We always hear about song lyrics that we deeply connect to on a personal level, but what about ones that are the opposite of your experiences and/or vibe? I'll start first:
Every time I'm listening to "getting better" by the Beatles and hear "I used to be cruel to my woman, I'd beat her" and then they sing about getting better I instantly turn off.
Even when I was a kid I was like wait so he still beats his wife but like not as often?
What the f*** and who beats their wife anyway and how is that in this song and it just bothers me to no end every time I have heard that song for the past my entire lifetime.
"All that 'I used to be cruel to my woman, I beat her and kept her apart from the things that she loved' was me. I used to be cruel to my woman, and physically - any woman. I was a hitter. I couldn't express myself and I hit. I fought men and I hit women."
But in all seriousness, isn't that the growth we want from people? He didn't just recognize that it was fucked up and changed. He also publicly acknowledged that he used to be that person and that that person was fucked up.
I agree that it's good he was (presumably) not hitting people any more and I agree its good he had enough self perception to see that it was an abnormal thing to hit people as a means of expression.
However I guess I'd feel more comfortable about that admittance if I knew how the people he abused feel about it and him. Did he ever seek out those women and sincerely apologise? Maybe he did, I don't know. And if he did, did they accept that apology? Because it's all very well adopting a peace and love attitude when it makes you a lot of money and using your past as a means of contrast to highlight how much you now value peace and love when you don't have to actually face the people you abused.
Quite a lot of Beatles songs are a bit creepy. Take Norwegian Wood for example - he goes back to this woman's flat, she doesn't want to sleep with him, he sleeps in her bath instead of just leaving, and in the morning, after she's gone to work, he sets fire to her house.
No worries, I'm glad I didn't spoil it for you :-)
I must admit I hadn't realised the arson part until quite recently, I had always thought that it just meant he lit a fire in the fireplace to keep warm, but apparently not!