Since the first time I heard this song I thought his 'motive' in dying with a secret for a crime he didn't commit was to protect the woman in the song. He could have ruined the lives of the woman and her husband (his best friend) but instead took the high road if you will - maybe the characters way of atoning for what he did. In it's own twisted way, it was noble and Shakespearean in it's tragedy. The character took the 'manly' path in the sense that I think is under appreciated these days.
He has a few different versions of it - the best IMO is a remake he did for "The Hits". Besides the superb quality of the music and vocals in this version, he switched the verses up so the last line (before the end chorus) is where he reveals that he was in the arms of his best friends wife. To me, this changed the depth of the song.
Since the first time I heard this song I thought his 'motive' in dying with a secret for a crime he didn't commit was to protect the woman in the song. He could have ruined the lives of the woman and her husband (his best friend) but instead took the high road if you will - maybe the characters way of atoning for what he did. In it's own twisted way, it was noble and Shakespearean in it's tragedy. The character took the 'manly' path in the sense that I think is under appreciated these days.
He has a few different versions of it - the best IMO is a remake he did for "The Hits". Besides the superb quality of the music and vocals in this version, he switched the verses up so the last line (before the end chorus) is where he reveals that he was in the arms of his best friends wife. To me, this changed the depth of the song.