Justin Bieber: "Sorry"

My son and I listen to Justin Bieber in the morning, and specifically, we listen to "Sorry."

Like John Mayer, Bieber is known for saying stupid things. For example, he once had a narcissistic moment at the Anne Frank House; surrounded by evidence of an atrocity, Bieber was moved to say, "I really think Anne Frank would have been a be-lieber."

In "Sorry," Bieber has just made a dumb comment. He is considering whether or not to apologize. First, he is defensive; it's the *listener* who is deficient. ("You gotta go and get angry at all of my honesty.") Next, Bieber tries to dilute the tension with self-deprecating humor: "I've made a mistake once or twice....or maybe a thousand times...."

In the second verse, Bieber realizes he is losing ground. He moves closer to maturity--but he still has a gap to close. "I'll take all of the blame if you want me to." His childish heart can't help but speak up: "You know there is no innocent one in this game for two...."

I think many people fail to listen to the words, and they believe they're hearing an apology. They really aren't. They're hearing a man-child at war with himself: Must I do the hard work of growing up? The question is left unanswered.

Bieber has a songwriter credit attached to these verses, so "hats off" to him. I especially like the juvenile moment of protest in the chorus: "I'm not just tryna get you back on me!" This is poetry--on YouTube.

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