The Beatles Lyrics, album "Meet the Beatles!"

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The Beatles Lyrics, album "Meet the Beatles!"

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Cover of the Beatles album - "Meet the Beatles!"
I Want to Hold Your Hand
(John Lennon and Paul McCartney)
PAUL 1964: 'Let's see, we were told we had to get down to it.
So we found this house when we were walking along one day.
We knew we had to really get this song going, so we got down in the basement of this disused house and there was an old piano.
It wasn't really disused, it was rooms to let.
We found this old piano and started banging away.
There was a little old organ too.
So we were having this informal jam and we started banging away.
Suddenly a little bit came to us, the catch line.
So we started working on it from there.
We got our pens and paper out and just wrote down the lyrics.
Eventually, we had some sort of a song, so we played it for our recording manager and he seemed to like it.
We recorded it the next day.'

JOHN 1980: 'We wrote alot of stuff together, one on one, eyeball to eyeball.
Like in 'I Want To Hold Your Hand,' I remember when we got the chord that made the song.
We were in Jane Asher's house, downstairs in the cellar playing on the piano at the same time.
And we had, 'Oh you-u-u/ got that something…' And Paul hits this chord, and I turn to him and say, 'That's it!' I said, 'Do that again!' In those days, we really used to absolutely write like that – both playing into each other's noses.'

PAUL circa-1994: ''Eyeball to eyeball' is a very good description of it.
That's exactly how it was.
'I Want To Hold Your Hand' was very co-written.'

Oh yeah, I'll tell you something
I think you'll understand
Then I'll say that something
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand

Oh please, say to me
You'll let me be your man
And please, say to me
You'll let me hold your hand
Now let me hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand

And when I touch you I feel happy
Inside
It's such a feeling that my love
I can't hide
I can't hide
I can't hide

Yeah, you got that something
I think you'll understand
Then I'll say that something
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand

And when I touch you I feel happy
Inside
It's such a feeling that my love
I can't hide
I can't hide
I can't hide

Yeah, you got that something
I think you'll understand
When I feel that something
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand
I wanna hold your hand


I Saw Her Standing There
(John Lennon and Paul McCartney)
JOHN 1980: 'That's Paul doing his usual job of producing what George Martin used to call a 'potboiler.' I helped with a couple of the lyrics.'

PAUL 1988: 'I wrote it with John.
We sagged off school and wrote it on guitars.
I remember I had the lyrics, 'Just seventeen/Never been a beauty queen,' which John… it was one of the first times he ever went, 'What? Must change that!' And it became, 'you know what I mean.''

PAUL circa-1994: 'Sometimes we would just start a song from scratch, but one of us would nearly always have a germ of an idea, a title, or a rough little thing they were thinking about and we'd do it.
'I Saw Her Standing There' was my original.
I'd started it and I had the first verse, which therefore gave me the tune, the tempo, and the key.
It gave you the subject matter, alot of information, and then you had to fill in.
So it was co-written… and we finished it that day.

Well, she was just seventeen
You know what I mean
And the way she looked was way beyond compare
So how could I dance with another (Ooh)
When I saw her standing there

Well she looked at me, and I, I could see
That before too long I'd fall in love with her
She wouldn't dance with another (Whooh)
When I saw her standing there

Well, my heart went "boom"
When I crossed that room
And I held her hand in mine

Whoah, we danced through the night
And we held each other tight
And before too long I fell in love with her
Now I'll never dance with another (Whooh)
When I saw her standing there

Well, my heart went "boom"
When I crossed that room
And I held her hand in mine

Whoah, we danced through the night
And we held each other tight
And before too long I fell in love with her
Now I'll never dance with another (Whooh)
Since I saw her standing there
Oh since I saw her standing there
Oh since I saw her standing there


This Boy
(John Lennon)
(Officially – John Lennon and Paul McCartney)
JOHN 1980: 'Just my attempt at writing one of those three-part harmony Smokey Robinson songs.
Nothing in the lyrics… just a sound and a harmony.
There was a period when I thought I didn't write melodies… that Paul wrote those and I just wrote straight, shouting rock 'n roll.
But of course, when I think of some of my own songs – 'In My Life,' or some of the early stuff – 'This Boy,' I was writing melody with the best of them.'

PAUL 1988: 'Fabulous. And we just loved singing that three-part too.
We'd learned that from: (sings) 'To know know know her is to love love love her…' We learned that in my dad's house in Liverpool.'

That boy took my love away
Though he'll regret it someday
But this boy wants you back again

That boy isn't good for you
Though he may want you too
This boy wants you back again

Oh, and this boy would be happy
Just to love you, but oh my
That boy won't be happy
Till he's seen you cry

This boy wouldn't mind the pain
Would always feel the same
If this boy gets you back again

This boy
This boy
This boy [fade out]


It Won't Be Long
(John Lennon and Paul McCartney)
JOHN 1980: ''It Wont Be Long' is mine.
It was my attempt at writing another single.
It never quite made it.
That was the one where the guy in the 'London Times' wrote about the 'Aeolian cadences of the chords' which started the whole intellectual bit about the Beatles.'

PAUL circa-1994: 'We'd spot the double meaning… In 'It won't BE LONG till I BELONG to you' it was that same trip.'

It won't be long yeh, yeh, yeh
It won't be long yeh, yeh, yeh
It won't be long yeh, till I belong to you

Every night when everybody has fun
Here am I sitting all on my own

It won't be long yeh, yeh, yeh
It won't be long yeh, yeh, yeh
It won't be long yeh, till I belong to you

Since you left me, I'm so alone
Now you're coming, you're coming on home
I'll be good like I know I should
You're coming home, you're coming home

Every night the tears come down from my eyes
Every day I've done nothing but cry

It won't be long yeh, yeh, yeh
It won't be long yeh, yeh, yeh
It won't be long yeh, till I belong to you

Since you left me, I'm so alone
Now you're coming, you're coming on home
I'll be good like I know I should
You're coming home, you're coming home

So every day we'll be happy I know
Now I know that you won't leave me no more

It won't be long yeh, yeh, yeh
It won't be long yeh, yeh
It won't be long yeh, till I belong to you, woo


All I've Got to Do
(John Lennon)
(Officially – John Lennon and Paul McCartney)
JOHN 1980: 'That's me trying to do Smokey Robinson again.'

Whenever I want you around, yeah
All I gotta do is call you on the phone
And you'll come running home
yeah that's all I gotta do

And when I wanna kiss you, yeah
All I gotta do is whisper in your ear
The words you long to hear
And I'll be kissin' you

And the same goes for me, whenever you want me at all
I'll be here, yes I will, whenever you call
You just gotta call on me, yeah
You just gotta call on me

And when I wanna kiss you, yeah
All I gotta do is call you on the phone
And you'll come running home
Yeah, that's all I gotta do

And the same goes for me, whenever you want me at all
I'll be here, yes I will, whenever you call
You just gotta call on me, yeah
You just gotta call on me. Oh, you just gotta call on me

Mmmmmm mm mm


All My Loving
(Paul McCartney)
(Officially – John Lennon and Paul McCartney)
JOHN 1972: 'This was one of his first biggies.'

JOHN 1980: ''All My Loving' is Paul, I regret to say.
Because it's a damn fine piece of work.
But I play a pretty mean guitar in back.'

PAUL 1984: 'Yeah, I wrote that one.
It was the first song I ever wrote where I had the words before the music.
I wrote the words on a bus on tour, then we got the tune when I arrived there.
The first time I've ever worked upside down.'

PAUL 1988: 'I think that was the first song where I wrote the words without the tune.
I wrote the words on the tour bus during our tour with Roy Orbison.
We did alot of writing then.'

PAUL circa-1994: 'It was a good show song.
It worked well live.'

Close your eyes and I'll kiss you
Tomorrow I'll miss you
Remember I'll always be true
And then while I'm away
I'll write home every day
And I'll send all my loving to you

I'll pretend that I'm kissing
The lips I am missing
And hope that my dreams will come true
And then while I'm away
I'll write home every day
And I'll send all my loving to you

All my loving I will send to you
All my loving, darling I'll be true

Close your eyes and I'll kiss you
Tomorrow I'll miss you
Remember I'll always be true
And then while I'm away
I'll write home every day
And I'll send all my loving to you

All my loving I will send to you
All my loving, darling I'll be true
All my loving, all my loving ooh
All my loving I will send to you


Don't Bother Me
(George Harrison)
GEORGE 1980: 'The first song that I wrote… as an exercise to see if I could write a song.
I wrote it in a hotel in Bounemouth, England, where we were playing a summer season in 1963.
I was sick in bed… maybe that's why it turned out to be 'Don't Bother Me.' I don't think it's a particularly good song… It mightn't even be a song at all, but at least it showed me that all I needed to do was keep on writing, and then maybe eventually I would write something good.'

PAUL 1988: 'I think John and I were really concentrating on – 'We'll do the 'real' records,' but because the other guys had alot of fans we wrote for them too.
George eventually came out with his own, 'Don't Bother Me,' but until then he hadn't written one.'

Since she's been gone
I want no one
To talk to me
It's not the same
But I'm to blame
It's plain to see

So go away and leave me alone
Don't bother me

I can't believe
That she would leave
Me on my own
It's just not right
Where every night
I'm all alone

I've got no time for you right now
Don't bother me

I know I'll never be the same
If I don't get her back again
Because I know she'll always be
The only girl for me

But till she's here
Please don't come near
just stay away
I'll let you know
When she's come home
Untill that the day

Don't come around leave me alone
Don't bother me

I've got no time for you right now
Don't bother me

I know I'll never be the same
If I don't get her back again
Because I know she'll always be
The only girl for me

But till she's here
Please don't come near
Just stay away
I'll let you know
When she's come home
Untill that the day

Don't come around leave me alone
Don't bother me
Don't bother me
Don't bother me


Little Child
(John Lennon and Paul McCartney)
JOHN 1972: 'Both of us wrote it.
This was a knock-off between Paul and me.'

JOHN 1980: ''Little Child' was another effort of Paul and I to write a song for somebody else.
It was probably Ringo.'

PAUL circa-1994: 'Certain songs were inspirational and you just followed that.
'Little Child' was a work job.'

Little child, little child
Little child, won't you dance with me?
I'm so sad and lonely
Baby take a chance with me

Little child, little child
Little child, won't you dance with me?
I'm so sad and lonely
Baby take a chance with me

If you want someone
To make you feel so fine
Then we'll have some fun
When you're mine, all mine
So come, come on, come on

Little child, little child
Little child, won't you dance with me?
I'm so sad and lonely
Baby take a chance with me

When you're by my side
You're the only one
Don't you run and hide
Just come on, come on
So come on, come on, come on

Little child, little child
Little child, won't you dance with me?
I'm so sad and lonely
Baby take a chance with me
Baby take a chance with me
Baby take a chance with me


Till There Was You
(Meredith Willson)

There were bells on a hill
But I never heard them ringing
No, I never heard them at all
Till there was you

There were birds in the sky
But I never saw them winging
No, I never saw them at all
Till there was you

Then there was music and wonderful roses
They tell me in sweet fragrant meadows
Of dawn and dew

There was love all around
But I never heard it singing
No, I never heard it at all
Till there was you

Then there was music and wonderful roses
They tell me in sweet fragrant meadows
Of dawn and dew

There was love all around
But I never heard it singing
No, I never heard it at all
Till there was you
Till there was you


Hold Me Tight
(Paul McCartney)
(Officially – John Lennon and Paul McCartney)
JOHN 1980: 'That was Paul's.
Maybe I stuck some bits in there… I really don't remember.
It was a pretty poor song and I was never really interested in it either way.'

PAUL 1988: 'I can't remember much about that one.
Certain songs were just 'work' songs… you haven't got much of a memory of them.
That's one of them.
You just knew you had a song that would work, a good melody.
'Hold Me Tight' never really had that much of an effect on me.
It was a bit Shirelles.'

PAUL circa-1994: ''Hold Me Tight' was a failed attempt at a single which then became acceptable album filler.'

It feels so right now, hold me tight
Tell me I'm the only one
And then I might
Never be the lonely one
So hold me tight, tonight, tonight,
It's you, you you you oooo oooo

Hold me tight
Let me go on loving you
Tonight tonight
Making love to only you
So hold me tight, tonight, tonight
It's you, you you you oooo oooo

Don't know what it means to hold you tight
Being here alone tonight with you
It feels so right now, feels so right now

Hold me tight
Tell me I'm the only one
And then I might
Never be the lonely one
So hold me tight, tonight, tonight
It's you, you you you oooo oooo

Don't know what it means to hold you tight
Being here alone tonight with you
It feels so right now, feels so right now

Hold me tight
Let me go on loving you
Tonight, tonight
Making love to only you
So hold me tight, tonight, tonight
It's you, you you you oooo oooo
You oooo


I Wanna Be Your Man
(John Lennon and Paul McCartney)
JOHN 1972: 'Both of us wrote it, but mainly Paul.
I helped him finish it.'

JOHN 1980: ''I Wanna Be Your Man' was a kind of lick Paul had – 'I wanna be your lover, baby.
I wanna be your man.' I think we finished it off for the Stones.
We were taken down to meet them at the club where they were playing in Richmond by Brian and some other guy.
They wanted a song and we went to see what kind of stuff they did.
Mick and Keith heard we had an unfinished song – Paul just had this bit and we needed another verse or something.
We sort of played it roughly to them and they said, 'Yeah, OK, that's our style.' But it was only really a lick, so Paul and I went off in the corner of the room and finished the song off while they were all still sitting there talking.
We came back, and that's how Mick and Keith got inspired to write… because, 'Jesus, look at that.
They just went in the corner and wrote it and came back!' You know, right in front of their eyes we did it.
So we gave it to them.
It was a throw-away.
The only two versions of the song were Ringo and the Rolling Stones.
It shows how much importance we put on them.
We weren't going to give them anything great, right? I believe it was the Stones' first record.'

PAUL 1984: 'I wrote it for Ringo to do on one of the early albums.
But we ended up giving it to the Stones.
We met Mick and Keith in a taxi one day in Charing Cross Road and Mick said, 'Have you got any songs?' So we said, 'Well, we just happen to have one with us!' I think George had been instrumental in getting them their first record contract.
We suggested them to Decca, 'cuz Decca had blown it by refusing us, so they had tried to save face by asking George, 'Know any other groups?' He said, 'Well, there is this group called the Stones.' So that's how they got their first contract.
Anyway, John and I gave them maybe not their first record, but I think the first they got on the charts with.
They don't tell anybody about it these days; they prefer to be more ethnic.
But you and I know the real truth.'

I wanna be your lover baby
I wanna be your man
I wanna be your lover baby
I wanna be your man
Love you like no other baby
Like no other can
Love you like no other baby
Like no other can

I wanna be your man, I wanna be your man
I wanna be your man, I wanna be your man

Tell me that you love me baby
Let me understand
Tell me that you love me baby
I wanna be your man
I wanna be your lover baby
I wanna be your man
I wanna be your lover baby
I wanna be your man

I wanna be your man, I wanna be your man
I wanna be your man, I wanna be your man

I wanna be your lover baby
I wanna be your man
I wanna be your lover baby
I wanna be your man
Love you like no other baby
Like no other can
Love you like no other baby
Like no other can

I wanna be your man, I wanna be your man
I wanna be your man, I wanna be your man
I wanna be your man, I wanna be your man


Not a Second Time
(John Lennon)
(Officially – John Lennon and Paul McCartney)
JOHN 1980: 'That's me trying to do something.
I don't remember.' (laughs)

PAUL 1984: 'Influenced by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.'

You know you made me cry
I see no use in wondering why
I cry for you

And now you've changed your mind
I see no reason to change mine
I cry it's through, oh

You're giving me the same old line
I'm wondering why
You hurt me then
You're back again
No, no, no, not a second time

You know you made me cry
I see no use in wondering why
I cry for you, yea

And now you've changed your mind
I see no reason to change mine
I cry it's through, oh

You're giving me the same old line
I'm wondering why
You hurt me then
You're back again
No, no, no, not a second time
Not a second time
Not the second time
No, no, no, no, no
No, no no