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The Beatles Lyrics, album "The Beatles (White Album)"
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PAUL 1968: 'Chuck Berry once did a song called 'Back In The USA,' which is very American, very Chuck Berry. Very sort of, uhh… you know, you're serving in the army, and when I get back home I'm gonna kiss the ground. And you know – Can't wait to get back to the States. And it's a very American sort of thing, I've always thought. So this one is like about… In my mind it's just about a spy who's been in America a long long time, you know, and he's picked up… And he's very American. But he gets back to the USSR, you know, and he's sort of saying, 'Leave it till tomorrow, honey, to disconnect the phone,' and all that. And 'Come here honey,' but with Russian women. It concerns the attributes of Russian women.'JOHN 1980: 'Paul completely. I play the six-string bass on that.'PAUL 1984: 'I wrote that as a kind of Beach Boys parody. And 'Back in the USA' was a Chuck Berry song, so it kinda took off from there. I just liked the idea of Georgia girls and talking about places like the Ukraine as if they were California, you know? It was also hands across the water, which I'm still conscious of. 'Cuz they like us out there, even though the bosses in the Krelmin may not. The kids do.'PAUL 1986: 'I'm sure it pissed Ringo off when he couldn't quite get the drums to 'Back In The U.S.S.R.' and I sat in. It's very weird to know that you can do a thing someone else is having trouble with. If you go down and do it, just bluff right through it, you think, 'What the hell, at least I'm helping.' Then the paranoia comes in – 'But I'm going to show him up!' I was very sensitive to that.' Oh, flew in from Miami Beach B.O.A.C. Didn't get to bed last night On the way the paper bag was on my knee Man I had a dreadful flight I'm back in the U.S.S.R. You don't know how lucky you are boy Back in the U.S.S.R. (Yeah)Been away so long I hardly knew the place Gee it's good to be back home Leave it till tomorrow to unpack my case Honey disconnect the phone I'm back in the U.S.S.R. You don't know how lucky you are boy Back in the U.S. Back in the U.S. Back in the U.S.S.R.Well the Ukraine girls really knock me out They leave the West behind And Moscow girls make me sing and shout That Georgia's always on my mindAw come on! Ho yeah! Ho yeah! Ho ho yeah! Yeah yeah!Yeah I'm back in the U.S.S.R. You don't know how lucky you are boys Back in the U.S.S.R.Well the Ukraine girls really knock me out They leave the West behind And Moscow girls make me sing and shout That Georgia's always on my mindOh, show me around your snow-peaked mountains way down south Take me to your daddy's farm Let me hear your balalaika's ringing out Come and keep your comrade warm I'm back in the U.S.S.R. Hey you don't know how lucky you are boys Back in the U.S.S.R.Oh let me tell you, honey Hey, I'm back! I'm back in the U.S.S.R. Yes, I'm free! Yeah, back in the U.S.S.R.Ha ha JOHN 1980: ''Dear Prudence' is me. Written in India. A song about Mia Farrow's sister, who seemed to go slightly balmy, meditating too long, and couldn't come out of the little hut we were livin' in. They selected me and George to try and bring her out because she would trust us. If she'd been in the West, they would have put her away… We got her out of the house. She'd been locked in for three weeks and was trying to reach God quicker than anybody else. That was the competition in Maharishi's camp – who was going to get cosmic first. What I didn't know was I was 'already' cosmic.' (laughs) PAUL circa-1994: 'He (John) wrote 'Dear Prudence, won't you come out and play…' and went in and sang it to her, and I think that actually did help.' Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play? Dear Prudence, greet the brand new day The sun is up, the sky is blue It's beautiful and so are you Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play?Dear Prudence, open up your eyes Dear Prudence, see the sunny skies The wind is low, the birds will sing That you are part of everything Dear Prudence, won't you open up your eyes?Look around round Look around round round Look aroundDear Prudence, let me see you smile Dear Prudence, like a little child The clouds will be a daisy chain So let me see you smile again Dear Prudence, won't you let me see you smile?Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play? Dear Prudence, greet the brand new day The sun is up, the sky is blue It's beautiful and so are you Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play? JOHN 1980: 'That's me, just doing a throwaway song, a la 'Walrus' a la everything I've ever written. I threw in the line 'The walrus was Paul' just to confuse everybody a bit more. It could've been the fox terrier is Paul, you know. I mean, it's just a bit of poetry. It was just thrown in like that… The line was put in because I was feeling guilty because I was with Yoko and I was leaving Paul. I was trying… I don't know. It's a perverse way of saying to Paul, you know, 'Here, have this crumb, this illusion, this stroke, because I'm leaving.' I told you about strawberry fields You know the place where nothing is real Well here's another place you can go Where everything flows Looking through the bent backed tulips To see how the other half live Looking through a glass onionI told you about the walrus and me, man You know that we're as close as can be, man Well here's another clue for you all The walrus was Paul Standing on the cast iron shore, yeah Lady Madonna trying to make ends meet, yeah Looking through a glass onionOh yeah Oh yeah Oh yeah Looking through a glass onionI told you about the fool on the hill I tell you man he living there still Well here's another place you can be Listen to me Fixing a hole in the ocean Trying to make a dove-tail joint, yeah Looking through a glass onion JOHN 1980: 'I might've given him a couple of lyrics, but it's his song, his lyric.'PAUL 1984: 'A fella who used to hang around the clubs used to say, (Jamaican accent) 'Ob-la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on,' and he got annoyed when I did a song of it, 'cuz he wanted a cut. I said, 'Come on, Jimmy, it's just an expression. If you'd written the song, you could have had a cut.' He also used to say, 'Nothin's too much, just outta sight.' He was just one of those guys who had great expressions, you know.' Desmond has a barrow in the market place Molly is the singer in a band Desmond says to Molly, "Girl, I like your face" And Molly says this as she takes him by the handOb-la-di ob-la-da life goes on bra La-la how their life goes on Ob-la-di ob-la-da life goes on bra La-la how their life goes onDesmond takes a trolley to the jeweler's stores Buys a twenty carat golden ring (Golden ring?) Takes it back to Molly waiting at the door And as he gives it to her she begins to sing (Sing)Ob-la-di ob-la-da life goes on bra La-la how their life goes on Ob-la-di ob-la-da life goes on bra La-la how their life goes on, yeah (No)In a couple of years they have built A home sweet home With a couple of kids running in the yard Of Desmond and Molly Jones (Ah ha ha ha ha ha)Happy ever after in the market place Desmond lets the children lend a hand (Arm! Leg!) Molly stays at home and does her pretty face And in the evening she still sings it with the bandYes, ob-la-di ob-la-da life goes on bra La-la how their life goes on (Ha ha ha) Hey, ob-la-di ob-la-da life goes on bra La-la how their life goes onIn a couple of years they have built A home sweet home With a couple of kids running in the yard Of Desmond and Molly Jones (Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha)Yeah, happy ever after in the market place Molly lets the children lend a hand (Foot!) Desmond stays at home and does his pretty face And in the evening she's a singer with the bandYeah, ob-la-di ob-la-da life goes on bra La-la how their life goes on Yeah, ob-la-di ob-la-da life goes on bra La-la how their life goes onAnd if you want some fun Take ob-la-di ob-la-da(Thank you, uh, ha ha ha!) PAUL circa-1994: 'We were in an experimental mode, and so I said, 'Can I just make something up?' I started off with the guitar and did a multitracking experiment in the control room… It was very home-made – it wasn't a big production at all. I just made up this short piece and I multitracked the harmony to that, and a harmony to that, and a harmony to that, and built it up sculpturally with alot of vibrato on the (guitar) strings, really pulling the strings madly – hence 'Wild Honey Pie.'' Honey Pie Honey PieHoney Pie Honey PieHoney Pie Honey Pie Honey Pie Honey PieI love you, Honey Pie JOHN 1980: 'Oh, that was written about a guy in Maharishi's meditation camp who took a short break to go shoot a few poor tigers, and then come back to commune with God. There used to be a character called Jungle Jim, and I combined him with Buffalo Bill. It's a sort of teenage social comment song, and a bit of a joke. Yoko's on that one, I believe.'PAUL circa-1994: 'I remember John singing 'Bungalow Bill' in Rishikesh. This is another of his great songs and it's one of my favorites to this day because it stands for alot of what I stand for now. 'Did you really have to shoot that tiger' is its message. 'Aren't you a big guy? Aren't you a brave man?' I think John put it very well.' Hey, Bungalow Bill What did you kill, Bungalow Bill? Hey, Bungalow Bill What did you kill, Bungalow Bill?He went out tiger hunting with his elephant and gun In case of accidents he always took his mom He's the all American bullet-headed Saxon mother's son All the children singHey, Bungalow Bill What did you kill, Bungalow Bill? Hey, Bungalow Bill What did you kill, Bungalow Bill?Deep in the jungle where the mighty tiger lies Bill and his elephants were taken by surprise So Captain Marvel zapped in right between the eyes, zap! All the children singHey, Bungalow Bill What did you kill, Bungalow Bill? Hey, Bungalow Bill What did you kill, Bungalow Bill?The children asked him if to kill was not a sin "Not when he looked so fierce", his mummy butted in If looks could kill it would have been us instead of him All the children singHey, Bungalow Bill What did you kill, Bungalow Bill? Hey, Bungalow Bill What did you kill, Bungalow Bill?Oh ho!Hey, Bungalow Bill What did you kill, Bungalow Bill? Hey, Bungalow Bill What did you kill, Bungalow Bill?Hey, Bungalow Bill What did you kill, Bungalow Bill? Hey, Bungalow Bill What did you kill, Bungalow Bill?Hey, Bungalow Bill What did you kill, Bungalow Bill? Hey, Bungalow Bill What did you kill, Bungalow Bill?[Eh up!] While My Guitar Gently Weeps (George Harrison) GEORGE 1980: 'I had a copy of the I Ching – the Book of Changes, which seemed to me to be based on the Eastern concept that everything is relative to everything else, as opposed to the Western view that things are merely coincidental. The idea was in my head when I visited my parents' home in the North of England. I decided to write a song based on the first thing I saw upon opening any book – as it would be relative to that moment, at that time. I picked up a book at random, opened it – saw 'gently weeps' – than laid the book down again and started the song. Some of the words to the song were changed before I finally recorded it.'GEORGE 1987: 'I worked on that song with John, Paul, and Ringo one day, and they were not interested in it at all. And I knew inside of me that it was a nice song. The next day I was with Eric Clapton, and I was going into the session, and I said, 'We're going to do this song. Come and play on it.' He said, 'Oh no. I can't do that. Nobody ever plays on the Beatles records.' I said, 'Look, it's my song, and I want you to play on it.' So Eric came in, and the other guys were as good as gold – because he was there. Also, it left me free to just play the rhythm and do the vocal. So Eric played that, and I thought it was really good. Then we listened to it back, and he said, 'Ah, there's a problem though; it's not Beatley enough.' So we put it through the ADT (automatic double-track) to wobble it up a bit.' I look at you all, see the love there that's sleeping While my guitar gently weeps I look at the floor and I see it needs sweeping Still my guitar gently weepsI don't know why nobody told you How to unfold your love I don't know how someone controlled you They bought and sold youI look at the world and I notice it's turning While my guitar gently weeps With every mistake we must surely be learning Still my guitar gently weepsWell...I don't know how you were diverted You were perverted too I don't know how you were inverted No one alerted youI look at you all, see the love there that's sleeping [LOVE version:] I look from the wings at the play you are staging. While my guitar gently weeps Look at you all [LOVE version:] As I'm sitting here doing nothing but aging Still my guitar gently weepsOh, oh Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh, ohYeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, ooh PAUL 1968: 'The idea of 'Happiness Is A Warm Gun' is from an advert in an American paper. It said, Happiness is a warm gun, and it was 'Get ready for the long hot summer with a rifle,' you know, 'Come and buy them now!' It was an advert in a gun magazine. And it was so sick, you know, the idea of 'Come and buy your killing weapons,' and 'Come and get it.' But it's just such a great line, 'Happiness Is A Warm Gun' that John sort of took that and used that as a chorus. And the rest of the words… I think they're great words, you know. It's a poem. And he finishes off, 'Happiness Is A Warm Gun, yes it is.' It's just good poetry.'JOHN 1972: 'Thay all said it was about drugs, but it was more about rock 'n roll than drugs. It's sort of a history of rock 'n roll… I don't know why people said it was about the needle in heroin. I've only seen somebody do something with a needle once, and I don't like to see it at all.'JOHN 1980: 'A gun magazine was sitting around and the cover was the picture of a smoking gun. The title of the article, which I never read, was 'Happiness Is a Warm Gun.' I took it right from there. I took it as the idea of happiness after having shot somebody. Or some animal.' She's not a girl who misses much Do do do do do do do do, oh yeah She's well acquainted with the touch of the velvet hand Like a lizard on a window pane The man in the crowd with the multicoloured mirrors On his hobnail boots Lying with his eyes while his hands are busy Working overtime A soap impression of his wife which he ate And donated to the National TrustDown I need a fix 'cause I'm going down Down to the bits that I left uptown I need a fix 'cause I'm going downMother Superior jump the gun Mother Superior jump the gun Mother Superior jump the gun Mother Superior jump the gun Mother Superior jump the gun Mother Superior jump the gunHappiness is a warm gun (Happiness bang, bang, shoot, shoot) Happiness is a warm gun, mama (Happiness bang, bang, shoot, shoot) When I hold you in my arms (Oo-oo oh yeah) And I feel my finger on your trigger (Oo-oo oh yeah) I know nobody can do me no harm (Oo-oo oh yeah)Because happiness is a warm gun, mama (Happiness bang, bang, shoot, shoot) Happiness is a warm gun, yes it is (Happiness bang, bang, shoot, shoot) Happiness is a warm, yes it is, gun (Happiness bang, bang, shoot, shoot) Well, don't you know that happiness is a warm gun, mama? (Happiness is a warm gun, yeah) PAUL 1968: 'You see, I just start singing some words with a tune, you know what I mean. Mainly I'm just doing a tune and then some words come into my head, you know. And these happened to be 'Martha My Dear, though I spend my days in conversation.' So you can read anything you like into it, but really it's just a song. It's me singing to my dog.' (laughs) PAUL circa-1994: 'When I taught myself piano I liked to see how far I could go, and this (song) started off as a piece you'd learn as a piano lesson. Martha my dear though I spend my days in conversation Please Remember me Martha my love Don't forget me Martha my dearHold your head up you silly girl look what you've done When you find yourself in the thick of it Help yourself to a bit of what is all around you Silly girlTake a good look around you Take a good look you're bound to see That you and me were meant to be for each other Silly girlHold your hand out you silly girl see what you've done When you find yourself in the thick of it Help yourself to a bit of what is all around you Silly girlMartha my dear you have always been my inspiration Please Be good to me Martha my love Don't forget me Martha my dear JOHN 1980: ''I'm So Tired' was me, in India again. I couldn't sleep, I'm meditating all day and couldn't sleep at night. The story is that. One of my favorite tracks. I just like the sound of it, and I sing it well.'PAUL circa-1994: 'It has that very special line, 'And curse Sir Walter Raleigh/ He was such a stupid git.' That's a classic line and it's so John that there's no doubt who wrote it. I think it's 100 percent John.' I'm so tired, I haven't slept a wink I'm so tired, my mind is on the blink I wonder should I get up and fix myself a drink No, no, noI'm so tired I don't know what to do I'm so tired my mind is set on you I wonder should I call you but I know what you would doYou'd say I'm putting you on But it's no joke, it's doing me harm You know I can't sleep, I can't stop my brain You know it's three weeks, I'm going insane You know I'd give you everything I've got For a little peace of mindI'm so tired, I'm feeling so upset Although I'm so tired I'll have another cigarette And curse Sir Walter Raleigh He was such a stupid gitYou'd say I'm putting you on But it's no joke, it's doing me harm You know I can't sleep, I can't stop my brain You know it's three weeks, I'm going insane You know I'd give you everything I've got For a little peace of mind I'd give you everything I've got For a little peace of mind I'd give you everything I've got For a little peace of mind(Monsieur, Monsieur, Monsieur, how about another one?) PAUL 1968: 'It's simple in concept because you couldn't think of anything else to put on it. Maybe on 'Pepper' we would have sort of worked on it until we could find some way to put violins or trumpets in there. But I don't think it needs it, this one. You know, it's just… There's nothing to the song. It is just one of those 'pick it and sing it' and that's it. The only point where we were thinking of putting anything on it is where it comes back in the end… sort of stops and comes back in… but instead of putting any backing on it, we put a blackbird on it. So there's a blackbird singing at the very end. And somebody said it was a thrush, but I think it's a blackbird!'JOHN 1980: 'I gave him (Paul) a line on that one.'PAUL circa-1994: 'The original inspiration was from a well-known piece by Bach, which I never know the title of, which George and I had learned to play at an early age – he better than me actually. Part of its structure is a particular harmonic thing between the melody and the bass line which intrigued me… I developed the melody based on the Bach piece and took it somewhere else, took it to another level, then I just fitted words to it. I had in my mind a black woman, rather than a bird. Those were the days of the civil-rights movement, which all of us cared passionately about. So this was really a song from me to a black woman, experiencing these problems in the states… 'Let me encourage you to keep trying, to keep your faith, there is hope.' As is often the case with my things, a veiling took place. So, rather than say 'Black woman living in Little Rock' and be very specific, she became a bird, became symbolic, so you could apply it to your particular problem.' Blackbird singing in the dead of night Take these broken wings and learn to fly All your life You were only waiting for this moment to ariseBlackbird singing in the dead of night Take these sunken eyes and learn to see All your life You were only waiting for this moment to be freeBlack bird fly, black bird fly Into the light of the dark black nightBlack bird fly, black bird fly Into the light of the dark black nightBlackbird singing in the dead of night Take these broken wings and learn to fly All your life You were only waiting for this moment to arise You were only waiting for this moment to arise You were only waiting for this moment to arise Piggies (George Harrison) GEORGE 1980: ''Piggies' is a social comment. I was stuck for one line in the middle until my mother came up with the lyric, 'What they need is a damn good whacking' which is a nice simple way of saying they need a good hiding. It needed to rhyme with 'backing,' 'lacking,' and had absolutely nothing to do with American policemen or Californian shagnasties!'JOHN 1980: 'I gave George a couple of lines about forks and knives and eating bacon.' Have you seen the little piggies Crawling in the dirt? And for all the little piggies Life is getting worse Always having dirt to play around inHave you seen the bigger piggies In their starched white shirts? You will find the bigger piggies Stirring up the dirt Always have clean shirts to play around inIn their styes with all their backing They don't care what goes on around In their eyes there's something lacking What they need's a damn good whackingEverywhere there's lots of piggies Living piggy lives You can see them out for dinner With their piggy wives Clutching forks and knives to eat their bacon(One more time...) PAUL 1968: 'I was sitting on the roof in India with a guitar – John and I were sitting 'round playing guitar, and we were with Donovan. And we were just sitting around enjoying ourselves, and I started playing the chords of 'Rocky Raccoon,' you know, just messing around. And, oh, originally it was Rocky Sassoon, and we just started making up the words, you know, the three of us – and started just to write them down. They came very quickly. And eventually I changed it from Sassoon to Raccoon, because it sounded more like a cowboy. So there it is. These kind of things – you can't really talk about how they come 'cuz they just come into your head, you know. They really do. And it's like John writing his books. There's no… I don't know how he does it, and he doesn't know how he does it, but he just writes. I think people who actually do create and write… you tend to think, 'Oh, how did he do that,' but it actually does flow… just flows from into their head, into their hand, and they write it down, you know. And that's what happened with this. I don't know anything about the Appalachian mountains or cowboys and indians or anything. But I just made it up, you know. And the doctor came in stinking of gin and proceeded to lie on the table. So, there you are.'PAUL circa-1994: 'I like talking-blues so I started off like that, then I did my tongue-in-cheek parody of a western and threw in some amusing lines. The bit I liked about it was him (Rocky) finding Gideon's Bible and thinking, 'Some guy called Gideon must have left it for the next guy.' I like the idea of Gideon being a character. You get the meaning, and at the same time get in a poke at it. All in good fun.' Now somewhere in the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota There lived a young boy named Rocky Raccoon And one day his woman ran off with another guy Hit young Rocky in the eye Rocky didn't like that He said "I'm gonna get that boy" So one day he walked into town Booked himself a room in the local saloonRocky Raccoon checked into his room Only to find Gideon's Bible Rocky had come, equipped with a gun To shoot off the legs of his rivalHis rival, it seems, had broken his dreams By stealing the girl of his fancy Her name was Magill, and she called herself Lil But everyone knew her as NancyNow she and her man, who called himself Dan Were in the next room at the hoedown Rocky burst in, and grinning a grin He said, "Danny boy, this is a showdown"But Daniel was hot, he drew first and shot And Rocky collapsed in the corner, ahD'da d'da d'da da da da D'da d'da d'da da da da D'da d'da d'da da d'da d'da d'da d'da Do do do do do doD'do d'do d'do do do do D'do d'do d'do do do do D'do d'do d'do do do d'do d'do d'do d'do Do do do do do doNow, the doctor came in, stinking of gin And proceeded to lie on the table He said, "Rocky, you met your match" And Rocky said, "Doc, it's only a scratch And I'll be better, I'll be better, Doc, as soon as I am able"And now Rocky Raccoon, he fell back in his room Only to find Gideon's Bible Gideon checked out and he left it no doubt To help with good Rocky's revival, ah Oh yeah, yeahD'do d'do d'do do do do D'do d'do d'do do do do D'do d'do d'do do do d'do d'do d'do d'do Do do do do do doD'do d'do d'do do do do, come on, Rocky boy D'do d'do d'do do do do, come on, Rocky boy D'do d'do d'do do do d'do d'do d'do d'do The story of Rocky there Don't Pass Me By (Richard Starkey) JOHN 1968: 'We've just done two tracks, both unfinished. The second one is Ringo's first song that we're working on this very moment. He composed it himself in a fit of lithargy.' I listen for your footsteps Coming up the drive Listen for your footsteps But they don't arrive Waiting for your knock, dear On my old front door I don't hear it Does it mean you don't love me any more?I hear the clock are ticking On the mantel shelf See the hands are moving But I'm by myself I wonder where you are tonight And why I'm by myself I don't see you Does it mean you don't love me any more?Don't pass me by, don't make me cry, don't make me blue Cause you know darling I love only you You'll never know it hurt me so How I hate to see you go Don't pass me by, don't make me cryI'm sorry that I doubted you I was so unfair You were in a car crash And you lost your hair You said that you would be late About an hour or two I said that's alright I'm waiting here Just waiting to hear from youDon't pass me by, don't make me cry, don't make me blue Cause you know darling I love only you You'll never know it hurt me so How I hate to see you go Don't pass me by, don't make me cry JOHN 1972: 'Paul. One of his best.'JOHN 1980: 'That's Paul. He even recorded it by himself in another room. That's how it was getting in those days. We came in, and he'd made the whole record. Him drumming, him playing the piano, him singing. But he couldn't… maybe he couldn't make the break from the Beatles. I don't know what it was, you know. I enjoyed the track. Still I can't speak for George, but I was always hurt when Paul would knock something off without involving us. But that's just the way it was then.'PAUL 1981: 'There's only one incident I can think of, which John has publically mentioned. It was when I went off with Ringo and did 'Why Don't We Do It In The Road.' It wasn't a deliberate thing, John and George were tied up finishing something, and me and Ringo were free, just hanging around, so I said to Ringo, 'Let's go and do this.' I did hear John some time later singing it. He liked the song, and I suppose he wanted to do it with me. It was a very John sort of song anyway. That's why he liked it, I suppose. It was very John, the idea of it, not me. I wrote it as a ricochet off John.' Why don't we do it in the road? Mm Why don't we do it in the road? Ah Why don't we do it in the road? Mm Why don't we do it in the road? Mm No one will be watching us Why don't we do it in the road?Why don't we do it in the road? Why don't we do it in the road? Why don't we do it in the road? Why don't we do it in the road? No one will be watching us Why don't we do it in the road?OohWhy don't we do it in the road? Why don't we do it in the road? Why don't we do it, do it in the road? Why don't we do it in the road? No one will be watching us Why don't we do it in the road? PAUL 1968: 'We're not just completely rock & roll. We're not just completely one kind of group. 'Cuz like, when we played in Hamburg, we didn't just do rock all evening 'cuz we had to have these sort of fat old businessmen coming in and saying… (jokingly) or THIN old businessmen, as well, were coming in and saying 'Play a mambo. Can you do a rhumba?' And we couldn't just keep saying no, you know, so we had to get into mambos and rhumbas a bit. So this kind of thing is like a pretty sort of smootchy ballad – 'I Will.' I don't know if it's getting off the subject, but that's why there's great variety in this LP – 'cuz in everything we do, you know, we just haven't got one bag, you know. And 'cuz on one hand you'll get something like 'I Will' and then you'll get 'Why Don't We Do It In The Road,' you know. Just completely different things – completely different feelings… But it's me singing both of them. It's the same fella. Uhh, and I've wrote both of them, you know. So you can't explain it. I don't know why I do 'Why Don't We Do It In The Road' shouting it like that… and then do this sort of smootchy laughing American 'Girl From Ipenema.''PAUL circa-1994: 'I was doing a song, 'I Will,' that I had as a melody for quite a long time but I didn't have lyrics to it. I remember sitting around (in India) with Donovan, and maybe a couple of other people. We were just sitting around one evening after our day of meditation and I played him this one and he liked it, and we were trying to write some words. We kicked around a few lyrics, something about the moon, but they weren't very satisfactory and I thought the melody was better than the words… it's still one of my favorite melodies that I've written. You just occasionally get lucky with a melody and it becomes rather complete and I think this is one of them – quite a complete tune.' Who knows how long I've loved you You know I love you still Will I wait a lonely lifetime If you want me to, I willFor if I ever saw you I didn't catch your name But it never really mattered I will always feel the sameLove you forever and forever Love you with all my heart Love you whenever we're together Love you when we're apartAnd when at last I find you Your song will fill the air Sing it loud so I can hear you Make it easy to be near you For the things you do endear you to me Oh, you know I will I willMm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm Da da da da da da da JOHN 1972: 'Me. Yoko helped me with this one.'JOHN 1980: 'Julia was my mother. But it was sort of a combination of Yoko and my mother blended into one. That was written in India… We wrote tons of songs in India.'PAUL circa-1994: 'The interesting thing for me on 'Julia' is the finger-picking (guitar) style. He learned to fingerpick off Donovan or Gypsy Dave… That was John's song about his mum, folk finger-picking style, and a very good song.' Half of what I say is meaningless But I say it just to reach you, JuliaJulia, Julia, oceanchild, calls me So I sing a song of love, Julia Julia, seashell eyes, windy smile, calls me So I sing a song of love, JuliaHer hair of floating sky is shimmering, glimmering In the sunJulia, Julia, morning moon, touch me So I sing a song of love, JuliaWhen I cannot sing my heart I can only speak my mind, JuliaJulia, sleeping sand, silent cloud, touch me So I sing a song of love, Julia Hum hum hum hum... calls me So I sing a song of love for Julia, Julia, Julia PAUL 1968: 'What happened was 'The Girl Can't Help It' was on television. That's an old rock film with Little Richard and Fats Domino and Eddie Cochran and a few others… and we wanted to see it, so we started recording at five o'clock. And we said, 'We'll do something, We'll make up a backing track.' So we kept it very simple – twelve bar blues kind of thing. And we stuck in a few bits here and there in it, with no idea what the song was or what was gonna go on top of it. We just said, 'Okay. Twelve bars in A, and we'll change to D, and I'm gonna do a few beats in C.' And we really just did it like that… random thing. And we came back here to my house and watched 'The Girl Can't Help It.' Then we went back to the studio again and made up some words to go with it all. So this song was just made up in an evening. Umm, you know. We hadn't ever thought of it before then. And it's one of my favorites because of that. I think it works, you know, 'cuz it's just… It's a good one to dance to. Like the big long drum break, just 'cuz, normally we might have four bars of drums, but with this we just keep it going, you know. We all like to hear drums plodding on.'JOHN 1972: 'Both of us (wrote it.)'JOHN 1980: ''Birthday' was written in the studio. Just made up on the spot. I think Paul wanted to write a song like 'Happy Birthday Baby,' the old fifties hit. But it was sort of made up in the studio. It was a piece of garbage.'PAUL circa-1994: 'We thought, 'Why not make something up?' So we got a riff going and arranged it around this riff. So that is 50-50 John and me, made up on the spot and recorded all in the same evening.' They say it's your birthday It's my birthday too, yeah They say it's your birthday We're gonna have a good time I'm glad it's your birthday Happy birthday to youAh Ah Ah Come on Come onYes we're going to a party party Yes we're going to a party party Yes we're going to a party partyI would like you to dance (Birthday) Take a cha-cha-cha-chance (Birthday) I would like you to dance (Birthday) Dance yeahOh Come onI would like you to dance (Birthday) Take a cha-cha-cha-chance (Birthday) I would like you to dance (Birthday) Oh dance! DanceThey say it's your birthday Well it's my birthday too, yeah They say it's your birthday We're gonna have a good time I'm glad it's your birthday Happy birthday to you JOHN 1980: ''Yer Blues' was written in India, too. Up there, trying to reach God and feeling suicidal.' 2,3Yes I'm lonely wanna die Yes I'm lonely wanna die If I ain't dead already Ooh girl you know the reason whyIn the morning wanna die In the evening wanna die If I ain't dead already Ooh girl you know the reason whyMy mother was of the sky My father was of the earth But I am of the universe And you know what it's worth I'm lonely wanna die If I ain't dead already Ooh girl you know the reason whyThe eagle picks my eye The worm he licks my bone I feel so suicidal Just like Dylan's Mr. Jones Lonely wanna die If I ain't dead already Ooh girl you know the reason whyBlack cloud crossed my mind Blue mist round my soul Feel so suicidal Even hate my rock 'n' roll Wanna die yeah wanna die If I ain't dead already Ooh girl you know the reason why PAUL 1968: 'It says 'Born a poor young country boy' and I was born in Woolton hospital actually – so it's a dirty lie.'JOHN 1980: 'Paul. That was from a lecture of Maharishi where he was talking about nature, and I had a piece called 'I'm Just A Child Of Nature,' which turned into 'Jealous Guy' years later. Both inspired from the same lecture of Maharishi.'PAUL circa-1994: 'I seem to remember writing 'Mother Nature's Son' at my dad's house in Liverpool… I've always loved the song called, 'Nature Boy' …'Mother Nature's Son' was inspired by that song. I'd always loved nature, and when Linda and I got together we discovered we had this deep love of nature in common. There might have been a little help from John with some of the verses. Born a poor young country boy, Mother Nature's son All day long I'm sitting singing songs for everyoneSit beside a mountain stream, see her waters rise Listen to the pretty sound of music as she fliesDoo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo Doo doo dooFind me in my field of grass, Mother Nature's son Swaying daisies sing a lazy song beneath the sunDoo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo Doo doo doo doo doo doo Yeah yeah yeahMm mm mm mm mm mm mm Mm mm mm, ooh ooh ooh Mm mm mm mm mm mm mm Mm mm mm mm, wah wah wahWah, Mother Nature's son Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me And My Monkey (John Lennon) (Officially – John Lennon and Paul McCartney) JOHN 1980: 'That was just a sort of nice line that I made into a song. It was about me and Yoko. Everybody seemed to be paranoid except for us two, who were in the glow of love. Everything is clear and open when you're in love. Everybody was sort of tense around us – you know, 'What is SHE doing here at the session? Why is she with him?' All this sort of madness is going on around us because we just happened to want to be together all the time.' Come on come on Come on come on Come on is such a joy Come on is such a joy Come on let's take it easy Come on let's take it easy Take it easy take it easy Everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkey(Ooh) the deeper you go the higher you fly The higher you fly the deeper you go So come on (Come on) come on Come on is such a joy Come on is such a joy Come on let's make it easy Come on let's make it easy (Oh) Take it easy (Yeh yeh yeh) take it easy (Hoo) Everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkeyOh!Your inside is out and your outside is in Your outside is in and your inside is out So come on (Ho) come on (Ho) Come on is such a joy Come on is such a joy Come on let's make it easy Come on let's make it easy Make it easy (Hoo) make it easy (Hoo) Everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkeyHey!Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on Come on, come on, come on...Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on Come on, come on, come on... JOHN 1980: 'That was inspired by Maharishi. I wrote it when we had our bags packed and we're leaving. It was the last piece I wrote before I left India. I just called him, 'Sexy Sadie,' instead of (sings) 'Maharishi what have you done, you made a fool…' I was just using the situation to write a song, rather calculatingly but also to express what I felt. I was leaving the Maharishi with a bad taste. You know, it seems that my partings are always not as nice as I'd like them to be.' Sexy Sadie what have you done You made a fool of everyone You made a fool of everyone Sexy Sadie ooh what have you doneSexy Sadie you broke the rules You layed it down for all to see You layed it down for all to see Sexy Sadie oooh you broke the rulesOne sunny day the world was waiting for a lover She came along to turn on everyone Sexy Sadie the greatest of them allSexy Sadie how did you know The world was waiting just for you The world was waiting just for you Sexy Sadie oooh how did you knowSexy Sadie you'll get yours yet However big you think you are However big you think you are Sexy Sadie oooh you'll get yours yetWe gave her everything we owned just to sit at her table Just a smile would lighten everything Sexy Sadie she's the latest and the greatest of them allShe made a fool of everyone Sexy SadieHowever big you think you are Sexy Sadie PAUL 1968: 'Umm, that came about just 'cuz I'd read a review of a record which said, 'And this group really got us wild, there's echo on everything, they're screaming their heads off.' And I just remember thinking, 'Oh, it'd be great to do one. Pity they've done it. Must be great – really screaming record.' And then I heard their record and it was quite straight, and it was very sort of sophisticated. It wasn't rough and screaming and tape echo at all. So I thought, 'Oh well, we'll do one like that, then.' And I had this song called 'Helter Skelter' which is just a ridiculous song. So we did it like that, 'cuz I like noise.'JOHN 1980: 'That's Paul completely. All that (Charles) Manson stuff was built 'round George's song about pigs and this one… Paul's song about an English fairground. It has nothing to do with anything, and least of all to do with me.'PAUL 1985: 'The Who had made some track that was the loudest, the most raucous rock 'n roll, the dirtiest thing they'd ever done. It made me think, 'Right. Got to do it.' I like that kind of geeking up. And we decided to do the loudest, nastiest, sweatiest rock number we could.' When I get to the bottom I go back to the top of the slide Where I stop and I turn and I go for a ride Till I get to the bottom and I see you again Yeah yeah yeah heyDo you, don't you want me to love you I'm coming down fast but I'm miles above you Tell me tell me tell me come on tell me the answer Well you may be a lover but you ain't no dancerNow helter skelter helter skelter Helter skelter yeah Ooh!Will you, won't you want me to make you I'm coming down fast but don't let me break you Tell me tell me tell me the answer You may be a lover but you ain't no dancerLook out helter skelter helter skelter Helter skelter oohLook out, cos here she comesWhen I get to the bottom I go back to the top of the slide And I stop and I turn and I go for a ride And I get to the bottom and I see you again Yeah yeah yeahWell do you, don't you want me to make you I'm coming down fast but don't let me break you Tell me tell me tell me the answer You may be a lover but you ain't no dancerLook out helter skelter helter skelter Helter skelterLook out helter skelter She's coming down fast Yes she is Yes she is coming down fast(My head is spinning, ooh...Ha ha ha, ha ha ha, alright!I got blisters on my fingers!) Long, Long, Long (George Harrison) GEORGE 1980: 'The 'you' in 'Long Long Long' is God. I can't recall much about it except the chords, which I think were coming from (Dylan's) 'Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands' – D to E minor, A, and D – those three chords and the way they moved.' It's been a long long long time How could I ever have lost you When I loved youIt took a long long long time Now I'm so happy I found you How I love youSo many tears I was searching So many tears I was wasting, oh ohNow I can see you, be you How can I ever misplace you How I want you Oh I love you You know that I need you Ooh I love youOh JOHN 1968: 'On 'Revolution' I'm playing the guitar and I haven't improved since I was last playing, but I dug it. It sounds the way I wanted it to sound.'JOHN 1972: 'I should never have put that in about Chairman Mao. I was just finishing off in the studio when I did that.'JOHN 1980: 'The statement in 'Revolution' was mine. The lyrics stand today. It's still my feeling about politics. I want to see the plan. That is what I used to say to Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin. Count me out if it is for violence. Don't expect me to be on the barricades unless it is with flowers. For years, on the Beatles' tours, Brian Epstein had stopped us from saying anything about Vietnam or the war. And he wouldn't allow questions about it. But on one of the last tours, I said, 'I'm going to answer about the war. We can't ignore it.' I absolutely wanted the Beatles to say something about the war.' You say you want a revolution Well, you know We all want to change the world You tell me that it's evolution Well, you know We all want to change the worldBut when you talk about destruction Don't you know that you can count me outDon't you know it's gonna be alright Alright, alrightYou say you got a real solution Well, you know We'd all love to see the plan You ask me for a contribution Well, you know We're all doing what we canBut if you want money for people with minds that hate All I can tell you is brother you have to waitDon't you know it's gonna be alright Alright, alright, al...You say you'll change the constitution Well, you know We all want to change your head You tell me it's the institution Well, you know You'd better free your mind insteadBut if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao You ain't gonna make it with anyone anyhowDon't you know it's gonna be alright Alright, alrightAlright, alright Alright, alright Alright, alright Alright, alright PAUL 1968: 'My dad's always played fruity old songs like that, you know. And I liked 'em. I like the melody of old songs, and the lyrics actually as well. There's some old lyrics, like, you know – the woman singing about the man, and she's saying something about 'I wanna have his initial on my monogram.' You know what I mean? There's good lyrics and just good thoughts that you don't sort of hear so much these days, you know. And so, I would quite like to have been a 1920's writer, 'cuz I like that thing, you know. Umm, you know, up in top hat and tails and sort of coming-on to 'em. So this kind of number, I like that thing. But, uhh… So this is just me doing it, pretending I'm living in 1925.'GEORGE 1987: 'John played a brilliant solo on 'Honey Pie' – sounded like Django Reinhardt or something. It was one of them where you just close your eyes and happen to hit all the right notes… sounded like a little jazz solo.'PAUL circa-1994: 'I very much liked that old crooner style – the strange fruity voice that they used, so 'Honey Pie' was me writing one of them to an imaginary woman, across the ocean, on the silver screen, who was called Honey Pie. It's another of my fantasy songs. We put a sound on my voice to make it sound like a scratchy old record. So it's not a parody, it's a nod to the vaudville tradition that I was raised on.' She was a working girl North of England way Now she's hit the big time In the USA And if she could only hear me This is what I'd sayHoney pie you are making me crazy I'm in love but I'm lazy So won't you please come homeOh honey pie my position is tragic Come and show me the magic Of your Hollywood songYou became a legend of the silver screen And now the thought of meeting you Makes me weak in the kneeOh honey pie you are driving me frantic Sail across the Atlantic To be where you belongHoney pie come back to me, ohYeah I like it like that, oh ah I like this kind of hot kind of music Hot kind of music Play it to me, play it to me, honey, the bluesWill the wind that blew her boat Across the sea Kindly send her sailing back to meHoney pie you are making me crazy I'm in love but I'm lazy So won't you please come home Come, come back to me, honey pieOooooooooooh oh Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh Honey pie, honey pie Savoy Truffle (George Harrison) GEORGE 1977: ''Savoy Truffle' on The White Album was written for Eric (Clapton). He's got this real sweet tooth and he'd just had his mouth worked on. His dentist said he was through with candy. So as a tribute I wrote, 'You'll have to have them all pulled out after the Savoy Truffle.' The truffle was some kind of sweet, just like all the rest – cream tangerine, ginger sling – just candy, to tease Eric.'GEORGE 1980: ''Savoy Truffle' is a funny one written whist hanging out with Eric Clapton in the '60s. At that time he had alot of cavities in his teeth and needed dental work. He always had a toothache but he ate alot of chocolates – he couldn't resist them, and once he saw a box he had to eat them all. He was over at my house, and I had a box of 'Good News' chocolates on the table and wrote the song from the names inside the lid. I got stuck with the two bridges for a while and Derek Taylor wrote some of the words in the middle – 'You know that what you eat you are.'' Creme tangerine and montelimar A ginger sling with a pineapple heart A coffee dessert, yes, you know it's good news But you'll have to have them all pulled out After the Savoy truffleCool cherry cream, nice apple tart I feel your taste all the time we're apart Coconut fudge really blows down those blues But you'll have to have them all pulled out After the Savoy truffleYou might not feel it now But when the pain cuts through You're going to know and how The sweat is going to fill your head When it becomes too much You'll shout aloud[Instrumental/Solo]But you'll have to have them all pulled out After the Savoy truffleYou know that what you eat you are But what is sweet now turns so sour We all know obla-dibla-da But can you show me where you are?Creme tangerine and montelimar A ginger sling with a pineapple heart A coffee dessert, yes, you know it's good news But you'll have to have them all pulled out After the Savoy truffleYes you'll have to have them all pulled out After the Savoy truffle JOHN 1968: 'I've got another one here… a few words… I think I got them from an advert. 'Cry baby cry, make your mother BUY.' I've been playing it over and over on the piano. I've let it go now, but it will come back if I really want it. Sometimes I get up from the piano as if I've been in a trance, and I know I have let a few things slip away which I could have caught had I wanted something.'JOHN 1980: 'A piece of rubbish.' Cry baby cry Make your mother sigh She's old enough to know betterThe king of Marigold was in the kitchen Cooking breakfast for the queen The queen was in the parlour Playing piano for the children of the kingCry baby cry Make your mother sigh She's old enough to know better So cry baby cryThe king was in the garden Picking flowers for a friend who came to play The queen was in the playroom Painting pictures for the childrens holidayCry baby cry Make your mother sigh She's old enough to know better So cry baby cryThe duchess of Kircaldy always smiling And arriving late for tea The duke was having problems With a message at the local bird and beeCry baby cry Make your mother sigh She's old enough to know better So cry baby cryAt twelve o'clock a meeting round the table For a seance in the dark With voices out of nowhere Put on specially by the children for a larkCry baby cry Make your mother sigh She's old enough to know better So cry baby cry cry cry cry baby Make your mother sigh She's old enough to know better Cry baby cryCry cry cry Make your mother sigh She's old enough to know better So cry baby cry GEORGE 1969: 'Revolution 9 wasn't particularly like a Beatles number… it worked quite well in the context of all those different songs. I find it heavy to listen to myself – in fact, I don't, really.'JOHN 1971: 'I thought I was painting in sound a picture of revolution, but I made a mistake, you know. The mistake was that it was antirevolution.'JOHN 1980: 'The slow version of 'Revolution' on the album went on and on and on and I took the fade-out part, which is what they sometimes do with disco records now, and just layered all this stuff over it. It was the basic rhythm of the original 'Revolution' going on with some twenty (tape) loops we put on, things from the archives of EMI. We were cutting up classical music and making different-size loops, and then I got and engineer tape on which some test engineer was saying, 'Number nine.' All those different bits of sound and noise are all compiled. There were about ten (tape) machines with people holding pencils on the loops – some only inches long and some a yard long. I fed them all in and mixed them live. I did a few mixes until I got one I liked. Yoko was there for the whole thing and she made decisions about which loops to use. It was somewhat under her influence, I suppose. Once I heard her stuff – not just the screeching and the howling but her sort of word pieces and talking and breathing and all this strange stuff, I thought, My God, I got intrigued… so I wanted to do one. I spent more time on 'Revolution 9' than I did on half the songs I ever wrote. It was a montage.' (Bottle of Claret for you if I had realisedWell, do it next time.I forgot about it, George, I'm sorry. Will you forgive me?Yes.)Number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, numberThen there's this Welsh Rarebit wearing some brown underpants About the shortage of grain in Hertfordshire Everyone of them knew that as time went by They'd get a little bit older and a litter slower but It's all the same thing, in this case manufactured by someone who's always Umpteen your father's giving it diddly-i-dee District was leaving, intended to pay forNumber 9, number 9Who's to know? Who was to know?Number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9I sustained nothing worse than Also for example Whatever you're doing A business deal falls through I informed him on the third night When fortune givesNumber 9, number 9, number 9People ride, people ride Ride, ride, ride, ride, ride Ride! Ride!9, number 9, number 9, number 9I've missed all of that It makes me a few days late Compared with, like, wow! And weird stuff like that Taking our sides sometimes Floral bark Rouge doctors have brought this specimenI have nobody's short-cuts, aha 9, number 9With the situationThey are standing stillThe plan, the telegramOoh oohNumber 9, numberOohA man without terrors from beard to false As the headmaster reported to me My son he really can try as they do to find function Tell what he was saying, and his voice was low and his hive high And his eyes were lowAlright!Number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9So the wife called me and we'd better go to see a surgeon Or whatever to price it yellow underclothes So, any road, we went to see the dentist instead Who gave her a pair of teeth which wasn't any good at all So I said I'd marry, join the fucking navy and went to seaIn my broken chair, my wings are broken and so is my hair I'm not in the mood for whirlingUm da AaahHow? Dogs for dogging, hands for clapping Birds for birding and fish for fishing Them for themming and when for whimmingOnly to find the night-watchman Unaware of his presence in the buildingOnion soupNumber 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9, number 9Industrial output Financial imbalanceThrusting it between his shoulder bladesThe Watusi The twistEldoradoTake this brother, may it serve you wellMaybe it's nothing Aaah Maybe it's nothing What? What? OhMaybe even then Impervious in London Could be difficult thing It's quick like rush for peace is Because it's so much It was like being nakedIf you became naked RINGO 1968: 'Everybody thinks Paul wrote 'Goodnight' for me to sing, but it was John who wrote it for me. He's got a lot of soul, John has.'PAUL 1968: 'John wrote it, mainly. It's his tune, uhh, which is surprising for John – 'cuz he doesn't normally write this kind of tune. It's a very sweet tune, and Ringo sings it great, I think. The arrangement was done by George Martin, uhh, 'cuz he's very good at that kind of arrangement, you know – very sort of lush, sweet arrangement.'JOHN 1980: ''Good Night' was written for Julian, the way 'Beautiful Boy' was written for Sean… but given to Ringo and possibly overlush.'PAUL circa-1994: 'I think John felt it might not be good for his image for him to sing it, but it was fabulous to hear him do it, he sang it great. We heard him sing it in order to teach it to Ringo and he sang it very tenderly. John rarely showed his tender side, but my key memories of John are when he was tender, that's what has remained with me – those moments where he showed himself to be a very generous, loving person. I always cite that song as an example of the John beneath the surface that we only saw occasionally… I don't think John's version was ever recorded.' Now it's time to say good night Good night, sleep tight Now the sun turns out his light Good night, sleep tight Dream sweet dreams for me (Dream sweet) Dream sweet dreams for youClose your eyes and I'll close mine Good night, sleep tight Now the moon begins to shine Good night, sleep tight Dream sweet dreams for me (Dream sweet) Dream sweet dreams for youMmmmmm Mmmmmm MmmmmmmmmmClose your eyes and I'll close mine Good night, sleep tight Now the sun turns out his light Good night, sleep tight Dream sweet dreams for me (Dream sweet) Dream sweet dreams for youGood night, good night, everybody Everybody everywhere Good night |
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