Songfacts®:

• "Who You Thought I Was" is a soaring ballad that finds Brandy Clark reflecting on the end of a relationship. The singer remembers things she wanted out of life in her younger days.
  
  I used to wanna be a cowboy
  A shadow in a sunset
  That's why I started smokin' cigarettes.
  
  Because of her time with her now-ex, Clark's priorities have changed. She wants to be a better person now that her lover has gone.
  
  Now I wanna be better
  I wanna be the me I should have been when we were together
  I wanna be at least almost close to worth your love
  I wanna be who you thought I was
• A John Prine joke at an Americana Honors & Awards ceremony kick-started the song. Clark recalled at an album preview event:
  
  "John Prine walked out, and everybody stood up and clapped for a long time. I think in an attempt not to get emotional, he made a joke of it. He said, 'I'm John Prine, but I'd like to go back to being who you thought I was.'"
  
  The songwriter in Clark instantly recognized a song, so she put the idea in her phone. Her heart recognized a truth, which bought her to tears. She explained: "I cried because I'd felt that way. Like, 'Man, I'd love to be who somebody thought I was,' you know? It can really be anything. I'd like to be who my dogs think I am, on most days."
  
  The very next day Clark sat down and penned the song.