The Other Me

Song facts

“The Other Me” is a track from 1983 album “Pipes Of Peace“.

“The Other Me” is Paul McCartney alone, playing synthesiser, piano and guitar, and lyrically, could be interpreted as his comment on the critics image of him. Something he was swift to deny: “Oh no, it’s never that. They always say that. I released ‘Mary Had A Little Lamb,’ and they said that was my answer to the BBC banning me. It’s a nice way to think of it, but I didn’t do it for the critics, it was for my daughter, who’s name is Mary, and who had a little lamb! All this reading into stuff, I never do stuff like that. It had never occurred to me that ‘Walk On By’ — for those older listeners and readers — ‘Walk On By’ was a naughty song, until a vicar mentioned it on the radio, and said it’s all about adultery! So, anyway, this one is actually just a song about the other man in me, the new man in me, the other side of me that’s lurking and waiting to get out… There’s a kind of latent possibility in everyone and when they’re teriffic and have had a valium they’re all lovely people, and love people… When they haven’t had their pill, they’re not so nice, and it’s the other side of me is what I am conscious of trying to reach in myself… For me, there’s a side of me I don’t like so much, there’s a side of me that I prefer. I suppose the thing is to try and get a little more in contact with the side of myself that I prefer, and control myself, instead of just flying off the handle.“

Paul McCartney, from Club Sandwich N° 31, 1983

I listened to Pipes Of Peace today. I’ve always liked The Other Me. But I’ve heard some people criticize Paul’s lyrics because of the line “And I acted like a dustbin lid”

I’ve always wondered about that, so I did a quick web search and found out that it is real Cockney slang. According to “The ultimate guide to Cockney rhyming slang” in The Guardian, “dustbin lid” is used to refer to a child who’s made a big mess.

From Facebook

Last updated on February 9, 2024

Lyrics