# What are some songs written from the cheating, scumbags viewpoint? Romantic infidelity at its best. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 29, 2014, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-songs-written-from-the-cheating-scumbags-viewpoint-romantic-infidelity-at-its-best/689543 "2014-05-29T05:23:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-songs-written-from-the-cheating-scumbags-viewpoint-romantic-infidelity-at-its-best/689543/1 "2014-05-29T05:23:01Z")
I was listening to some Lobo hits and was enjoying How Can I Tell Her. Great melody, very romantic. Until I realized the song’s character is a real POS, cheating a-hole. 😃 Kind of unusual for a romantic song to take the cheater’s viewpoint. [Lyrics](http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/lobo/howcanitellher.html) [Lobo - How Can I Tell Her](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sIQ1BjdonE) What are a few more songs that celebrate infidelity? ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-songs-written-from-the-cheating-scumbags-viewpoint-romantic-infidelity-at-its-best/689543/2 "2014-05-29T05:47:16Z")
“24 Hours From Tulsa” “Toledo” “All I Wanna Do is Make Love to You” Sorry for the lack of links ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-songs-written-from-the-cheating-scumbags-viewpoint-romantic-infidelity-at-its-best/689543/3 "2014-05-29T06:05:45Z")
The first cheating lovers viewpoint song I remember hearing was _50 Ways to Leave Your Lover_ - Paul Simon. What a great message for a kid in junior high. I started dating in another couple years. Already knew how to dump my gf before I ever had one. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Why\_Child](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b782af/32.png) [@Why\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Why_Child)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-songs-written-from-the-cheating-scumbags-viewpoint-romantic-infidelity-at-its-best/689543/4 "2014-05-29T06:07:32Z")
Stevie Wonder. “Part-time lover” [Lyrics](http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/steviewonder/parttimelover.html) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-songs-written-from-the-cheating-scumbags-viewpoint-romantic-infidelity-at-its-best/689543/5 "2014-05-29T06:16:14Z")
“Love The One You’re With” by Stephen Sills. It’s about having sex with groupies while you’re on tour and your wife’s back home. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-songs-written-from-the-cheating-scumbags-viewpoint-romantic-infidelity-at-its-best/689543/6 "2014-05-29T06:18:15Z")
“Lyin’ Eyes” by the Eagles ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-songs-written-from-the-cheating-scumbags-viewpoint-romantic-infidelity-at-its-best/689543/7 "2014-05-29T06:25:14Z")
Wasn’t Me ---
**Author:** ![Why\_Child](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b782af/32.png) [@Why\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Why_Child)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-songs-written-from-the-cheating-scumbags-viewpoint-romantic-infidelity-at-its-best/689543/8 "2014-05-29T06:26:25Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > “Lyin’ Eyes” by the Eagles “You can’t hide your lyin’ eyes, and your smile in a thin disguise.” That one is written from the point of the one being cheated on. ---
**Author:** ![Why\_Child](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b782af/32.png) [@Why\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Why_Child)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-songs-written-from-the-cheating-scumbags-viewpoint-romantic-infidelity-at-its-best/689543/9 "2014-05-29T06:42:46Z")
Not sure if this one would count, since technically he’s only _trying_, and it winds up being his “own lovely lady” anyway, but maybe Rupert Holmes “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” ? :dubious: [Lyrics](http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/rupertholmes/escapethepiacoladasong.html) ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-songs-written-from-the-cheating-scumbags-viewpoint-romantic-infidelity-at-its-best/689543/10 "2014-05-29T06:47:02Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > “All I Wanna Do is Make Love to You” Is it ever explicitly said that she (the narrator) is cheating? I don’t recall a reference to a lover, over than the hitchhiker. But there’s a [list](http://threaders.wordpress.com/2012/05/04/the-best-25-cheating-songs-from-the-cheaters-themselves-top-10/) that I found on google. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-songs-written-from-the-cheating-scumbags-viewpoint-romantic-infidelity-at-its-best/689543/11 "2014-05-29T07:28:57Z")
> [@Why\_Child](#): > > “You can’t hide your lyin’ eyes, and your smile in a thin disguise.” > That one is written from the point of the one being cheated on. No, the singer is not the city girl, the old man, or the boy. He’s singing about them and, in some parts, to them. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-songs-written-from-the-cheating-scumbags-viewpoint-romantic-infidelity-at-its-best/689543/12 "2014-05-29T07:30:53Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > Is it ever explicitly said that she (the narrator) is cheating? I don’t recall a reference to a lover, over than the hitchhiker. _I said “please, please understand I’m in love with another man And what he couldn’t give me was the one little thing that you can”_ ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-songs-written-from-the-cheating-scumbags-viewpoint-romantic-infidelity-at-its-best/689543/13 "2014-05-29T07:53:16Z")
Saying your lover has a little dick is a compliment? 😛 ouch! > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > _I said “please, please understand > I’m in love with another man > And what he couldn’t give me > was the one little thing that you can”_ ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-songs-written-from-the-cheating-scumbags-viewpoint-romantic-infidelity-at-its-best/689543/14 "2014-05-29T09:39:13Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I was listening to some Lobo hits and was enjoying How Can I Tell Her. Great melody, very romantic. Until I realized the song’s character is a real POS, cheating a-hole. 😃 > > Kind of unusual for a romantic song to take the cheater’s viewpoint. > > [Lyrics](http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/lobo/howcanitellher.html) > > [Lobo - How Can I Tell Her](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sIQ1BjdonE) > > What are a few more songs that celebrate infidelity? “Saving All My Love For You” is from the POV of the mistress whining about how the guy hasn’t kept his promise to walk out on his family for her. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-songs-written-from-the-cheating-scumbags-viewpoint-romantic-infidelity-at-its-best/689543/15 "2014-05-29T10:03:28Z")
My favorite disguised break-up song is “It Ain’t Me, Babe,” by Bob Dylan. He spends the whole time talking about how he’s never going to be around for her if she needs him, then, slipped in so innocently you could miss it, is: > [@](#): > > Go melt back into the night > Everything inside is made of stone > There’s nothing in here moving > An’ anyway I’m not alone I actually think that verse was left out of the Johnny Cash version, which changes the whole tone. Another song that came to mind is Leonard Cohen’s “Bird On a Wire.” Great poetry, incredibly bad advice. The whole thing reeks of a rather egotistical mindset, and although his cheating isn’t obvious, it’s implied when he talks about trying to “be free,” especially here: > [@](#): > > If I, if I have been unkind, > I hope that you can just let it go by. > If I, if I have been untrue > I hope you know it was never to you. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-songs-written-from-the-cheating-scumbags-viewpoint-romantic-infidelity-at-its-best/689543/16 "2014-05-29T10:06:21Z")
Escape (The Pina Colada Song) ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-songs-written-from-the-cheating-scumbags-viewpoint-romantic-infidelity-at-its-best/689543/17 "2014-05-29T10:10:50Z")
[Always True To You In My Fashion](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3WGkx1MYDQ) Cole Porter ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-songs-written-from-the-cheating-scumbags-viewpoint-romantic-infidelity-at-its-best/689543/18 "2014-05-29T10:35:42Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > No, the singer is not the city girl, the old man, or the boy. He’s singing about them and, in some parts, to them. Right, but in neither case does the narrator sound like he’s the one cheating. “It’s My Cheating Heart That’s Making Me Cry”, Glasvegas. ---
**Author:** ![Fishtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ed655f/32.png) [@Fishtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fishtar)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-songs-written-from-the-cheating-scumbags-viewpoint-romantic-infidelity-at-its-best/689543/19 "2014-05-29T10:53:49Z")
Every other song of the 1970s seems to be about cheating or dumping or have being left. And about half the children from that decade had it rough… ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-songs-written-from-the-cheating-scumbags-viewpoint-romantic-infidelity-at-its-best/689543/20 "2014-05-29T11:07:12Z")
Off the top of my head “Run to You” - Bryan Adams “The Wanderer” - Dion “Picture” - Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow “Lips of an Angel” - Hinder “Your Love” - The Outfield probably more to follow when I get a chance to think about it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-songs-written-from-the-cheating-scumbags-viewpoint-romantic-infidelity-at-its-best/689543.md?page=2)