It occurred to me the other day after I read that Ringo Starr is refusing to play a show in North Carolina because he wants to make himself relevant is feeling put out by the so-called bathroom bill banning men from women's rooms: he must really regret having played drums on "Get Back."
I was surprised this morning to see that no one has pointed this out yet.
For those of you who don't know the lyrics to The Beatles's 17th American number-one single by heart, here are the last two verses:
Sweet Loretta Martin thought she was a woman
But she was another man
All the girls around her say she's got it coming
But she gets it while she can
Get back, get back.
Get back to where you once belonged
Get back, get back.
Get back to where you once belonged.
Get back, LorettaYour mother's waiting for you
Wearing her high-heel shoes
And her low-neck sweater
Get back, Loretta,
Get back, get back to where you once belonged
Get back, get back.
Get back to where you once belonged.
Get back, get back.
Get back to where you once belonged.
Get back, get back.
Get back to where you once belonged.
What Paul McCartney is unmistakably saying here is that regardless of what clothes she wears or what "gender" she identifies with, Loretta Martin is a man—a very "sweet" man, to be sure, but a man nevertheless. Worse yet, he basically endorses trans conversion therapy by telling her no fewer than 19 times to "get back." Pretty othering I would say.
Anyway, I guess it isn't a huge problem for Ringo performance-wise: I imagine that at these solo shows he won't be performing any Beatles tunes other than the (mostly bad) ones on which he sang lead vocals. Still, in my opinion it would be nice for the sake of moral clarity to have him renounce any connection with the last track on side two of Let It Be.
PS: The first verse of "Get Back" is arguably anti-marijuana. Maybe Ringo should sit out any future dates in Washington and Colorado as well.