Two of the songs are about people who are contentedly having affairs. One of the songs is about a married man, and the other is about a married woman. The final song is about getting caught having an affair.
Let's begin with the two love songs.
Me and Mrs. Jones by Billy Paul
This song is about a married man having an affair with a married woman named Mrs. Jones, obviously. He lets us know right away that this affair is not just a casual fling.
Me and Mrs., Mrs. Jones
We got a thing going on
We both know that it's wrong
But it's much too strong
To let it go now
The first verse leads us to believe that this may end up being more than an affair. That is because what they do every day at the same cafe is make plans while holding hands and listening to the jukebox play their favorite song.
However, the final verse makes it clear that this will only ever be an affair.
We got to be extra careful
That we don't build our hopes up too high
'cause she's got her own obligations
And so, and so do I
(If Loving You is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right by Luther Ingram
This song is about a person struggling with the guilt associated with his affair. The first verse tells us he is married. It also makes clear that she is not married, and that her friends and family are trying to talk her out of seeing him.
Your mama and daddy say it's a shame
It's a downright disgrace
Long as I got you by my side
I don't care what your people say
Your friends tell you it's no future
In loving a married man
If I can't see you when I want to
I'll see you when I can
After he gets through another round of letting her know that he will continue to do wrong, he then questions whether or not having an affair is wrong. Of course, it is wrong, Luther. You just answered your questions in the chorus.
But to see just how wrong he is, we learn a bit more about him in the second verse.
Am I wrong to fall so deeply in love with you
Knowing I got a wife and two little children
Depending on me, too
The last lines of the second verse suggest that he does not intend to resolve his dilemma either by giving up the affair or giving up the marriage.
Are you wrong to fall in love
With a married man
And am I wrong for trying to hold on
To the best thing I ever had
One Way Out by Elmore James
This is the same song that the Allman Brothers covered in 1971, but the original version by Elmore James fits this piece better. In the cover version, he is concerned that the man downstairs might be her man. In the original version, Elmore James is more specific.
Raise your window baby
I ain't goin' out that door
I said raise your window baby
I ain't goin' out that door
There's a man downstairs
He may be your husband
I don't know
Now we have a legitimate affair!
We also have a story about what the guys in the first two songs might face at some point in the future. He's trapped on the second floor, and the front door is the one way out. His plan is to ease slowly out a window even if the neighbors will talk.
In the end, Elmore James commits to the best plan of the three.
If I get away this time
I won't be comin' back here no more
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Here are other posts in the series:
