# Pal McCartney is dead?!?!?!?! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 31, 2002, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pal-mccartney-is-dead/126456 "2002-08-31T17:08:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2002, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pal-mccartney-is-dead/126456/21 "2002-09-01T11:20:58Z")
Paul is dead, miss him, miss him… Some ‘Paul is Dead’ clues: [ul] [li] **“Lovely Rita”** : The lines “I took her home, I nearly made it” are about Paul picking up the meter maid and not making it home (supposedly, look at the full lyrics).[/li][li] **“I’m So Tired”** : Play the mumbling at the end of the song backwards to hear “Paul is dead, miss him, miss him…” (according to Poundstone, who has listened, the reversal is in the space between “I’m So Tired” and “Blackbird,” and is unintelligible no matter how you play it [_Big Secrets_]).[/li][li]_ **Abbey Road** _: Supposed representation of Paul’s death. John, in all white, leading, is the preacher. Then Ringo, in formal tails, is the undertaker. Next, Paul, in black and white and barefoot, is the corpse. Finally, George, in denims, is the gravedigger. (Rather strained, IMHO, and not the only possible interpretation.)[/li][li] **“Revolution 9”** : The sounds of the fatal crash are in the sound montage of this unintelligible track. (How in the hell did they pull _that_ off? One of the loonier hints.)[/li][li] **“Come Together”** : The lyrics “1 and 1 and 1 is 3” means that only three Beatles remain. (The song is pretty trippy, so any interpretation of the lyrics will be highly subjective.)[/li][li]_ **Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band** _: “Bet at Leso” is supposedly written in the carnations, Leso being an island the Beatles own and where the hideously disfigured Paul was living. (And some people can read ‘sex’ off of a Ritz cracker. Secondly, I doubt the Beatles were ever rich enough to own an island and shield it from the press well enough to hide a high-profile resident.)[/li][li] **“A Day in the Life”** : “He blew his mind out in a car” supposedly refers to Paul. (First it was a crash, now it’s suicide? OK, not _necessarily_, but rather strongly suggested. And if he is dead, how is he living on Leso?)[/li][/ul] > [@](#): > > He blew his mind out in a car > He didn’t notice that the lights have changed > A crowd of people stood and stared > They’d seen his face before > Nobody was really sure > If he was from the House of Lords. > [@](#): > > Took her home I nearly made it, > Sitting on the sofa with a sister or two. > Oh, lovely Rita meter maid, > Where would I be without you, > Give us a wink and make me think of you ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2002, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pal-mccartney-is-dead/126456/22 "2002-09-01T11:21:45Z")
> [@](#): > > “Vaginal Misery Tour”? Nope. When I say “Tragical History Tour”, I _mean_ “[Tragical History Tour](http://www.rutles.org/rpix/tht.jpg)”. 😃 [Rutlemania!](http://www.rutles.org/) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2002, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pal-mccartney-is-dead/126456/23 "2002-09-01T11:25:56Z")
**RT** , that is just bizarre. And slightly disturbing. Thank you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2002, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pal-mccartney-is-dead/126456/24 "2002-09-01T11:36:19Z")
The DJ who first publicized the rumor, [Russ Gibb](http://www.freep.com/entertainment/tvandradio/journ12_20011012.htm), is now a high school teacher in my town. He’s a pompous ass. For many years he had a public access cable show with which he spread rumors about local politicians and residents. Now he does his dirty work on his website. Happy ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2002, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pal-mccartney-is-dead/126456/25 "2002-09-01T11:40:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Derleth \* > **"Revolution 9"** : The sounds of the fatal crash are in the sound montage of this unintelligible track. (How in the hell did they pull _that_ off? One of the loonier hints.) The main ‘hint’ from that track was in the playing-it-backward business: the interminable “number nine, number nine…” at the beginning turns into “Turn me on dead man, turn me on dead man…” when you reverse the direction of the LP on the turntable. But as the Rutles site says: > [@](#): > > [E Burres Stigano](http://www.rutles.org/rstig.html): Is Stig Dead? Or is he just quiet? Here’s the album cover and lyrical proof, so you may decide for yourself. It then links to the following evidence: > [@](#): > > Stig O’Hara, the Rutles’ lead guitarist…had hidden in the background so much that a rumour went around in 1969 that he was dead. According to the rumor, he was supposed to have been killed in a flash fire at a water bed shop and replaced by a plastic and wax replica from Madame Tussauds. > > Several so-called “facts” helped the emergence of this rumour. > > First, he never said anything in public. Even as the “quiet” one he had not said a word since 1962. > > Secondly, on the cover of their then latest album, [Shabby Road](http://www.rutles.org/rpix/sr.jpg), he was wearing no trousers, and old Italian way of indicating death. > > Thirdly, Nasty supposedly sings “I buried Stig” on the song I Am The Waitress from the Tragical History Tour album. In fact he sings “E burres stigano” which is very bad spanish for “Have you a water buffalo?” > > Fourthly, on the [Sgt. Rutter album](http://www.rutles.org/rpix/srodcb.jpg) he was leaning in the exact position of a dying Yeti (from the Rutland Book of the Dead). > > And finally, if you sing the title of “Sgt. Rutter’s Only Darts Club Band” backwards it is supposed to sound very like “Stig has been dead for ages honestly”. In fact it sounds uncannily like “dnab bulc strad ylno srettur tnaegres”. Not to mention, you couldn’t hear a single note he played in their famous Che Stadium concert. But of course that was true of all four of them. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2002, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pal-mccartney-is-dead/126456/26 "2002-09-01T11:47:04Z")
**Derleth** : you’re welcome. I’ve been a big fan of the Prefab Four ever since their TV special appeared back in 1978. ---
**Author:** ![scott\_evil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@scott\_evil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scott_evil)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2002, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pal-mccartney-is-dead/126456/27 "2002-09-01T12:04:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Johnny L.A. \* > \*\* > “Vaginal Misery Tour”? \*\* Calling Alanis Morissette! Calling Alanis Morissette! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2002, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pal-mccartney-is-dead/126456/28 "2002-09-01T17:56:39Z")
Q: What’s got hree legs and lives on a farm? A: Paul and Heather McCartney She’ll never fill Linda’s shoes. ---
**Author:** ![JavaMaven1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@JavaMaven1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JavaMaven1)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2002, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pal-mccartney-is-dead/126456/29 "2002-09-02T01:33:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by owlstretchingtime \* > \*\* > She’ll never fill Linda’s shoes. \*\* I’ll say. She might fill one of them, though. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_alien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9d8465/32.png) [@Go\_alien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_alien)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2002, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pal-mccartney-is-dead/126456/30 "2002-09-02T12:52:06Z")
Heather Mills, a women who fell on her foot. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2002, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pal-mccartney-is-dead/126456/31 "2002-09-03T14:42:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RTFirefly \* > \*\*I’ve been a big fan of the Prefab Four ever since their TV special appeared back in 1978. \*\* Funny, I don’t remember a [Monkees](http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/bio.asp?oid=2660&cf=2660) TV special except for that reunion show. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2002, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pal-mccartney-is-dead/126456/32 "2002-09-03T22:53:12Z")
Since Mangetout kindly warned other posters that the link I included had some dubious pop-up advertisements, I modified the link so that a poster would have to do a C&P to get to it. Please read Mangetout’s warning before going to that site. ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2002, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pal-mccartney-is-dead/126456/33 "2002-09-04T02:17:59Z")
Paul was on SNL a couple years back and in a skit Chris Farley asked him “You know when you were in the Beatles and there were all those rumors that you were dead? That wasn’t true, right?” And Paul says, “Right. I’m really alive.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pal-mccartney-is-dead/126456.md?page=1)