A Midwife’s Message? The Mystical Origins of the iconic song ‘Let It Be'

It happened one night while I was at home watching a documentary about the Cirque du Soleil performance “Love” and was especially drawn to the beautiful “pregnant” dancer (photo below), who was the center of the choreography for the “Lady Madonna” piece.

With scenes of her dancing in the foreground, the choreographers voice-over began to explain why the pregnant woman theme was chosen for this song…“Pauls mother was a midwife, and we wanted to honor her with this song, as Paul had honored her by writing it”.

What??! I quickly sat up straight, now glued to the screen. Paul McCartney’s mother a midwife?? Why hadn't I ever heard of this before now?? But there it was – a bit of midwife trivia I never knew. I was giddy with delight.

Days went by before I had the next thought – “I wonder if there are any other references to his mother in his music?”

I had listened to the "Let it Be" album hundreds of times with my first ever boyfriend, Dan, in 1977 who had the record. We'd play it while we hung out in his room snuggled up in a huge beanbag chair, getting up only when the record needed to be turned over. I practically knew the album by heart - so I began with that one.

As I began to sing the song “Let it Be” - I got chills when I heard the words coming from my mouth - “When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom…” heart racing – I stood up - could it be?? I jumped up to the computer and looked up the name of Paul’s mother – and there it was – Mary. The reference in “Let it Be” is of his mother! Not the biblical reference I had always assumed it was.

I continued doing my search and this is what I found…

Paul’s mother was a midwife who he loved dearly. In fact, some of his most vivid early childhood memories are of her getting up in the middle of the night and getting on her bicycle to attend a birth.

Sadly, she died when Paul was just 14 from a complication during breast cancer surgery. Her death broke his heart and he grieved for her deeply.

As a way to console Paul, his father gave him a trumpet and encouraged him to learn how to play. He tried it but eventually decided to trade it in for a guitar at a second hand music shop.

The rest is history. Paul meets up with John Lennon and the other guys (Johns mother also died after being hit by a drunk driver when he was a teenager), the band becomes "bigger than Jesus" and together they change music forever.

Several years later, towards the end of the Beatles’ career, and during a particularly difficult time in his personal life, Paul reports that he received a “visitation” from his dead mother in the middle of the night. In the visitation, Mary appears to him and gives her now famous words of advice, and well, if you look at the lyrics, most likely gave him the music too. It would be the last record the Beatles would make together - and as a beautiful tribute to Mary, her words are boldly printed on the front cover.

The story fascinates me. I especially love the fact that this wise woman was still attending to her child well after her physical passing.

The experience obviously had a great impact on Paul, and the rest of us as well, resulting in “Let it Be” being one of the most played songs throughout the world.

The meaning behind the words at first glance seems obvious but I’ve often wondered if there's more to them. I think about it all the time, almost obsessing over it sometimes - what did Mary McCartney mean by those words?

I decided to ask my daughter Nala who was 10 at the time, what she thought. She knows the song too – I made all the kids memorize it during a 3 week rainstorm black out at our jungle home in Costa Rica. What did she think the words “Let it Be” meant? “I think it’s like a command – you know like ‘let there be light’ – and when you say it, it makes the thing happen”. I love that.

We’ll never know for sure what Mary meant, but it’s fun to think of the possibilities – as Nala said – the phrase could be a sort of cosmic “command”, so I actually use it as that - quite often, just in case.

What do you think the words mean? here are the lyrics…

When I find myself in times of trouble

Mother Mary comes to me

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

And in my hour of darkness

She is standing right in front of me

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

Let it be, let it be.

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

And when the broken hearted people

Living in the world agree,

There will be an answer, let it be.

For though they may be parted there is

Still a chance that they will see

There will be an answer, let it be.

Let it be, let it be. Yeah

There will be an answer, let it be.

And when the night is cloudy,

There is still a light that shines on me,

Shine on until tomorrow, let it be.

I wake up to the sound of music

Mother Mary comes to me

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

Let it be, let it be.

There will be an answer, let it be.

Let it be, let it be,

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

One of my favorite lines is - "And when the night is cloudy, There is still a light that shines on me, Shine on until tomorrow, let it be"

I've had plenty of cloudy nights, and I'm sure will continue to have them throughout the rest of my life, but this line gives me a great deal of comfort during those times for which I'm so grateful.

Thanks, Mary - may your legacy of love and service continue throughout time.