Songwriter John Lennon was said to be fond of writing weird songs with Paul McCartney who loved to write strange lyrics.
However, quite a few lyrics from their songs don’t appear to make sense. Let’s take a look at some of the strangest Beatles lyrics and what they mean.
This isn’t an exhaustive list; there are quite a few head-scratching lines heard in The Beatles’ discography. We think these five weird songs are worth revisiting.
Sir Paul, who was once supposedly buried says, “Yellow Submarine” was meant to be a surreal, nonsensical song. That didn’t stop fans from interpreting the above lyrics as a reference to political beliefs, escapism, etc.
“So we sailed up to the sun / Till we found the sea of green / And we lived beneath the waves / In our yellow submarine.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2uTFF_3MaA
The particular line from “Octopus’s Garden” is rooted in marine biology. Octopi, contrary to popular belief, enjoy swimming along the ocean floor to collect rocks and shells to build their “gardens”. Ringo Starr wrote that line after he discovered this fun little fact.
“I’d ask my friends to come and see / An octopus’s garden with me / I’d like to be under the sea / In an octopus’s garden in the shade.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De1LCQvbqV4
it’s pretty obvious what “do it” means in this context. However, the inspiration for this line is more silly and less explicit. McCartney said in Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now that the lyrics to “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road” were inspired by the time he saw two monkeys going to pound town in the middle of a street during a trip to India.
Why don’t we do it in the road? / No one will be watching us.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7jel2l_iag
This one hits home. Many of the strangest Beatles lyrics were intended to be surreal nonsense. Lennon said that the whole of “Dig A Pony” was intentional nonsense. However, some fans have interpreted this particular line as a dig at The Rolling Stones. The Stoney in question could be a reference to Mick Jagger. Unfortunately, that was never confirmed.
Oh now / I roll a stoney / Well you can imitate everyone you know.”
“I am the eggman / They are the eggmen / I am the walrus / Goo goo g’ joob.”
“I Am The Walrus” is one of the Fab Four’s most surreal and seemingly nonsensical songs. Could there be a deeper meaning behind these particular lyrics? Lots of fans have tried interpreting the lyrics, and some believe it’s all about the cycle of human life from egg to… walrus. All we know for sure is that Lennon wanted to write a very obscure and bizarre song, so he wrote this one. We’ll likely never know what it’s about; if it’s about anything at all.