5 of the Strangest Beatles Lyrics (And What They Actually Mean)

Paul McCartney and John Lennon loved to get weird with their songwriting, and it’s part of what made The Beatles so charming. However, there are quite a few lyrics from their songs that just don’t make any sense. Let’s take a look at some of the strangest Beatles lyrics and what they actually mean. This isn’t an exhaustive list; there are quite a few head-scratching lines in The Beatles’ discography. We just think these five songs are worth revisiting.

1. “I Am The Walrus”

“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.

2. “Dig A Pony”

“Oh now / I roll a stoney / Well you can imitate everyone you know.”

Many of the strangest Beatles lyrics were intended to be surreal nonsense. Lennon actually 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.

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3. “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?”

“Why don’t we do it in the road? / No one will be watching us.”

Well, 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.

4. “Octopus’s Garden”

“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.”

These lyrics aren’t exactly the most confusing, but they are a little strange. This particular line from “Octopus’s Garden” is actually 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.

5. “Yellow Submarine”

“So we sailed up to the sun / Till we found the sea of green / And we lived beneath the waves / In our yellow submarine.”

According to McCartney, “Yellow Submarine” was simply 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. 

“It’s a happy place, that’s all,” said McCartney in a 1966 interview. “You know, it was just… We were trying to write a children’s song.”

Photo via Everett/Shutterstock

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