Paul McCartney has defended the lyrics to ‘Momma Gets By’, the closing track of his acclaimed new album ‘The Boys of Dungeon Lane’, which is currently Number One in the UK album charts.
The Beatles icon was speaking to comedian Rob Brydon onstage at The Roundhouse in north London last night (June 10). The event was a listening party for the new album, with the audience in the sold-out venue (which has a capacity of 1,700 for seated events such as this) treated to McCartney’s recollections between tracks.
Towards the end of the two-hour playback, talk turned to the lyrics of ‘Momma Gets By’, a plaintive ballad that harks back to the early 20th century pop standards that have long-since inspired McCartney. Lyrically, it concerns a put-upon wife who shoulders the burden of family life while her feckless husband shirks his responsibilities.
“Momma gets by while papa gets high,” McCartney sings, “She makes enough to raise a family.” Later, he adds: “Even though he’s complicated, she takes it in her stride / What are his silly faults compared to what she feels inside?”
Certain corners of the internet and music press have questioned the song’s gender politics. One fan wrote on Reddit: “It’s a nice melody, lovely string arrangement, but the lyrics and message… that it’s ok to have a deadbeat drug addict absentee husband / co parent if you love him? Really odd, and so impersonal!”
In an otherwise positive review of the album, Record Collector’s Daryl Easlea wrote: “‘Momma Gets By’, perhaps questionable in its gender stereotyping, has a long-suffering wife and mother putting up with a man who ‘gets back and heads for the sack’ and ‘gets high’ while ‘she takes it in her stride’ as she ‘loves him, with all her heart and soul’.”
Culture Sonar’s Eoghan Lyng opined: “‘Momma Gets By,’ a sparse piano ballad, suits McCartney at this point in his life, though the sentiment of a ‘man-depending-on-his-woman’ is a tad jejune for 2026.”
Speaking to Brydon about the song, McCartney explained: “Sometimes you write songs about somebody you know, or an experience that you’ve had. And sometimes you just make ‘em up ‘cause you’re in a more theatrical mood.
:I imagined this [track] like a play. I don’t know the characters, but I’m imagining the woman and then the song is told from the perspective of the kid. So it just kind of unfolded itself. I was imagining the musical Porgy and Bess and that sort of thing. It’s like a little theatrical story; a little musical theatre moment about this woman.”
He continued: “Some people would say, ‘Oh, she’s a bit of a sucker ‘cause the guy’s a bit of a waster.’ But for me she’s a very strong woman and it explains that in the song. I’m very proud of her and women like her.”
As the crowd cheered, McCartney added: “There’s a lot of strong women out there.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, the 83-year-old reflected on his appearance in last year’s Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, the sequel to the classic 1984 mockumentary Spinal Tap. Both films were directed by Rob Reiner, who was found stabbed to death alongside his wife Michele at their home in Los Angeles last December. The couple’s son, Nick, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, to which he has pleaded not guilty. The case is ongoing.
“It was great being in that film,” McCartney said, “because I just love Spinal Tap. The way they make the films, it’s very improvised. And actually what made it really important to me was that Rob Reiner directed it.” After Reiner’s name prompted cheers and applause, McCartney exclaimed: “Let’s hear it for Rob!”
He added: “[Reiner’s death] added some sad bittersweet edge to it.”
In a wide-ranging conversation, McCartney also spoke about his upcoming 84th birthday. “What are you doing,” Brydon asked, “to stay so vital, so healthy and so on it? Serious question.”
“Serious question?” McCartney deadpanned. “Drugs.” Later, he cited his vegetarianism and pilates and reflected: “I wrote ‘When I’m Sixty-Four’, thinking, ’64! My God, that’s so old! And then I go, ‘Oh, I’m 64! Oh, wait a minute, I’m 74!’ And now I’m looking at 84…”
When Brydon asked, “Is your hearing still strong?”, McCartney replied: “It can be dodgy. Sometimes it’s pretty good, but what happens is you miss little bits of words, so it can be a bit weird.”
The former Beatle also recalled that his recent single ‘Going Home’, his first-ever duet with Ringo Starr, began life as a drum track that Ringo laid down in the mistaken belief that producer Andrew Watt would create a song around it: “Ringo got a bit pissed off with him.”
In a recent conversation with NME, McCartney explained that his love of songwriting remains undimmed, more than six decades since the release of the Beatles’ debut single ‘Love Me Do’: “It’s still a great achievement to sit down with, let’s say, my guitar and there’s nothing there, and I’m just noodling around, and suddenly, maybe after three or four hours, I’ve got a song. I know how it goes, and I’ve written the lyrics down, and it’s a real achievement.
“That still is a magic feeling for me. I think that’s the creative buzz still, and hopefully always will be.”
‘The Boys of Dungeon Lane’ is out now. The Beatles along with Apple Corps recently announced that June 25 will officially be Global Beatles Day,with more details of the celebrations to be revealed soon.