Why were there 4,000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire?

[dolo amber]

And more precisely, how did they come to be there? I mean, initially one would think "shotgun", but as we all know those are illegal in England...so...termites? And then there's the whole "now you know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall", which is clearly NOT in Blackburn, Lancashire (in the first place) nor is there any spatial evidence present to indicate HOW exactly you would *fill* the Albert Hall with 4000 holes...:shrug:

I swear, sometimes I think them Beatles boys wuz on drugs or sumpthin...

:P

[Nlighten1]

1. Good question...

for that matter why was Lennon the eggman?

[markus]

2. "Holes" is short for a--holes

And now we know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall.

I wonder if Sir McCartney (or whatever his actual title is) every regrets making remarks like that, how that he is an annointed servant of the Empire?

[Narf]

6. Love your avatar!

[Pert_UK]

11. Sir Paul or Sir Paul McCartney, but never Sir McCartney....

just thought I'd mention it!

P.

[starroute]

3. I think it had something to do with a serial killer

And with police going around digging up the victims.

Of course this is a 35 year old memory -- and may not have been accurate even then. But it's what I read at the time.

Of course, that still wouldn't explain the song . . .

[AntiCoup2K4]

4. All I know is

the holes were rather small, but they had to count them all.

[dolo amber]

14. And then

had no money to fill them. :D

*see below*

[libbygurl]

5. I thought they were the # of potholes in the streets of Blackburn...

...and I did read some explanation by Mac or Lennon many, many years ago, can't recall exactly what it was now! These intriguing lyrics helped make Sgt Pepper's one of my fave Beatles albums.

[VelmaD]

7. I googled and you are correct

http://www.guardian.co.uk/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-20318,00.html

[libbygurl]

9. Thanks for the link, and this bit in one letter cracked me up:

...part of a story describing how the Blackburn council sent someone out to identify all the potholes in the city's roads. This they did, but the report cost so much that, having identified all the potholes, they couldn't afford to repair any of them.

Lennon had a wonderful (Pythonesque, as one other writer says) sense of the absurd, seen in the Albert Hall reference in the same song!

[sweetheart]

8. I'd love to turrnnn youuuu onnnnn...

At the end of the song, you can hear ringo counting in the background.... keep counting on his beat, and the last beat of the
song is on count "25" for "LSD-25"... Lysergic Acid Dyetylamide-25R

I like mister kite as a hit of acid... it wasn't until i did acid
that i "got" that album... really an outstanding work of art from
end to end.

... and the people who hide themselves behind a wall, of illusion,
never glimpse the truth, 'til its far too late, and they pass away ay
..we were talking about a love we all could share, when we find it
to try our best to hold it there, with our love, with our love
we could save the world... if they only knew.

[Pert_UK]

10. Shotguns are not illegal in the UK.

Just thought I'd mention it.

Pistols are, and so are semi-automatic and fully auto rifles. Not sure about single shot/manual cocking rifles though.

Just thought I'd mention it!

P.

[dolo amber]

12. Really!?

Hmmm...did not (obv. ;)) know that...I thought it was a full-out ban on all firearms. Thanks for the heads-up, Pert. :hi:

[Pert_UK]

17. Clay pigeon (skeet?) shooting, pheasant shooting...

rabbit shooting, pest control etc.

Farmers will generally have shotguns to get rid of pesky bunnies and foxes, other people still hunt with them or do clay-pigeon shooting.

The toffs still have "driven" shoots, where beaters drive fat, lazy pheasants towards them for them to blast out of the sky.

Double-barrelled shotguns are OK, but semi-automatic/repeaters aren't.

I believe that there is still a lucrative market in deer hunting with rifles in Scotland, but you've got to be Bill Gates to afford it.

Hunting with bows/crossbows is banned, although you can hunt rabbits or pigeons with air rifles, with the landowner's permission.

P.

[sweetheart]

13. single shot rifles are fine

Game keepers need to use something to shoot deer, and it ain't a bow
and arrow. Based on the number of hunting parties i've seen about
the highlands, shooting is still quite the sport in the UK.

Just not shooting people. ;-)

[dolo amber]

16. "Shooting is still quite the sport in the UK.

Just not shooting people." ;)

Which is in fact considered a sport in the US. I hear they're making a bid to get it into the Olympics.

;)

[Whitacre D_WI]

15. They is track marks.

They're rather small, but the National Health had to count them all.

Lennon way tying off as he wrote that verse, I swear to God. I should know. I was there.

[elperromagico]

18. I believe they're potholes.

Lennon read some article about the bad roads in Blackburn at the time. Not sure 4,000 was part of the article or not. It may be a Lennon addition.