The Crass Inspiration That Led to Paul McCartney Writing “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?”

One of the most ambiguous and cryptically weird songs of The Beatles is Paul McCartney’s “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?” Released in 1968 on The Beatles’ infamous White Album, the song’s meaning and subtext have consistently stumped listeners and fans of The Beatles ever since its release.

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When people listen to the song, they seemingly ask themselves what in the world it is about. Well, given that the song features essentially one repeated phrase, it’s pretty difficult to surmise what Paul McCartney is singing about in the song. However, McCartney divulged where he acquired the inspiration for the song and the meaning behind it, and you would never guess where and what it is.

Paul McCartney and His Interrupted Meditation Session

In Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now, McCartney relayed the whole story of the song’s origin to author, Barry Miles. McCartney started off his anecdote by stating, “I was up on the flat roof meditating” and “I’d seen a troupe of monkeys walking along in the jungle and a male just hopped on to the back of this female and gave her one, as they say in the vernacular.”

“And I thought, bloody hell, that puts it all into a cocked hat, that’s how simple the act of procreation is, this bloody monkey just hopping on and hopping off. There is an urge, they do it, and it’s done with,” added McCartney. He concluded his story by saying, “And it’s that simple. We have horrendous problems with it, and yet animals don’t. So that was basically it. ‘Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?’ could have applied to either f— or s—, to put it roughly.”

So there you go everybody, “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?” came from Paul McCartney watching a bunch of monkeys having intercourse. In a very philandering subtextual manner, McCartney declares that the song is about the freedom that coincides with an innate primitive nature. In his own words, McCartney said the song was a “Primitive statement to do with sex or to do with freedom really.”

As surprising as this fact might be, inspiration typically comes from the most surprising of places. Surely this piece of Beatles knowledge will change your perspective on the classic hit, as it is no longer just a song with an arbitrary chant embedded in its verses. Leave it to The Beatles and Paul McCartney to keep you guessing.

McCartney and Asher per Getty Images