Retire? I can’t spell the word. I’d play in a wheelchair.

Richards frames “retirement” as incompatible with his identity as a working musician. The joke about not being able to “spell the word” signals both defiance and a cultivated rock-and-roll plainspokenness, while “I’d play in a wheelchair” pushes the idea to an extreme: performance is imagined as a lifelong vocation rather than a career with an endpoint. The line also reflects the Rolling Stones’ long-running public narrative—endurance, stamina, and commitment to touring—turning aging into a badge of authenticity. In effect, Richards treats music-making as something closer to compulsion or calling than a job one can simply leave.