# Who Was "Uncle Albert" and Why Are We "Sorry"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 14, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-uncle-albert-and-why-are-we-sorry/592706 "2011-08-14T18:27:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bryanmaguire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d07c76/32.png) [@bryanmaguire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bryanmaguire)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-uncle-albert-and-why-are-we-sorry/592706/21 "2011-08-15T21:11:10Z")
During the war … ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-uncle-albert-and-why-are-we-sorry/592706/22 "2011-08-16T02:54:17Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > I never made that claim. You \*did \*make a claim, I’m asking you to back it up. Or did you just pull it out of your posterior? Actually you _did_ make an assertion. Or someone did, anyway. I say McCartney’s lyrics are meaningless babble designed to enhance the melody of the song, others seem to think there might be a hidden meaning there. If you can find real evidence that McCartney puts hidden layers of meaning and allusion into what looks to me and many other people like meaningless babble, show it to me. I’m not talking about not-very-well-hidden drug references, I’m talking about an actual meaningful story or message that isn’t obvious from the first listen. There isn’t one. If you say there is, it’s up to you to prove it, because I can’t prove a negative. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-uncle-albert-and-why-are-we-sorry/592706/23 "2011-08-16T03:08:57Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > If you’re going to go looking for ‘meaning’ in Paul McCartney’s lyrics, you’re likely to be searching for a long, long time. Especially his love songs…I’ve always found them to be rather ‘silly’. 🙂 What’s wrong with that, I’d like to know. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-uncle-albert-and-why-are-we-sorry/592706/24 "2011-08-16T11:14:27Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > What’s wrong with that, I’d like to know. 🙂 Here we go again… ---
**Author:** ![scotpens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@scotpens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotpens)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-uncle-albert-and-why-are-we-sorry/592706/25 "2016-08-15T03:37:50Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > > [@digs](#): > > > > But, seriously, keep in mind we’re trying to find meaning in lyrics from the guy who brought us “Plasticine porters with looking glass eyes”. > > That one was John’s. And it’s “looking glass _ties_.” ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-uncle-albert-and-why-are-we-sorry/592706/26 "2016-08-15T03:54:09Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > If you’re going to go looking for ‘meaning’ in Paul McCartney’s lyrics, you’re likely to be searching for a long, long time. Especially his love songs…I’ve always found them to be rather ‘silly’. 🙂 > [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > What’s wrong with that, I’d like to know. 🙂 > [@DrFidelius](#): > > Here we go again… Don’t expect _me_ to start singing, “I love you, I love you.” ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-uncle-albert-and-why-are-we-sorry/592706/27 "2016-08-15T03:57:55Z")
> [@scotpens](#): > > And it’s “looking glass _ties_.” It took 5 years to write that response? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-uncle-albert-and-why-are-we-sorry/592706/28 "2016-08-15T10:54:58Z")
He types slowly. ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-uncle-albert-and-why-are-we-sorry/592706/29 "2016-08-15T12:41:21Z")
My 2 cents for the OP anyway: When I was little I thought Uncle Albert was the ram on the album cover and they were apologizing because they had to slaughter him because they hadn’t had anything all day. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-uncle-albert-and-why-are-we-sorry/592706/30 "2016-08-15T14:55:09Z")
Ram across the water. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-uncle-albert-and-why-are-we-sorry/592706/31 "2016-08-15T15:17:20Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > Ram across the water. Water. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-uncle-albert-and-why-are-we-sorry/592706/32 "2016-08-15T15:46:56Z")
If you play “Uncle Albert” backwards it says “zombie thread…zombie thread…” ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2016, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-uncle-albert-and-why-are-we-sorry/592706/33 "2016-08-15T16:05:54Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > Water. Ram across the sky. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2016, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-uncle-albert-and-why-are-we-sorry/592706/34 "2016-08-16T15:07:19Z")
I know McCartney says the song was about the U.S. Navy’s Adm. William “Bull” Halsey, but it might in some parallel universe be about this guy: [Lionel Halsey - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Halsey) ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-uncle-albert-and-why-are-we-sorry/592706/35 "2016-08-18T11:27:32Z")
> [@scotpens](#): > > And it’s “looking glass _ties_.” I like “looking glass eyes” better, although it’s probably too spooky to match the rest of the lyrics. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-uncle-albert-and-why-are-we-sorry/592706.md?page=1)