Jim Adams is the dedicated host of Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie’s Music Challenge.  Jim says:
The challenge today is to focus on [Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood] and use it for a short story, a piece of flash fiction, or a poem that you can share with the WordPress writing community.

I really like this song, but not until today did I take a close look at the lyrics. The more I looked at them, the more they reminded me of so many rotten people out there that do their partners wrong and then try to talk their way out of it. This gave me an idea of setting up a conversation between one of these rotten people and their partner. I am going to try and format it so the partner’s line is indented and italicized, but who knows if Word Press will publish it that way, so the first line. There is a space between each two-line set.

The first line of each two are the lyrics to ‘Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,’ written by Horace Ott, Bennie Benjamin and Sol Marcus.

 

Baby, do you understand me now?
—Baby, I want to understand you.

Sometimes I feel a little mad
—I want to forget about the putdowns and the bruises

But don’t you know that no one alive can always be an angel
—You keep saying you only hit me every once in awhile

When things go wrong I feel real bad.
—Like that time you pushed me out of the moving car?

I’m just a soul whose intentions are good
—You said your dad hit your mom and you never wanted to be like him

Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood
—You keep saying you really love me, but…

Baby, sometimes I’m so carefree
—Baby, you swore you only cheated on me that one time

With a joy that’s hard to hide
—You swore she came on to you and you couldn’t resist

And sometimes it seems that, all I have to do is worry
—You told me you felt horrible lying to me about where you were going

And then you’re bound to see my other side
—She finally came to the house and told me you’d been with her – and with others

I’m just a soul whose intentions are good
—You said your dad cheated on your mom and you never wanted to be like him

Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood
—You keep saying you really love me, but…

If I seem edgy, I want you to know,
—You said the pills in the bottle were from the doctor

That I never mean to take it out on you
—You caused thousands in damage when you busted up the house

Life has its problems, and I get my share,
—You blamed me when you popped too many, picked a fight, and I picked back

And that’s one thing I never mean to do
—You’re sorry I called the cops, you got arrested, and I won’t post bail.

Cause I love you,
—You’re a bastard

Oh[?]
—Yes.

Oh, oh, oh, baby – don’t you know I’m human
—You’re a walking force field of pain

I have thoughts like any other one
—No, not everyone thinks and does what you do

Sometimes I find myself, Lord, regretting
—It never stops you for long from doing another dirty deed

Some foolish thing, some little simple thing I’ve done
—Like battering, cheating, lying, drugging, and tearing things apart

I’m just a soul whose intentions are good
—You said your dad had good intentions. You’re just like him.

Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood
—Don’t worry, Baby, I understand – you never loved me.

Yes, I’m just a soul whose intentions are good
—Your withered insides have forgotten what good intentions are

Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood
—I’m not listening anymore…