When I was nine, my older sister dragged me into Beatlemania and the house was filled with Beatles. My dad heard one of the records playing and told me that it could never be played in the house again. He told me that one of the songs was about a murderer pursuing his victim and gloating about it. (This was five years before Maxwell's Silver Hammer, if you're trying to anticipate his reasoning.) I incredulously asked him what song he was talking about, and he said, "The one that you just played! The one before this one!!" The song in question was I'll Get You ("I'll get you! I'll get in the end, yes I will!!")
Me (incredibly bashful to have to find the words for this): Dad, that's not a murderer. That's a boyfriend talking to his girlfriend.
Him: Oh.
I wonder what his take on
Mack the Knife would have been?
While we didn't give the lyrics to The Beatles songs much thought when we were kids, my husband and I were listening to "Run for your Life" a few months ago and we were pretty appalled at those lyrics.
Well I'd rather see you dead, little girl
Than to be with another man
You better keep your head, little girl
Or I won't know where I am
You better run for your life if you can, little girl
Hide your head in the sand little girl
Catch you with another man
That's the end, little girl
Well I know that I'm a wicked guy
And I was born with a jealous mind
And I can't spend my whole life
Trying just to make you toe the line
You better run for your life if you can, little girl
Hide your head in the sand little girl
Catch you with another man
That's the end, little girl
Let this be a sermon
I mean everything I've said
Baby, I'm determined
And I'd rather see you dead
You better run for your life if you can, little girl
Hide your head in the sand little girl
I catch you with another man
That's the end, little girl
I'd rather see you dead, little girl
Than to be with another man
You better keep your head, little girl
Or you won't know where I am
You better run for your life if you can, little girl
Hide your head in the sand little girl
Catch you with another man
That's the end, little girl