Similarly people misinterpret Randy Newman’s “Short People”,
in which he _portrays_ a bigot who feels that “short people got no reason to live”. The key is in the middle:
Backing singers: Short people are just the same as you and I
Randy: The fools such as I
So he’s portraying someone, it isn’t literal. Also I can think of two songs sung by women who are “portraying” men:
Joan Baez version of The Night They Drove Ol Dixie Down,
and Cher’s You Better Sit Down Kids
Randy Newman’s great for satire. “Sail Away” is such a beautiful song, and then you listen to the lyrics, and damn.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chaP4MCXp4w