Beatles: Mean Mr. Mustard Meaning

Song Released: 1969

Mean Mr. Mustard Lyrics

Mean Mister Mustard sleeps in the park
Shaves in the dark trying to save paper
Sleeps in a hole in the road
Saving up to buy some clothes
Keeps a ten-bob note up his nose
Such a mean old man
Such a mean old man

His sister Pam works in a...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   May 24th 2010 !⃝

   If the Abbey Road Medley is a rock symphony, then Mean Mr Mustard, Polythene Pam and Bathroom Window are the equivalent of a ternary form scherzo.
   
   In symphonies from Beethoven onwards, the third movement of a symphony was a “scherzo”, a relatively light hearted movement in three parts. The first part would be complemented by a contrasting second part, and then the first part would repeat.
   
   In this respect the Mustard Trilogy can be seen as three interconnected light hearted tunes designed to break up the more seriously meant first, second and fourth movements. The Mustard Trilogy flow into each other to a more extreme degree than the rest of the medley, causing a similar effect to hearing the sections of a scherzo running into each other.
   
   The outer sections, Mustard and Bathroom, have a similar theme of disreputable outcasts unable to operate in the real world, while Polythene Pam is a surreally described, albeit very successful, individual who contrasts with Mustard and Bathroom.
2. anonymous

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   Sep 6th 2020 !⃝

   Someone asked what a ten-bob note is (was). It was a note with a value of 10 shillings, there being 20 shillings in an English pound, i.e. a 'bob' is a shilling.
3. anonymous

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   Mar 7th 2020 !⃝

   Bob is another word for pound
4. anonymous

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   Sep 29th 2019 !⃝

   I was thinking that he shaves in the dark so he can’t see the cuts and saves on using toilet paper that he would have used to put in them. You know I’ve listened to this song since I was a teenager in the 70’s and never really thought about that line and what it meant until now!
5. anonymous

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   Jun 27th 2018 !⃝

   this song is about Maxwell, the secret mi5 agent that followed them and told them what to do. he was a prick, so the beatles dissed him
6. anonymous

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   Sep 7th 2015 !⃝

   Ten bob note is old money. Shaving in the dark to save paper, saving money by not using electricity when shaving. The song is obviously about a frugal man. Mean old man. Spends his money on coal and as somebody mentioned, maybe coke which he sniffs thriugh the note.
7. anonymous

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   Oct 2nd 2011 !⃝

   Great song!
   
   "Keeps a ten Bob note up his nose" means he is doing drugs.
8. kpatte1

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   Sep 25th 2009 !⃝

   MEAN MR. MUSTARD
   (Lennon/McCartney)
   
   JOHN 1980: "I'd read somewhere in the newspaper about this mean guy who hid his five-pound notes, not up his nose but 'somewhere else.' No, it had nothing to do with cocaine."
   
   
   PAUL circa-1994: "'Mean Mr Mustard' was very John. I liked that. A nice quirky song."
9. goosegirl1

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   Aug 3rd 2009 !⃝

   I figure this has no meaning, other than being about a hobo.
   It does sound good, though.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
10. anonymous

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    Apr 16th 2009 !⃝

    Even John lennon admitts to writing down words that have no actual meaning, they just sound good. This is one of those songs.
11. qris24

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    May 1st 2008 !⃝

    "Shaves in the dark trying to save paper..."
    This, I believe, alludes to the practice of putting a little piece of toilet paper on a nick you get when shaving, so they are actually being sarcastic, He's shaving in the dark so he will purposely cut himself so he can waist paper covering up his cuts
12. anonymous

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    Feb 16th 2008 !⃝

    What's a "ten bob note"?
13. Dontpassmeby

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    Apr 5th 2007 !⃝

    It is about a hobo who doesn't want to work. Self explanatory.

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