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The Beatles Lyrics, album "Rubber Soul"
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 GEORGE 1977: 'If Paul had written a song, he'd learn all the parts and then come in the studio and say 'Do this.' He'd never give you the opportunity to come out with something. But on 'Drive My Car' I just played the line, which is really like a lick off 'Respect,' you know, the Otis Redding version. And I played the line on the guitar and Paul laid that with me on the bass. We laid that track down like that. We played the lead part later on top of it.'JOHN 1980: 'His (Paul's) song, with contributions from me.'PAUL circa-1994: 'This is one of the songs where John and I came nearest to having a dry session. The lyrics I brought in were something to do with golden rings, which are always fatal (to songwriting). 'Rings' is fatal anyway, 'rings' always rhymes with things and I knew it was a bad idea. I came in and I said, 'These aren't good lyrics but it's a good tune.' Well, we tried, and John couldn't think of anything, and we tried, and eventually it was, 'Oh let's leave it, let's get off this one.' 'No, no. We can do it, we can do it.' So we had a break… then we came back to it, and somehow it became 'drive-my-car' instead of 'gol-den-rings,' and then it was wonderful – because this nice tongue-in-cheek idea came.' Asked a girl what she wanted to be She said baby, "Can't you see I wanna be famous, a star of the screen But you can do something in between"Baby you can drive my car Yes I'm gonna be a star Baby you can drive my car And maybe I'll love youI told the girl that my prospects were good She said baby, "It's understood Working for peanuts is all very fine But I can show you a better time"Baby you can drive my car Yes I'm gonna be a star Baby you can drive my car And maybe I'll love you Beep beep mm, beep beep yeahBaby you can drive my car Yes I'm gonna be a star Baby you can drive my car And maybe I'll love youI told that girl I can start right away And she said, "Listen baby I've got something to say I got no car and it's breaking my heart But I've found a driver and that's a start"Baby you can drive my car Yes I'm gonna be a star Baby you can drive my car And maybe I'll love you Beep beep mm beep beep yeah Beep beep mm beep beep yeah Beep beep mm beep beep yeah Beep beep mm beep beep yeah (fade out) JOHN 1972: 'Me. But Paul helped me on the lyric.'GEORGE 1980: 'I had bought, earlier, a crummy sitar in London… and played the 'Norwegian Wood' bit.'JOHN 1980: ''Norwegian Wood' is my song completely. It was about an affair I was having. I was very careful and paranoid because I didn't want my wife, Cyn, to know that there really was something going on outside of the household. I'd always had some kind of affairs going on, so I was trying to be sophisticated in writing about an affair… but in such a smoke-screen way that you couldn't tell. But I can't remember any specific woman it had to do with.'PAUL 1985: 'It was me who decided in 'Norwegian Wood' that the house should burn down… not that it's any big deal.' I once had a girl Or should I say She once had meShe showed me her room Isn't it good Norwegian woodShe asked me to stay And she told me to sit anywhere So I looked around And I noticed there wasn't a chairI sat on a rug Biding my time Drinking her wineWe talked until two And then she said "It's time for bed"She told me she worked in the morning And started to laugh I told her I didn't And crawled off to sleep in the bathAnd when I awoke I was alone This bird had flownSo I lit a fire Isn't it good Norwegian wood When I call you up Your line's engaged I have had enough So act your age We have lost the time That was so hard to find And I will lose my mind If you won't see me (You won't see me) You won't see me (You won't see me)I don't know why you Should want to hide But I can't get through My hands are tied I won't want to stay I don't have much to say But I can turn away And you won't see me (You won't see me) You won't see me (You won't see me)Time after time You refuse to even listen I wouldn't mind If I knew what I was missingThough the days are few They're filled with tears And since I lost you It feels like years Yes, it seems so long Girl, since you've been gone And I just can't go on If you won't see me (You won't see me) You won't see me (You won't see me)Time after time You refuse to even listen I wouldn't mind If I knew what I was missingThough the days are few They're filled with tears And since I lost you It feels like years Yes, it seems so long Girl, since you've been gone And I just can't go on If you won't see me (You won't see me) You won't see me (You won't see me) JOHN 1980: 'I'd spent five hours that morning trying to write a song that was meaningful and good, and I finally gave up and lay down. Then 'Nowhere Man' came, words and music… the whole damn thing, as I lay down. So letting it go is what the whole game is. You put your finger on it, it slips away, right? You know, you turn the lights on and the cockroaches run away. You can never grasp them.'PAUL 1984: 'That was John after a night out, with dawn coming up. I think at that point in his life, he was a bit wondering where he was going.'PAUL 1988: 'I remember we wanted very treble-y guitars – which they are – they're among the most treble-y guitars I've ever heard on record. The engineer said, 'Alright, I'll put full treble on it,' and we said, 'That's not enough.' He said, 'But that's all I've got.' And we replied, 'Well, put that through another lot of faders and put full treble up on that. And if that's not enough we'll go through another lot of faders.' They said, 'We don't do that,' and we would say, 'Just try it… if it sounds crappy we'll lose it, but it might just sound good.' You'd then find, 'Oh it worked,' and they were secretly glad because they had been the engineer who put three times the allowed value of treble on a song. I think they were quietly proud of those things.' He's a real nowhere man Sitting in his nowhere land Making all his nowhere plans for nobodyDoesn't have a point of view Knows not where he's going to Isn't he a bit like you and me?Nowhere Man, please listen You don't know what you're missing Nowhere Man, the world is at your commandHe's as blind as he can be Just sees what he wants to see Nowhere Man can you see me at all?Nowhere Man, don't worry Take your time, don't hurry Leave it all till somebody else lends you a handDoesn't have a point of view Knows not where he's going to Isn't he a bit like you and me?Nowhere Man, please listen You don't know what you're missing Nowhere Man, the world is at your commandHe's a real Nowhere Man Sitting in his nowhere land Making all his nowhere plans for nobody Making all his nowhere plans for nobody Making all his nowhere plans for nobody Think For Yourself (George Harrison) GEORGE 1980: ''Think For Yourself' must be written about somebody from the sound of it – but all this time later I don't quite recall who inspired that tune. Probably the government.' I've got a word or two To say about the things that you do You're telling all those lies About the good things that we can have If we close our eyesDo what you want to do And go where you're going to Think for yourself Cos I won't be there with youI left you far behind The ruins of the life that you have in mind And though you still can't see I know your mind's made up You're gonna cause more miseryDo what you want to do And go where you're going to Think for yourself Cos I won't be there with youAlthough your mind's opaque Try thinking more if just for your own sake The future still looks good And you've got time to rectify All the things that you shouldDo what you want to do And go where you're going to Think for yourself Cos I won't be there with youDo what you want to do And go where you're going to Think for yourself Cos I won't be there with you Think for yourself Cos I won't be there with you JOHN 1980: ''The Word' was written together (with Paul), but it's mainly mine. You read the words, it's all about gettin' smart. It's the marijuana period. It's love. It's a love and peace thing. The word is 'love,' right?'PAUL circa-1994: 'We smoked a bit of pot, then we wrote out a multi-colored lyric sheet, the first time we'd ever done that. We normally didn't smoke when we were working.' Say the word and you'll be free Say the word and be like me Say the word I'm thinking of Have you heard the word is love? It's so fine, it's sunshine It's the word, loveIn the beginning I misunderstood But now I've got it, the word is goodSpread the word and you'll be free Spread the word and be like me Spread the word I'm thinking of Have you heard the word is love? It's so fine, it's sunshine It's the word, loveEverywhere I go I hear it said In the good and bad books that I have readSay the word and you'll be free Say the word and be like me Say the word I'm thinking of Have you heard the word is love? It's so fine, it's sunshine It's the word, loveNow that I know what I feel must be right I'm here to show everybody the lightGive the word a chance to say That the word is just the way It's the word I'm thinking of And the only word is love It's so fine, it's sunshine It's the word, loveSay the word, love Say the word, love Say the word, love Say the word, love JOHN 1972: 'Both of us. I wrote the middle with him.'PAUL 1977: ''Michelle' was like a joke French tune for when you go to a party or something. That's all it was. And then after a while you say, 'Well, that's quite a good tune. Let's put some real words to it.''JOHN 1980: 'He and I were staying somewhere and he walked in and hummed the first few bars, with the words, and he says, 'Where do I go from here?' I had been listening to (blues singer) Nina Simone. I think it was 'I Put A Spell On You.' There was a line in it that went, 'I love you, I love you.' That's what made me think of the middle-eight for 'Michelle.' So, my contributions to Paul's songs was always to add a little bluesy edge to them. Otherwise, 'Michelle' is a straight ballad, right? He provided a lightness, an optimism, while I would always go for the sadness, the discords, the bluesy notes.'PAUL 1988: 'I'll never forget putting the bass line in 'Michelle' because it was a kind of Bizet thing. It really turned the song around. You could do that with bass. It was very exciting.' Michelle, ma belle These are words that go together well My MichelleMichelle, ma belle Sont des mots qui vont très bien ensemble Très bien ensembleI love you, I love you, I love you That's all I want to say Until I find a way I will say the only words I know that You'll understandMichelle, ma belle Sont des mots qui vont très bien ensemble Très bien ensembleI need to, I need to, I need to I need to make you see Oh, what you mean to me Until I do I'm hoping you will Know what I meanI love youI want you, I want you, I want you I think you know by now I'll get to you somehow Until I do I'm telling you so You'll understandMichelle, ma belle Sont des mots qui vont très bien ensemble Très bien ensembleAnd I will say the only words I know That you'll understand, my Michelle RINGO 1966: 'I contributed about five words to 'What Goes On.' (laughs) And I haven't done a thing since!'JOHN 1972: 'A very early song of mine. Ringo and Paul wrote a new middle-eight together when we recorded it.'JOHN 1980: 'That was an early Lennon, written before the Beatles when we were the Quarrymen or something like that. And resurrected with a middle-eight thrown in, probably with Paul's help, to give Ringo a song… and also to use the bits, because I never liked to waste anything.' What goes on in your heart? What goes on in your mind? You are tearing me apart When you treat me so unkind What goes on in your mind?The other day I saw you As I walked along the road But when I saw him with you I could feel my future fold It's so easy for a girl like you to lie Tell me whyWhat goes on in your heart? What goes on in your mind? You are tearing me apart When you treat me so unkind What goes on in your mind?I met you in the morning Waiting for the tides of time But now the tide is turning I can see that I was blind It's so easy for a girl like you to lie Tell me whyWhat goes on in your heart?I used to think of no one else But you were just the same You didn't even think of me As someone with a name Did you mean to break my heart and watch me die Tell me whyWhat goes on in your heart? What goes on in your mind? You are tearing me apart When you treat me so unkind What goes on in your mind? JOHN 1980: 'That's me, writing about this dream girl – the one that hadn't come yet. It was Yoko.'PAUL circa-1994: 'It was John's original idea, but it was very much co-written. I remember writing 'the pain and pleasure,' and 'a man must break his back.' …It was amusing to see if we could get a naughty word on the record. The Beach Boys had a song out where they'd done 'la la la la' and we loved the innocence of that and wanted to copy it but not use the same phrase. So we were looking around for another phrase – 'dit dit dit dit,' which we decided to change it in our waggishness to 'tit tit tit tit.' And it gave us a laugh. It was good to get some light relief in the middle of this real big career that we were forging. If we could put in something that was a little bit subversive then we would. George Martin would say, 'Was that dit-dit or tit-tit you were singing?' 'Oh! dit-dit George, but it does sound a bit like that, doesn't it?' Then we'd get in the car and break down laughing.' Is there anybody going to listen to my story All about the girl who came to stay? She's the kind of girl you want so much it makes you sorry Still, you don't regret a single dayAh, girl, girl, girlWhen I think of all the times I tried so hard to leave her She will turn to me and start to cry And she promises the earth to me and I believe her After all this time I don't know whyAh, girl, girl, girlShe's the kind of girl who puts you down When friends are there, You feel a fool When you say she's looking good She acts as if it's understood. She's cool, ooh, ooh, oohAh, girl, girl, girlWas she told when she was young that pain would lead to pleasure? Did she understand it when they said That a man must break his back to earn his day of leisure? Will she still believe it when he's dead?Ah, girl, girl, girl JOHN 1980: 'Paul. He must have had an argument with Jane Asher.'PAUL circa-1994: 'As is one's wont in relationships, you will from time to time argue or not see eye to eye on things, and a couple of the songs around this period were that kind of thing… I would write it out in a song and then I've got rid of the emotion. I don't hold grudges so that gets rid of that little bit of emotional baggage… I think it's my song totally. I don't remember any of John's assistance.' I'm looking through you, where did you go? I thought I knew you, what did I know? You don't look different, but you have changed I'm looking through you, you're not the sameYour lips are moving, I cannot hear Your voice is soothing, but the words aren't clear You don't sound different, I've learned the game I'm looking through you, you're not the sameWhy, tell me why, did you not treat me right? Love has a nasty habit of disappearing overnightYou're thinking of me, the same old way You were above me, but not today The only difference is you're down there I'm looking through you, and you're nowhereWhy, tell me why, did you not treat me right? Love has a nasty habit of disappearing overnightI'm looking through you, where did you go I thought I knew you, what did I know You don't look different, but you have changed I'm looking through you, you're not the sameYeah Oh baby I'm changed Ah I'm looking through you Yeah I'm looking through you JOHN 1980: 'It was the first song I wrote that was consciously about my life. (Sings) 'There are places I'll remember/ All my life though some have changed…' Before, we were just writing songs a la Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly – pop songs with no more thought to them than that. The words were almost irrelevant. 'In My Life' started out as a bus journey from my house at 250 Menlove Avenue to town, mentioning every place I could remember. I wrote it all down and it was ridiculous… it was the most boring sort of 'What I Did On My Holiday's Bus Trip' song and it wasn't working at all. But then I laid back and these lyrics started coming to me about the places I remember. Paul helped with the middle-eight. It was, I think, my first real major piece of work. Up till then it had all been sort of glib and throw-away. And that was the first time I consciously put my literary part of myself into the lyric.'PAUL 1984: 'I think I wrote the tune to that; that's the one we slightly dispute. John either forgot or didn't think I wrote the tune. I remember he had the words, like a poem… sort of about faces he remembered. I recall going off for half an hour and sitting with a Mellotron he had, writing the tune… which was Miracles inspired, as I remember. In fact, a lot of stuff was then.' There are places I'll remember All my life though some have changed Some forever not for better Some have gone and some remainAll these places had their moments With lovers and friends I still can recall Some are dead and some are living In my life I've loved them allBut of all these friends and lovers There is no one compares with you And these memories lose their meaning When I think of love as something newThough I know I'll never lose affection For people and things that went before I know I'll often stop and think about them In my life I love you moreThough I know I'll never lose affection For people and things that went before I know I'll often stop and think about them In my life I love you moreIn my life I love you more It's been a long time Now I'm coming back home I've been away now Oh how, I've been aloneWait till I come back to your side We'll forget the tears we've criedBut if your heart breaks Don't wait, turn me away And if your heart's strong Hold on, I won't delayWait till I come back to your side We'll forget the tears we've criedI feel as though You ought to know That I've been good As good as I can be And if you do I'll trust in you And know that you Will wait for meIt's been a long time Now I'm coming back home I've been away now Oh how, I've been aloneWait till I come back to your side We'll forget the tears we've criedI feel as though You ought to know That I've been good As good as I can be And if you do I'll trust in you And know that you Will wait for meBut if your heart breaks Don't wait, turn me away And if your heart's strong Hold on, I won't delayWait till I come back to your side We'll forget the tears we've criedIt's been a long time Now I'm coming back home I've been away now Oh how, I've been alone If I Needed Someone (George Harrison) GEORGE 1980: ''If I Needed Someone' is like a million other songs written around a D chord. If you move your finger about you get various little melodies. That guitar line, or variations on it, is found in many a song, and it amazes me that people still find new permutations of the same notes.' If I needed someone to love You're the one that I'd be thinking of If I needed someoneIf I had some more time to spend Then I guess I'd be with you my friend If I needed someoneHad you come some other day Then it might not have been like this But you see now I'm too much in loveCarve your number on my wall And maybe you will get a call from me If I needed someone Ah, ah, ah, ahIf I had some more time to spend Then I guess I'd be with you my friend If I needed someoneHad you come some other day Then it might not have been like this But you see now I'm too much in loveCarve your number on my wall And maybe you will get a call from me If I needed someone Ah, ah JOHN 1980: 'It has a line from an old Presley song. 'I'd rather see you dead little girl than to be with another man' is a line from an old blues song that Presley did once. Just sort of a throw-away song of mine that I never thought much of… but it was always a favorite of George's.' Well I'd rather see you dead, little girl Than to be with another man You better keep your head, little girl Or I won't know where I amYou better run for your life if you can, little girl Hide your head in the sand little girl Catch you with another man That's the end ah little girlWell I know that I'm a wicked guy And I was born with a jealous mind And I can't spend my whole life Trying just to make you toe the lineYou better run for your life if you can, little girl Hide your head in the sand little girl Catch you with another man That's the end ah little girlLet this be a sermon I mean everything I've said Baby, I'm determined And I'd rather see you deadYou better run for your life if you can, little girl Hide your head in the sand little girl Catch you with another man That's the end ah little girlI'd rather see you dead, little girl Than to be with another man You better keep your head, little girl Or you won't know where I amYou better run for your life if you can, little girl Hide your head in the sand little girl Catch you with another man That's the end ah little girl Nah nah nah Nah nah nah Nah nah nah Nah nah nah (fade out) |
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