Clarification from Adam Levine (11/2/15)

I had to do some solo driving over the weekend, and, over the course of my 2 ½ hours on the road, I heard the song “Locked Away” roughly 500 times.

Sure, I was familiar with the hit before, but after singing it REALLY loudly in my car (all 500 times) I feel that I have become something of an expert on the lyrics and overall meaning of the song.

For those of you who are not experts (my parents, people who don’t listen to Top 10 stations, or pretty much anyone who has better musical taste than I do), the song is sung by R. City and features Adam Levine - turn on any pop station and it will probably be playing.

While the entire song is basically one giant ear worm, the chorus (when Adam sings) is particularly sing-along-able, and is my favorite part overall.
The tune is nice, the words are easy, and I can really, really put all of my heart and soul into my car performance (I know that you know what I’m talking about - the kind of singing along that gets you strange looks at stoplights).

This is how it goes:
If I got locked away
And we lost it all today
Tell me honestly, would you still love me the same?
If I showed you my flaws
If I couldn't be strong
Tell me honestly, would you still love me the same?

Ahhhh
What a romantic notion!
Of course, Adam Levine, of course I would love you the same!
Of course I could look past all of your flaws…
and the fact that you apparently lost all of our money…
and potential jail time….
except…
hey, wait a minute.

It wasn’t until around the 490th time singing along that I really thought about what was being asked of me.
The reality of Adam’s lyrics hit me so hard that I actually stopped singing along mid-chorus.

So, Mr. Adam Levine, before I can respond to your questions, I have some questions for you:

1)Why exactly have you been locked away?
This is very important clarification and potentially the key to R. City’s later question of “Now tell me would you really ride for me?”.
Let’s be clear - if you were locked away for something admirable or for standing up for something you believe in, well, absolutely, I will definitely still love you the
same (if not more).
However, if you were legitimately locked away for pretty much anything else (embezzling money, harming innocent people, animal cruelty, bar fights, fraud, etc)…well,that's a totally different story.
Nelson Mandela or Bernie Madoff - what are we talking about exactly?

2)Why did we lose it all?
Similar to the point above, did we lose it all for an admirable cause or because you were overly confident in your Fantasy Football roster?
Also, I can’t help but notice the use of the word “we”, as in “we lost it all today” rather than “I lost it all today”.
So, you didn't just lose all of YOUR stuff, you lost all of OUR stuff.
Was this a surprise to me or have I been involved all along? Did I know there was a potential to lose everything or was it a decision you made without my knowledge?
Look, I can go without things (I was a professional volunteer for two full years, after all), but if I'm going to sacrifice my 401K, I want to do it knowingly and,
preferably, for a greater purpose.

3)What exactly are these flaws of which you speak?
So you leave your dishes in the sink instead of putting them in the dishwasher?
Maybe you stay out late with your friends from time to time?
You sometimes drive 70 mph in a 55 mph zone?
These are flaws that, while annoying, I can deal with.
However, if you enjoy kicking puppies, refuse to shower, or draw satisfaction from stealing from senior citizens…we need to talk.
Please clarify.

4)If you couldn’t be strong, or if you just don’t really feel like being strong? Also, what is your definition of strong?
This point is not nearly as important as the other points (and I’m pretty sure you just stuck it in because you needed something to fill out the lyrics), but I want
confirmation that you aren't just lazy.
I don’t need you to be macho or manly (in fact I would like to see some emotion from time to time), but assuming you are not injured, claiming that you aren’t “strong enough” to take out the trash or fold your laundry is unacceptable.

So Adam, pending your clarifications and reassurances on the above points, my car performances of your song will go like this:

If I got locked away (legitimately and for a higher cause)
And we lost it all (with Faith’s full knowledge and understanding) today
Tell me honestly, would you still love me the same?
If I showed you my (within reason) flaws
If I couldn't be strong (actually couldn’t be strong - not just didn’t feel like it)
Tell me honestly, would you still love me the same?

Adam, please understand that I am not (exactly) questioning your character or motives – it’s just important for a girl to know exactly what she is getting into when making pop song promises. It’s not personal, and I would ask the same of Justin Bieber, One Direction, or even Tony Bennett.

I look forward to hearing back from you (and please let R. City know that I will be contacting them directly for clarification regarding the verses).