# Songs where the protagonist is a dick **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 28, 2018, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-protagonist-is-a-dick/807659 "2018-01-28T15:49:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-protagonist-is-a-dick/807659/1 "2018-01-28T15:49:07Z")
I was at the gym yesterday listening to Pandora on my headphones and “I Saw Her Again” by the Mommas and the Pappas came on. I’d never really paid attention to the lyrics before but, wow, what a selfish asshole! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/04FrZPGqzpY/maxresdefault.jpg "I Saw Her Again THE MAMAS & THE PAPAS (with lyrics)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04FrZPGqzpY) And he knows his behavior is bad but keeps doing it anyway. I’m trying to think of others. The Wanderer? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-protagonist-is-a-dick/807659/2 "2018-01-28T15:54:37Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > And he knows his behavior is bad but keeps doing it anyway. Steely Dan went to a similar place with “Dirty Work”. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-protagonist-is-a-dick/807659/3 "2018-01-28T15:58:32Z")
“Lightning Strikes” by Lou Christie “Under My Thumb” by the Stones “Escape(the pina colada song)” by Rupert Holmes ---
**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:** [January 28, 2018, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-protagonist-is-a-dick/807659/4 "2018-01-28T16:00:48Z")
“Run For Your Life” by The Beatles (which begins “I’d rather see you dead, little girl, than to be with another man,” quoted from the Elvis Presley song “Baby Let’s Play House”) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-protagonist-is-a-dick/807659/5 "2018-01-28T16:06:12Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > “Escape(the pina colada song)” by Rupert Holmes In this case, she was equally [del]a dick[/del] at fault. They _deserve_ each other. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-protagonist-is-a-dick/807659/6 "2018-01-28T16:08:10Z")
Rob Paravonian did a bit in his stand-up act about how Sugar Ray’s “Every Morning” is a little disturbing if you start to think about it, and a _lot_ disturbing if you keep going. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-protagonist-is-a-dick/807659/7 "2018-01-28T16:09:19Z")
“Sympathy for the Devil”, the Stones. ---
**Author:** ![Uniqueorn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uniqueorn/32/2807_2.png) [@Uniqueorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniqueorn)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-protagonist-is-a-dick/807659/8 "2018-01-28T16:13:46Z")
“Bobby Brown”, Frank Zappa ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-protagonist-is-a-dick/807659/9 "2018-01-28T16:13:57Z")
“Every Breath You Take” by The Police “You’re Beautiful” by James Blount (not sure I know the song but it was featured in a [Cracked.com](http://Cracked.com) thing recently so I know of it) Plenty of blues songs feature a protagonist who’s a jerk. > [@Uniqueorn](#): > > “Bobby Brown”, Frank Zappa Excellent example and you beat my to it by mere seconds. I’ve been listening to the Halloween 77 concerts and every rendition of this song is amazing. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-protagonist-is-a-dick/807659/10 "2018-01-28T16:14:25Z")
Every Breath You Take - The Police (damn, ninja’d !!!) Are we making a sub-distinction between songs where the protagonist is overtly asserting his badness/villainy like that and “Under My Thumb” or “Run for your Life”, fully aware of it, or where he’s making excuses for his behavior as in “I Saw Her Again” or taking it casually as in “Escape”? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-protagonist-is-a-dick/807659/11 "2018-01-28T16:20:08Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > “You’re Beautiful” by James Blount (not sure I know the song but it was featured in a [Cracked.com](http://Cracked.com) thing recently so I know of it) Nope. He sees a woman with another man, she smiles at him, he “falls” for her and spends the rest of the song about how it will never be. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-protagonist-is-a-dick/807659/12 "2018-01-28T16:28:01Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > “You’re Beautiful” by James Blount (not sure I know the song but it was featured in a [Cracked.com](http://Cracked.com) thing recently so I know of it) > [@running\_coach](#): > > Nope. He sees a woman with another man, she smiles at him, he “falls” for her and spends the rest of the song about how it will never be. [Feel free to call up James Blunt and tell him he’s wrong, then](http://www.elleuk.com/life-and-culture/culture/news/a34865/james-blunt-youre-beautiful-romantic-song/). > [@James Blunt](#): > > You get labeled with these things like, ‘Oh, James Blunt. Isn’t he just a soft romantic?’ Well, f_ck that. No, I’m not. ‘You’re Beautiful’ is not this soft romantic f_cking song. It’s about a guy who’s high as a f\*cking kite on drugs in the subway stalking someone else’s girlfriend when that guy is there in front of him, and he should be locked up or put in prison for being some kind of perv. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-protagonist-is-a-dick/807659/13 "2018-01-28T16:31:38Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > [Feel free to call up James Blunt and tell him he’s wrong, then](http://www.elleuk.com/life-and-culture/culture/news/a34865/james-blunt-youre-beautiful-romantic-song/). I was going by the lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-protagonist-is-a-dick/807659/14 "2018-01-28T16:35:33Z")
“That’s what you get for loving me.”-Gordon Lightfoot ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-protagonist-is-a-dick/807659/15 "2018-01-28T16:42:41Z")
Can’t get much more dickish than the character in **Warren Zevon** ’s [Mr. Bad Example](https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/warrenzevon/mrbadexample.html): _I started as an altar boy, working at the church Learning all my holy moves, doing some research Which led me to a cash box, labeled “Children’s Fund” I’d leave the change, and tuck the bills inside my cummerbund_ My favorite line comes a bit later: _Of course I went to law school and took a law degree…_ mmm ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-protagonist-is-a-dick/807659/16 "2018-01-28T16:51:42Z")
“Gentle On My Mind” - Glen Campbell Nice to know I can always drop by, get laid, then vanish. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-protagonist-is-a-dick/807659/17 "2018-01-28T17:11:18Z")
“[Skeleton Key](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzd6MSh9u_w)” by Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos “[You’re Not Good Enough](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gtdpnKbT10)” by Blood Orange “[I Can’t Make Me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0bKY0MnMtY)” by Butterfly Boucher “[Y Que](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i0VmuIhrQA)?” by Babasonicos (translated lyrics [here](http://lyricstranslate.com/en/y-qu%C3%A9-so-what.html)) ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-protagonist-is-a-dick/807659/18 "2018-01-28T17:16:36Z")
“Cat’s in the Cradle.” “Positively 4th Street” and “Like a Rolling Stone,” arguably. “Gallows Pole,” at least the end part. Most, if not all, songs in the gangsta rap genre, I would think. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-protagonist-is-a-dick/807659/19 "2018-01-28T17:18:45Z")
“Free Bird” by Lynrd Skynrd. “Shooting Star” by Harry Chapin. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-protagonist-is-a-dick/807659/20 "2018-01-28T17:31:55Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > I was going by the lyrics. Yeah, if that’s what Blunt wanted to convey he failed miserably. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-where-the-protagonist-is-a-dick/807659.md?page=2)