Remember Billy Joel’s song written in 1983, ‘An Innocent Man’? Well, the words came from his own romantic experience and it was about a woman afraid to take a chance on love because her heart was broken in the past. All she could think about was that person and carried it forward into her relationship, projecting all her fears onto him, and he wore the brunt of it. He tries to reassure her that he’s not like the other guys.

I know you're only protecting yourself
I know you're thinking of somebody else
Someone who hurt you
But I'm not above
Making up for the love
You've been denying you could ever feel
I'm not above doing anything
To restore your faith if I can

Looking back with age he unravels the experience and realises he’s being treated like the accused of hurting her, when it’s actually the other way around. He tried to be sensitive, compassionate and understanding to her needs, neglecting his own, and prepared to suffer her abuse. He knew he may not win this fight because she didn’t want to listen or change but he was prepared to do the hard work in restoring her trust in love.

I know you don't want to hear what I say
I know you're gonna keep turning away
But I've been there and if I can survive
I can keep you alive
I'm not above going through it again
I've not above being cool for a while
If you're cruel to me I'll understand

Some people run from a possible fight
Some people figure they can never win
And although this is a fight I can lose
The accused is an innocent man

It’s a shame she didn’t see past her pain and playing the victim but at least he stood by his conviction, he was an innocent man.

Some people hope for a miracle cure
Some people just accept the world as it is
But I'm not willing to lay down and die
Because I am an innocent man

Men don’t talk about emotional issues like women but along comes an artist like Billy Joel and says it how it is. I think this song has some strong messages about relationships and what we take forward into the next. It’s funny, we want men to change, listen, and open up more about how they feel but when they do, are we really listening when they ask the same of us?

You can listen to the song on YouTube https://youtu.be/mQCWY5ynBaw

References: Lyrics songfacts.com