# Question About Jessie's Girl **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 23, 2019, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-jessies-girl/839104 "2019-08-23T14:56:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-jessies-girl/839104/1 "2019-08-23T14:56:39Z")
Do you think the person singing is a nice guy who really would be better for her or is he a creep out to ruin his friend’s relationship? So is the POV singer of the song a hero or the villain? ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-jessies-girl/839104/2 "2019-08-23T15:05:45Z")
The guy singing that song is a lousy friend and an objectifier of women. An all-around asshole, IMO. I don’t see anything in there to suggest a redeeming quality. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-jessies-girl/839104/3 "2019-08-23T15:06:56Z")
Villain. Crushing on your homie’s girl is one thing, but trying to woo her is another thing entirely. Most of the song is just about him crushing, but this line: “I’ve been funny, I’ve been cool with the lines” suggests that he’s trying to move beyond the crush phase and into stealing her. Dick move, bro. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-jessies-girl/839104/4 "2019-08-23T15:09:54Z")
I guess if I had to make a binary choice, I’d say he’s a bad guy based off the “I’ve been cool with the lines” line which I could extrapolate into him trying to steal his friend’s girlfriend. But mainly I just see him as a dude who’s fallen for the same girl as his friend and is wrestling with the emotional fallout of being in regular proximity to her without being able to act on it. Not hero nor villain. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-jessies-girl/839104/5 "2019-08-23T15:17:27Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > The guy singing that song is a lousy friend and an objectifier of women. Possibly, but I don’t think the song provides enough evidence that we can be sure. He’s envious, and IMHO he hasn’t crossed the line into “villain” yet, but he could easily be headed in that direction. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-jessies-girl/839104/6 "2019-08-23T15:27:44Z")
Moot point ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-jessies-girl/839104/7 "2019-08-23T15:54:06Z")
The POV singer is neither. He is just a guy in a regrettable situation. Nothing in the lyrics says he has tries to take her away from his friend or try to undermine their relationship. He just laments about a girl he cannot pursue. And **Beckdawrek** , I saw what you did there. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-jessies-girl/839104/8 "2019-08-23T15:54:40Z")
I think the first verse already defines him as a creep: “Jessie’s got himself a girl and **I want to make her mine**.” Not “he’s lucky” or “I’m jealous” or “I wish she were mine.” He wants to act on it, not just wrestle with his emotions. He can’t even justify it by thinking they aren’t right for each other. After all, she’s “lovin’ him with that body.” ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-jessies-girl/839104/9 "2019-08-23T15:57:30Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > The POV singer is neither. He is just a guy in a regrettable situation. > > Nothing in the lyrics says he has tries to take her away from his friend or try to undermine their relationship. He just laments about a girl he cannot pursue. > > And **Beckdawrek** , I saw what you did there. 🙂 FWIW that would be a vote for hero. I was being a little poetic with the choices. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-jessies-girl/839104/10 "2019-08-23T16:05:12Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > I think the first verse already defines him as a creep: “Jessie’s got himself a girl and **I want to make her mine**.” Not “he’s lucky” or “I’m jealous” or “I wish she were mine.” He wants to act on it, not just wrestle with his emotions. Counterpoint: He repeatedly asks “Where can I find a woman like that – like Jessie’s girl?” which wouldn’t be a question if he was fixated on specifically stealing Jessie’s girl. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-jessies-girl/839104/11 "2019-08-23T16:06:04Z")
There’s nothing in the song that remotely suggests the singer is a “nice guy who really would be better for her”. And the line Jophiel quotes above shows he’s not concerned that this particular woman would be better off with him, he just wants a woman like that. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-jessies-girl/839104/12 "2019-08-23T16:28:03Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Counterpoint: He repeatedly asks “Where can I find a woman like that – like Jessie’s girl?” which wouldn’t be a question if he was fixated on specifically stealing Jessie’s girl. Yes, but he says, “I wish that I had Jessie’s girl” repeatedly throughout the chorus, and the final two lines are, “I want, I want Jessie’s girl.” So he actually covets Jessie’s girlfriend as opposed to settling for a girl just like her. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-jessies-girl/839104/13 "2019-08-23T16:32:23Z")
The last verse is: > [@](#): > > And I’m looking in the mirror all the time > **Wondering what she don’t see in me** > I’ve been funny, I’ve been cool with the lines > Ain’t that the way love supposed to be Seems pretty clear that’s he’s trying to get Jessie’s girl. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-jessies-girl/839104/14 "2019-08-23T16:32:42Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Yes, but he says, “I wish that I had Jessie’s girl” repeatedly throughout the chorus, and the final two lines are, “I want, I want Jessie’s girl.” So he actually covets Jessie’s girlfriend as opposed to settling for a girl just like her. Well, he might settle for some other girl like that if he knew where to find one. But he clearly doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-jessies-girl/839104/15 "2019-08-23T16:37:47Z")
The singer wants to “make her mine”, but never gives the impression that he’s trying to steal her away. He is neither heroic nor villianous, he’s just human. Therefore, I did not vote. Key line: “Where can I find a woman like that?” ETA: I interpret the following as the singer simply trying to learn how to be cool with the ladies, not trying to steal anyone. “I’ve been funny, I’ve been cool with the lines Ain’t that the way love supposed to be” ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-jessies-girl/839104/16 "2019-08-23T16:41:09Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Well, he might settle for some other girl like that if he knew where to find one. But he clearly doesn’t. I figure that he’s in love with Jessie’s girl and wishes that she were his but also realizes that this is unfair to his friend so would rather “find a woman like that”. Except, as you say, he doesn’t know where to find a woman like that and so continues to pine for Jessie’s girl. He also, despite “want to make her mine” and being “cool with the lines”, doesn’t really seem like he’s trying to actively steal her. It’s not a song about him trying to sabotage the relationship, it’s a song about him loving Jessie’s girl. None of this makes him remotely a “hero” but I don’t know if being young and in love and making regrettable emotionally-charged decisions like wishing your friend’s girlfriend liked your cool lines classifies you as a villain either. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-jessies-girl/839104/17 "2019-08-23T16:42:25Z")
He’s neither a creep villain nor a hero. He’s just jealous and wants a girl like that. > [@](#): > > I wish that I had Jessie’s girl > Where can I find a woman like that > Like Jessie’s girl > I wish that I had Jessie’s girl > Where can I find a woman > Where can I find a woman like that To say “I wish that I had Jessie’s girl”, and looking at all the lyrics, it’s clear he wants a girl **like** her and **not her**. Even this, > [@](#): > > And I’m looking in the mirror all the time > Wondering what she don’t see in me > I’ve been funny, I’ve been cool with the lines > Ain’t that the way love supposed to be > Tell me, where can I find a woman like that He doesn’t want his friend’s girl, but one like her. But he’s not good enough for Jessie’s girl. No vote here. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-jessies-girl/839104/18 "2019-08-23T16:43:14Z")
That’s not the key line. He literally says “I want to make her mine” and he wonders what she “don’t see in [him]”. He’s been trying to be funny and make cool lines to impress her. How is this even a question? ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-jessies-girl/839104/19 "2019-08-23T16:43:23Z")
To add: I interpret it this way do to my key line above. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2019, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-jessies-girl/839104/20 "2019-08-23T16:45:14Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > That’s not the key line. He literally says “I want to make her mine” and he wonders what she “don’t see in [him]”. He’s been trying to be funny and make cool lines to impress her. How is this even a question? He wants to make her his. What, you’ve never been jealous of what someone else has? But he makes no attempt to do so. And yes, he wonders that, because he is an insecure person. Who isn’t sometimes? _That_ is how this is a question. Any more questions? :rolleyes: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-jessies-girl/839104.md?page=2)