McCartney's Best "Meaningful Lyric" Songs
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B J Conlee:
Another McCartney song that I think has great lyrics is "Figure of 8" from Flowers in the Dirt. Here Paul uses a metaphor of the numeral 8 (or figure of 8 used in sailing or rock climbing knots) to avoid slipping off the straight and narrow. This can apply to individual's or couples' lives, country or global hatred etc. Some of Paul's best lyric songs are very creative and this is one of them in my opinion.
I always saw it as ice skating more than rock climbing. I can't picture Paul climbing a mountain, for some reason.
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Golden*Earth*Girl:
Easy; most of the lyrics to Golden Earth Girl resonate with me because they ARE about me!
That's just a beautiful song. Has he ever played it live?
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Nancy R:
Yep, all we had was Encyclopedia Brittanica and the local library!
And countless books, newspapers, magazines... Google is convenient, but I'm sure people survived before it existed.
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HaileyMcComet:
Golden*Earth*Girl:
Easy; most of the lyrics to Golden Earth Girl resonate with me because they ARE about me!
That's just a beautiful song. Has he ever played it live?
I doubt it!
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Add it to the list.
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HaileyMcComet:
Golden*Earth*Girl:
Easy; most of the lyrics to Golden Earth Girl resonate with me because they ARE about me!
That's just a beautiful song. Has he ever played it live?
As far as i know, never!
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B J Conlee:
Golden*Earth*Girl:
Easy; most of the lyrics to Golden Earth Girl resonate with me because they ARE about me! "Golden earth girl, female animal sings to the wind, resting at sunset" "Good clear water friend of wilderness sees in the pool, her own reflection" "Nature's lover climbs the Primrose Hill, Smiles at the sky, watching the sunset" These lyrics are deeply, deeply personal to me. Although I know it's about Linda, when I first heard it I really wondered who told him about me because they ARE so me! Nobody or nothing has 'got' me like this before or since. I have a deep affinity with the Highlands of Scotland (even though I'm a southern lass) and the song describes my love for, and relationship with, the land and nature there. I really do smile at the sunsets and sing out in the wind there (when nobody else is about!), and I walk through glens and climb hills where the wilderness is my friend. I always smile to myself when I sing the line 'smiles at the sky, watching the sunset'. I don't know why really; maybe it brings back many memories of smiling at sunsets but that particular line just makes me damn happy! On my many trips to the area, Paul's music has usually been my only companion which is how i have wanted it. It does mean though I do connect with his music on a very personal level and which is why a Macca gig, for me, is such an intense experience!
__________________________________________________________ Thanks Golden Earth Girl. Always loved the words and melody to Golden Earth Girl. One of my favorites from the Off the Ground CD. You brought up another subject and area where Paul seems to get a lot of his inspiration. I'm talking about subjects like "nature, wildlife and the ecology". Paul has so many songs about our earth and how it relates to the universe. Just think about the many songs where Paul is referencing birds, the earth, the planets etc. Here's another one that jumps out to me...Mull of Kintyre Mull of Kintyre (excerpts) Mull of Kintyre Oh mist rolling in from the sea My desire is always to be here Oh Mull of Kintyre Far have I travelled and much have I seen Dark distant mountains with valleys of green Past painted deserts, the sunset's on fire As he carries me home to the Mull of Kintyre ______________________________________________________ One of the reasons Mull never resonated in the US is because people here had no idea what the "Mull of Kintyre" was. If you remember this was pre computer age where people just couldn't "google" things off their phones, tablets or laptops. Another reason why it was such a huge mistake that Paul didn't put the song on the US album version of London Town.
I can tell you, that walking through Glen Sligachan on the Isle of Skye with Mull of Kintyre blazing through the headphones is a magical experience!
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Another Paul song which has been important to me has been Don't Let it Bring You Down from London Town. I've always liked the folksy feel with the recorders but the lyrics have been an inspiration to me when i have had some dark days. I listened to it a lot after being ditched by a boyfriend in 1993!
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Golden*Earth*Girl:
Another Paul song which has been important to me has been Don't Let it Bring You Down from London Town. I've always liked the folksy feel with the recorders but the lyrics have been an inspiration to me when i have had some dark days. I listened to it a lot after being ditched by a boyfriend in 1993!
___________________________________________________________ Don't Let It Bring You Down is also one of my favorite songs on London Town. I like the lines: Don't Let It Bring You Down (from London Town) excerpts: Don't Go Down, don't go Underground Things Seem Strange, but They Change How They Change Up and Down Your Carousel Will Go Don't Let It Bring You Down _____________________________________________________ Another hidden gem from London Town is "I'm Carrying". Such a beautiful melody and those strings. While I listen to the lyrics, I sometimes wonder if Paul ever considered changing the last line of the song (which does get repeated) to..."your carrying something, your carrying something for me". I believe Linda was carrying James at the time (or a little before) and it would have added something personal from their life at the time to the song. It also would have been a good change of direction in the lyrics. Sort of like Todd Rundgren's song "We Got To Get You A Woman" where he says to Leroy at the end...And We'll Get Me One too. I always loved that line because it came in as a big surprise. Does anyone know if Paul ever considered putting in the "Your Carrying Something for Me" in I'm Carrying? I'm Carrying (from London Town) By Dawn's First Light, I'll Come Back to Your Room Again With My Carnation Hidden by the Packages I'm Carrying Something I'm Carrying Something for You Ah, long time no see baby, sure has been a while And if my reappearance lacks a sense of style I'm Carrying Something I'm Carrying Something for You
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B J Conlee:
Golden*Earth*Girl:
Another Paul song which has been important to me has been Don't Let it Bring You Down from London Town. I've always liked the folksy feel with the recorders but the lyrics have been an inspiration to me when i have had some dark days. I listened to it a lot after being ditched by a boyfriend in 1993!
___________________________________________________________ Don't Let It Bring You Down is also one of my favorite songs on London Town. I like the lines: Don't Let It Bring You Down (from London Town) excerpts: Don't Go Down, don't go Underground Things Seem Strange, but They Change How They Change Up and Down Your Carousel Will Go Don't Let It Bring You Down _____________________________________________________ Another hidden gem from London Town is "I'm Carrying". Such a beautiful melody and those strings. While I listen to the lyrics, I sometimes wonder if Paul ever considered changing the last line of the song (which does get repeated) to..."your carrying something, your carrying something for me". I believe Linda was carrying James at the time (or a little before) and it would have added something personal from their life at the time to the song. It also would have been a good change of direction in the lyrics. Sort of like Todd Rundgren's song "We Got To Get You A Woman" where he says to Leroy at the end...And We'll Get Me One too. I always loved that line because it came in as a big surprise. Does anyone know if Paul ever considered putting in the "Your Carrying Something for Me" in I'm Carrying? I'm Carrying (from London Town) By Dawn's First Light, I'll Come Back to Your Room Again With My Carnation Hidden by the Packages I'm Carrying Something I'm Carrying Something for You Ah, long time no see baby, sure has been a while And if my reappearance lacks a sense of style I'm Carrying Something I'm Carrying Something for You
The song came out almost a year after James was born, and according to this was not even written about/for Linda! Hmm...who was the woman? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_Carrying
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All of the songs from Ecce Cor Meum to me, are some of Paul's most deeply profound lyrics! To me, it seems this album comes closest to Paul's heart and soul. I know he was very inspired by the death of Linda, during the writing of this album. On the the first song Spiritus, the lyrics are just amazing... My favorite lyrics from that song are where he is asking Spiritus for prayers around love. So many of Paul's songs revolve around love, and so you can see from this songs lyrics, the importance of love to Paul. Strengthen my love my love preserve the truth Make me happy Strengthen my love
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Nancy R:
B J Conlee:
Golden*Earth*Girl:
Another Paul song which has been important to me has been Don't Let it Bring You Down from London Town. I've always liked the folksy feel with the recorders but the lyrics have been an inspiration to me when i have had some dark days. I listened to it a lot after being ditched by a boyfriend in 1993!
___________________________________________________________ Don't Let It Bring You Down is also one of my favorite songs on London Town. I like the lines: Don't Let It Bring You Down (from London Town) excerpts: Don't Go Down, don't go Underground Things Seem Strange, but They Change How They Change Up and Down Your Carousel Will Go Don't Let It Bring You Down _____________________________________________________ Another hidden gem from London Town is "I'm Carrying". Such a beautiful melody and those strings. While I listen to the lyrics, I sometimes wonder if Paul ever considered changing the last line of the song (which does get repeated) to..."your carrying something, your carrying something for me". I believe Linda was carrying James at the time (or a little before) and it would have added something personal from their life at the time to the song. It also would have been a good change of direction in the lyrics. Sort of like Todd Rundgren's song "We Got To Get You A Woman" where he says to Leroy at the end...And We'll Get Me One too. I always loved that line because it came in as a big surprise. Does anyone know if Paul ever considered putting in the "Your Carrying Something for Me" in I'm Carrying? I'm Carrying (from London Town) By Dawn's First Light, I'll Come Back to Your Room Again With My Carnation Hidden by the Packages I'm Carrying Something I'm Carrying Something for You Ah, long time no see baby, sure has been a while And if my reappearance lacks a sense of style I'm Carrying Something I'm Carrying Something for You
The song came out almost a year after James was born, and according to this was not even written about/for Linda! Hmm...who was the woman? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_Carrying
______________________________________________________ Nancy, Thanks so much for the Wikipedia information. You can get so much info about Paul even down to individual songs. There is so much conjecture about many of Paul's songs. While it could be written about another girl and not Linda, it could be another example of Paul just using his imagination. It could be as simple as Paul just seeing a movie that inspired the lyrics. Then again, it could have been inspired (as the Wikipedia article) by a former girlfriend. I guess we will never know. This is another question that I wished some journalist would ask Paul rather than more articles about Paul's relationship with John and/or Yoko. Thanks also for the point that Linda wasn't "carrying" James at the time the song came out. It's kind of a shame since Paul would have only had to change 2 words..."your" instead of I'm and "me" instead of you in the last line of the lyrics. As I said, it would have made the song even more interesting. Liking the man bringing the gifts in return to his wife giving him life's greatest gift. If Paul ever comes out with a full remaster of London Town and makes this simple 2 word change at the end of I'm Carrying, I don't want much of a royalty. How about a airplane ticket from the US to London. That would be plenty for me. Then I could visit Abbey Road and take the train to Liverpool.
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Don't Let It Bring You Down is a beautiful song.
This is an early take with Paul casually showing off his range. -
The ones that come to mind... Beatles Let It Be (duh :p) Good Day Sunshine Here There and Everywhere When I'm 64 The Long and Winding Road I also always liked the Beatles songs that were story-driven, such as She's Leaving Home and Maxwell's Silver Hammer. Wings Maybe I'm Amazed Let 'Em In Solo Calico Skies The End of the End Early Days -Rubber Soul13
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Maybe I'm Amazed was solo, not Wings, but I agree it had meaningful lyrics. It's my favorite solo Paul song.
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B.J. Conlee, I wonder how you feel about "Electric Argument" songs. Do you like them?
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SusyLuvsPaul:
B.J. Conlee, I wonder how you feel about "Electric Argument" songs. Do you like them?
____________________________________________________ Susy, One thing I love about Paul is that all of his albums are so different. I do like Electric Arguments a lot but I think more for the music side. The lyrics are more about creative word combinations than more detailed meanings or subjects. Paul mentions this himself on the " notes section" of Electric Arguments in his Website. (Just go to the Album section of the website). Because of this differect "lyric" approach, I have gone more to other albums when analyzing this thread's subject of "Paul's most meaningful lyric songs". Songs from Paul's more traditional Pop albums (e.g. Chaos and Creation, Memory Almost Full, Flaming Pie, Flowers in the Dirt, Off the Ground, Tug of War, London Town etc.) seem to be dominating this specific thread more. That does not take away, however, from the beauty and greatness of Electric Arguments in my opinion. While the lyrics on Electric Arguments to my ears do seem more spontaneous and less about specific subjects, I do especially like the lyrics on "Sing the Changes".
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I spent the last few days up in Boston to see my Daughter. Last Saturday my Daughter and Son-In-Law took me to a few of the parks along the St. Charles River (near MIT) and the area was simply beautiful. I noticed all kinds of trees but the Willows really stood out to me. The various green colors were so stunning. It instantly had me singing Paul songs that had "Willows" in the lyrics. I started humming and singing English Garden. Then it made me think of Little Willow (already mentioned in this thread) and With a Little Luck. Paul is often inspired by nature in his song lyrics with trees, flowers and birds really standing out. I love English Tea and here are some of the lyrics: English Tea (from Chaos and Creation) excerpts: Would you care to sit with me For a cup of English Tea Very Twee Very Me Any Sunday Morning What a pleasure it would be Chatting so delightfully Nanny Bakes Fairy Cakes Every Sunday Morning Miles and miles of English Garden Stretching past the Willow Tree Lines of Hollyhocks and roses Listen most attentively __________________________________________ With a Little Luck (from London Town) excepts: "the Willow turns his back on inclement weather" __________________________________________ Can you think of other examples of songs with "nature" lyrics??
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"Heart of the Country," "Mother Nature's Son," "Two Magpies," would "Mull of Kintyre" be one? "Junior's Farm" makes me think of the countryside. A farm. "Waterfalls." "Blackbird." "Calico Sky" There are lots more, will add more later when I get time. I love "English Tea" also, it's veddy English