Leadbelly (film) and a drunken friend are playing around with a gun, and Leadbelly accidentally shoots him. He is thrown in prison where he is forced to work in a chain gang. When he tries to escape, he is caught and put in a box. His father arrives and tries to bail Leadbelly out, but fails. Before leaving, he manages to convince the warden to get Leadbelly a twelve-string acoustic guitar. After getting the new guitar, he plays a song for Governor Pat Neff who reassures Leadbelly he will be set free. After he leaves prison, he returns to Fannin Street, sees
When I Was Your Man on the album, Mars said: "I'm never singing another ballad again," but that came from the gut – it's the most honest, real thing I've ever sung," he says. "When there are no safe bets, that's when I feel my blood move." He also shared how important the lyrics to this song are for him when he posted a photograph of "Unorthodox Jukeboxs" artwork via his Twitter account. "Soon you guys will hear a song I wrote called When I Was Your Man. I've never been this nervous. Can't explain it," he tweeted. Philip Lawrence explained the inspiration of the