An Incorrect Interpretation of Song Lyrics: ‘Ob-La-di, Ob-la-da’

In continuation of my incorrect interpretations of song lyrics, today I’d like to tackle "Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da" by The Beatles. This song may appear to be about the goings on of everyday life and the ideal of finding someone, falling in love and having babies. Of course, I’m here to tell you that it’s not about that at all. It’s actually an allegorical piece about a couple of practising Witches, with themes of misogyny and gender politics woven throughout.

Once again, allow me to explain this with my detailed, and more importantly, correct analysis of the lyrics below.

“Desmond has a barrow in the marketplace Molly is the singer in a band”

Here, the narrator beings to give us a sense of the location and characters within the story. You may think he is describing a male and a female named Desmond and Molly; that they are in a marketplace; and that one is a singer and one has a barrow. However, if you look more closely into the hidden meaning of these lyrics, you will see that Derek and Mildred are the character’s actual names, they are in a Wiccan temple (Mildred sings in "The Choir of Witches and Wizards") and the "barrow" is filled with Wiccan paraphernalia. It’s quite obvious really.

“Desmond says to Molly, girl, I like your face”

This line suggests that Derek is a misogynist.

“And Molly says this as she takes him by the hand”

It may seem that Derek’s superficial advances have been reciprocated by Mildred here, but this is, of course, a complex piece, filled with hidden meaning. Mildred is actually taking Derek by the hand to put a curse on him for being a misogynistic prick. I'm talking straight up Black Magic here. This becomes more apparent in the chorus:

“Ob-la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on, braLa-la, how the life goes onOb-la di, ob-la-da, life goes on, braLa-la, how the life goes on”

Here, you begin to get a more obvious sense of the Black Magic present within the song. In fact, the chorus is actually a perilous chant used to communicate with The Devil himself, and if you say it three times whilst looking into a mirror, your nose will fall off. True fact.

“Desmond takes a trolley to the jeweller's store buys a twenty carat golden ring takes it back to Molly waiting at the door”

We can see here that Mildred’s curse/spell has clearly worked. The narrator is telling us that Mildred has used her Devil powers to attain gold from Derek. Derek is now completely and uncontrollably under Mildred’s spell. Now, I ain’t saying she’s a gold digger, but she ain’t messing with no broke…

“And as he gives it to her she begins to sing”

This is a somewhat ambiguous line and I have to say that even with my high level of education and my five thousand years experience in poetry analysis, I cannot entirely fathom it. It is not exactly clear what Derek is actually "giving" to Mildred, but if he’s made her sing whilst "giving" it to her, it was probably good… whatever it was.

“In a couple of years they have built a home sweet home”

I feel here, because of the previous line, that Mildred might have warmed to Derek a bit and as a result, has decided to stick around. There is now a sense that the pair has learned something from one another, evolved to be better people and shed their "labels" of "misogynist" and "gold digger." There is a real sense of growth here. This is a political piece, after all.

“With a couple of kids running in the yard of Desmond and Molly Jones”

Here, the narrator digresses from the main story to point out the annoyance of some "kids" playing "knock-a-door run."

“Happy ever after in the market place Desmond lets the children lend a hand”

An overall feeling of happiness is conveyed here, as we learn that Mildred and Derek have kidnapped "those pesky kids" and put them to work in the Wiccan Temple for their insolence.

“Molly stays at home and does her pretty face and in the evening she still sings it with the band”

Here, we see that time has moved on, and although Derek and Mildred have grown as people, Black Magic is still important to them. Mildred is preparing herself for a Devil-worshipping ritual by painting her face with lamb’s blood. She will then sing with the choir to summon the Devil later again that evening. Again, this is cemented by the chorus and the repetition of the last verse. However, this time the verse is changed to reveal that Derek is a transvestite and in the evenings he becomes a Drag Queen:

“Happy ever after in the market place Molly lets the children lend a hand Desmond stays at home and does his pretty face And in the evening she's a singer with the band”

This plot-twist is where the real message is enforced. The overall message of the song is that it’s okay to wear women’s underwear whatever gender you may be because it feels nice and is so much more interesting than boxers or briefs. Also, note the clever use of "bra" which is hidden within the chorus to strengthen this message.

“And if you want some fun, sing ob-la-di, bla-da”

This last line is a warning about Devil-worship. The narrator is almost coercing the listener into chanting this into the mirror. It is as though he is saying, “go on, try it. I dare you. See if your nose falls off.”

Very dangerous and powerful stuff.