hit a rough patch—and she just performed the song for the first time since their split. Yes, she made some big lyrical changes.
Speaking to her audience in Las Vegas, Clarkson said, “This song I initially wrote just super hopeful right? And well, sometimes hopeful turns into hopeless, so here we go. ‘Piece by Piece.’”
So what changes were made to the song? Well, this is the old chorus (via Genius):
“But piece by piece, he collected me
Up off the ground, where you abandoned things, yeah
Piece by piece, he filled the holes
That you burned in me at six years old
And you know
He never walks away, he never asks for money
He takes care of me, he loves me
Piece by piece, he restored my faith
That a man can be kind and a father could
Stay”
And this is the new one:
“Piece by piece, I collected me
Off the ground where you abandoned things
Piece by piece, I filled the holes
That you burned in me at six years old
I just walk away when they ask for money
I take care of me, 'cause I love me
Piece by piece, I restored my faith
That a heart can still beat even when it breaks”
She also made tweaks to the final chorus of the song, which originally went:
“Piece by piece, I fell far from the tree
I will never leave him like you left me
And she will never have to wonder her worth
Because unlike you, I'm gonna put her first
And you know
He'll never walk away, he'll never break her heart
He'll take care of things, he'll love her
Piece by piece, he restored my faith
That a man can be kind and a father should be great”
The new version goes:
“Piece by piece, I fell far from the tree
I will never leave them like you left me
And they will never have to wonder their worth
Because unlike you, I’m gonna put them first
I never walk away, I never break their hearts
I’ll take care of things when you leave scars
Piece by piece, I restored my faith
That a heart can still beat even if it breaks”
Mehera Bonner is a celebrity and entertainment news writer who enjoys Bravo and Antiques Roadshow with equal enthusiasm, She was previously entertainment editor at Marie Claire and has covered pop culture for over a decade.
