Who Says John Mayer Can't Get Stoned?

John Mayer's new single lighting up controversy.

(Plus, his Robert Pattinson-artsy "Who Says" video.)

This first verse in John Mayer's new single is raising some eyebrows -- now Mayer's explaining what he meant.

Who says I can't get stoned?
Turn off the lights and the telephone
Me and my house alone
Who says I can't get stoned?

Mayer told our friends at PopEater this his use of the word "stoned" in the first single off his new album Battle Studies shouldn't really offend people. "It's not a dirty word. It's not a curse word. It's a presentation of an idea that makes people think a little harder about what they're listening to, which I don't think is the worst thing in the world."

Mayer says that anyone who listens to the song a few times will understand that it's not about smoking and that he's not trying to exploit the word "stoned." He also claims that the song is not about his run-ins with the press, as some speculators have suggested. Mayer's grown infamous for telling the tabloids to back off and was even reported to call a reporter at the New Yorker a "moron." Mayer said the tale is not true and that he never got to defend himself against it. He doesn't plan to use his music to tell the world to back off though: he said he's going to start walking around with a tape recorder so reporters start getting their stories straight.

Lyrics from "Who Says":

Who says I can't get stoned?
Turn off the lights and the telephone
Me and my house alone
Who says I can't get stoned?

Who says I can't be free?
From all of the things that I used to be
Re-write my history
Who says I can't be free?

It's been a long night in New York City
It's been a long night in Baton Rouge
I don't remember you looking any better
But then again I don't remember you

Who says I can't get stoned?
Call up a girl that I used to know
Fake love for an hour or so
Who says I can't get stoned?

Who says I can't take time?
Meet all the girls on the county line
Then wait on fate to send a sign
Who says I can't take time?

It's been a long night in New York City
It's been a long night in Austin too
I don't remember you looking any better
But then again I don't remember you

Who says I can't get stoned?
Plan a trip to Japan alone
Doesn't matter if I even go
Who says I can't get stoned?

It's been a long night in New York City
It's been a long time since 20 too
I don't remember you looking any better
But then again I don't remember you