She Said She Said
The Beatlesā Lyrics

The Beatles’ song “She Said She Said” is a complex exploration of the human experience of sadness and mortality, illustrating the lens through which these ideas might be viewed at different stages of life. The repetition of the lyrics “I know what it’s like to be dead” and “I know what it is to be sad” creates a haunting atmosphere that is both introspective and empathic. The first verse, sung from the perspective of the singer, introduces the theme of existence, or the realization that one is alive, with the line “And she’s making me feel like I’ve never been born”. This sense of existential dread is contrasted with the second verse, in which a memory is shared of a happier time, “When I was a boy, everything was right.”

The chorus, reprised several times throughout the song, sees the singer feeling a sense of urgency to leave, as they become overwhelmed by the sadness emanating from the person they are speaking to. The lines “Even though you know what you know, I know that I’m ready to leave, ‘cause you’re making me feel like I’ve never been born” suggest that the singer is unable to cope with the intensity of the other person’s emotions, and needs to distance themselves in order to maintain their own sense of self.

Overall, “She Said She Said” is a thought-provoking examination of the duality of life, and the ways in which joy and sadness can coexist, sometimes uncomfortably. The repeated phrase “I know what it’s like to be dead,” in particular, suggests a deep empathy with the emotional struggles of others, even as the singer may struggle to cope with their own mortality.