Sad.

I must be really naive, because I've heard that song bunches of times, and always supposed the guy was just in love and didn't want his girlfriend to leave.

And when I've seen it performed, it was kinda shared "flirting", nothing forced.

I never went beyond that in my head.

It is a sad commentary on our culture that offence is found in nothing and no offence is found in horrendous behaviour.

Seems like straining gnats and swallowing camels......

As a woman, I've always found that song to be INCREDIBLY creepy.

oh

As a woman, it never bothered me at all.

Eh, I did wonder about the 'what's in this drink ' line but it is clear that he hasn't put anything bad in it from the rest of the song. And she is pretty obviously not wanting to go nearly as much as she claims. Actually she only talks about needing to go, never wanting to leave.

I wonder if that's a generational difference? I never found it particularly creepy, but I had also long know the songs origin and context and it really wasn't creepy at all. It seemed more innocent. It was written in 1944 as a parlor song for the composer to sing with his wife then sold for the movie "Neptune's Daughter."

It took us something like six decades to figure out that the song wasn't about old-fashioned romance and seduction but was really all about date rape

We had a pretty good discussion about this last year when some radio stations announced they were banning the song.

Yeah, I thought I was having a deja vu all over again.

Back then, it was probably more innocent. But if those exact lyrics had been written more recently, you know what the guy would really be thinking. I guess I am interpreting it in more modern terms.

I've read that "what's in this drink?" was an idiom back then, basically saying that there was nothing strong in the drink.

I'd also like to point out that back then, someone living at home with their parents was a minor. Adults did not live with their parents. So this girl clearly lives at home, which means she's underage, yet she's at this guy's house unchaperoned, smoking and drinking (or at least trying to drink, given KG's comment). Maybe I'm overthinking it but I've never liked this song.

Actually it was still common for unmarried women to remain with their parents until they were married.