"Paul McCartney Reflects on the Heartbreaking Meaning of 'Yesterday' Lyrics"

Paul McCartney reveals that the iconic lyric "I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday" from The Beatles' song "Yesterday" was actually a mea culpa to his late mother, Mary. He regrets embarrassing her with a correction about her accent when he was a child, and this regret inspired the poignant line in the song. Despite the song's success and the inspiration it drew from his mother, McCartney wishes he could take back the moment that led to the lyric.