'Yesterday' - the correct lyrics?

[swodad]

I’m convinced that a few words in “Yesterday” have been rendered incorrectly by Paul himself and by all those who copy him and write out the lyrics.
In brief: The theme of the song is simply that, for the narrator, yesterday he was happy and today he is sad.
Therefore, the last line of the second verse should be “Oh, yes, today came suddenly”, NOT “Oh, yesterday came suddenly”.
Here’s a detailed analysis of the lyrics as sung and published:
1 Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away
2 Now it looks as though they're here to stay
3 Oh, I believe in yesterday
4 Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be
5 There's a shadow hanging over me
6 Oh, yesterday came suddenly
7 Why she had to go
8 I don't know, she wouldn't say
9 I said something wrong
10 Now I long for yesterday
11 Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play
12 Now I need a place to hide away
13 Oh, I believe in yesterday
The general theme of this song is how one’s life can unexpectedly change drastically from one day to the next.
Line 6 is inconsistent because:
Lines 1, 3, 10, 11, 13 express a longing for yesterday, when his relationship was intact.
Therefore, Lines 7, 8, 9 must have occurred today, not yesterday.
Lines 2, 4, 5, 12 express his sadness (now = today) at the change in the relationship that occurred since yesterday.
So it is today that came suddenly, not yesterday.
The following simple change to Line 6 makes it consistent with the time frame of all the other statements, without changing the sound of the words much:
6 Oh yes, today came suddenly
I strongly believe that this is the way that McCartney conceived it originally, but that by the time he recorded it, he had fallen into an unconscious habit of singing “yesterday” instead of “yes, today…” because it’s repeated so often in the song.
Then the music publishers rendered the words as heard in the recording.
I’m hoping that Paul may get wind of this idea and let the world know if it’s correct, while he is still able to do so.

[NJR]

@swodad Well, I see you answered my question in this thread. Sorry, but #1, you’ll never get an answer from Paul about this, and #2, I’d be willing to bet that everyone here thinks the line is “Oh, yesterday came suddenly” even though your line would have been clever.
Let’s all have a listen to Paul singing it live on The Ed Sullivan Show.

[toris]

@njr said in 'Yesterday' - the correct lyrics?:

@swodad Well, I see you answered my question in this thread. Sorry, but #1, you’ll never get an answer from Paul about this, and #2, I’d be willing to bet that everyone here thinks the line is “Oh, yesterday came suddenly” even though your line would have been clever.
Let’s all have a listen to Paul singing it live on The Ed Sullivan Show.

I'm still waiting for Paul to answer.... is it "The Black Mountain Hills" or the "Black Minin' Hills?".....

Sorry, I've opened up old wounds. I think we are agreed, though, it is probably the latter.... Although the official song sheet indicates the former....

So, technically, that is "The Black Mountain Hills"....

Sorry, Oobu, I know it annoys you.... even if we agree.

[swodad]

@toris Yes, he sings it that way in every performance I've seen or listened to. But what I'm saying is that he had already fallen into an unconscious habit of singing “yesterday” instead of “yes, today…” because it’s repeated so often in the song.
Then the music publishers rendered the words as heard in the recording.

It's not unusual for performers to unconsciously change the words of songs they have been singing, even if they wrote them. In fact, it's more likely when they wrote them, because they often go through several alternate versions before they perform them, and they still can morph.

[swodad]

@toris It's Paul who is clever, and that's why I'm convinced that he originally wrote "yes, today came suddenly". He wouldn't make the error of WANTING to say that "yesterday came suddenly" -- because it doesn't fit.

BTW, I definitely hear "Black Minin' Hills".

[swodad]

This post is deleted!

[oobu24]

@toris said in 'Yesterday' - the correct lyrics?:

@njr said in 'Yesterday' - the correct lyrics?:

@swodad Well, I see you answered my question in this thread. Sorry, but #1, you’ll never get an answer from Paul about this, and #2, I’d be willing to bet that everyone here thinks the line is “Oh, yesterday came suddenly” even though your line would have been clever.
Let’s all have a listen to Paul singing it live on The Ed Sullivan Show.

I'm still waiting for Paul to answer.... is it "The Black Mountain Hills" or the "Black Minin' Hills?".....

Sorry, I've opened up old wounds. I think we are agreed, though, it is probably the latter.... Although the official song sheet indicates the former....

So, technically, that is "The Black Mountain Hills"....

Sorry, Oobu, I know it annoys you.... even if we agree.

No problem. I am not annoyed. It's just that the discussion usually starts all over again. But now that Nancy has agreed after listening with headphones, I think we may all be on the same page.

[NJR]

@oobu24 said in 'Yesterday' - the correct lyrics?:

@toris said in 'Yesterday' - the correct lyrics?:

@njr said in 'Yesterday' - the correct lyrics?:

@swodad Well, I see you answered my question in this thread. Sorry, but #1, you’ll never get an answer from Paul about this, and #2, I’d be willing to bet that everyone here thinks the line is “Oh, yesterday came suddenly” even though your line would have been clever.
Let’s all have a listen to Paul singing it live on The Ed Sullivan Show.

I'm still waiting for Paul to answer.... is it "The Black Mountain Hills" or the "Black Minin' Hills?".....

Sorry, I've opened up old wounds. I think we are agreed, though, it is probably the latter.... Although the official song sheet indicates the former....

So, technically, that is "The Black Mountain Hills"....

Sorry, Oobu, I know it annoys you.... even if we agree.

No problem. I am not annoyed. It's just that the discussion usually starts all over again. But now that Nancy has agreed after listening with headphones, I think we may all be on the same page.

We are: black minin’ hills. Just pisses me off that the lyrics were printed incorrectly on the back of the poster that came with the album!

[NJR]

@swodad said in 'Yesterday' - the correct lyrics?:

@toris Yes, he sings it that way in every performance I've seen or listened to. But what I'm saying is that he had already fallen into an unconscious habit of singing “yesterday” instead of “yes, today…” because it’s repeated so often in the song.
Then the music publishers rendered the words as heard in the recording.

It's not unusual for performers to unconsciously change the words of songs they have been singing, even if they wrote them. In fact, it's more likely when they wrote them, because they often go through several alternate versions before they perform them, and they still can morph.

He had not “fallen into an unconscious habit” - the words he wrote and sang were always “yesterday came suddenly!”

[swodad]

@njr Please show me where he "wrote" that in his handwriting.

[NJR]

@swodad said in 'Yesterday' - the correct lyrics?:

@njr Please show me where he "wrote" that in his handwriting.

Your wish is my command! From Paul’s 2021 book, “The Lyrics”

[toris]

This post is deleted!

[toris]

@njr said in 'Yesterday' - the correct lyrics?:

@swodad said in 'Yesterday' - the correct lyrics?:

@njr Please show me where he "wrote" that in his handwriting.

Your wish is my command! From Paul’s 2021 book, “The Lyrics”

Nancy, I think that puts the issue into the mattress of the bed.... Game Over!.... mind you, when it comes to lyrics, I still don't know what a "polygon" is..... apart from something that involves geometry.

[toris]

@toris Is Hi, Hi, Hi Paul's most lyrically-daring song? Why Don't We Do it in the Road?..... I love both of them.... I don't count Big Boys Bickering. Although I like the cheekiness.

[Beatles4Ever 1]

@toris I believe "polygon" was just Paul saying "body gun" without actually using the term....which he and we would know just what he meant.

[toris]

@beatles4ever-1 said in 'Yesterday' - the correct lyrics?:

@toris I believe "polygon" was just Paul saying "body gun" without actually using the term....which he and we would know just what he meant.

I agree.... We all know that.... It's a naughty song. But a great song.

[NJR]

@toris said in 'Yesterday' - the correct lyrics?:

@njr said in 'Yesterday' - the correct lyrics?:

@swodad said in 'Yesterday' - the correct lyrics?:

@njr Please show me where he "wrote" that in his handwriting.

Your wish is my command! From Paul’s 2021 book, “The Lyrics”

Nancy, I think that puts the issue into the mattress of the bed.... Game Over!.... mind you, when it comes to lyrics, I still don't know what a "polygon" is..... apart from something that involves geometry.

https://www.splashlearn.com/math-vocabulary/geometry/polygon

[NJR]

@beatles4ever-1 said in 'Yesterday' - the correct lyrics?:

@toris I believe "polygon" was just Paul saying "body gun" without actually using the term....which he and we would know just what he meant.

Umm…maybe. But the rest of the song is so explicit (“sweet banana” “I’m gonna do it to you” etc.) why wouldn’t he just sing “body gun?” I think he was just looking for a word with 3 syllables that rhymed with “on.”
P.S. I agree, it’s a great song!

[swodad]

@njr OK -- he wrote that. I guess I will have to shut up on this, except to continue to point out that it doesn't fit.

If he had simply written "yes, today came suddenly" instead of "yesterday came suddenly," then it would fit like a glove and be even more genius.

In fact it's what I thought I heard when I first heard the song. I only recently realized that it isn't what he sings or is printed.

[NJR]

@swodad said in 'Yesterday' - the correct lyrics?:

@njr OK -- he wrote that. I guess I will have to shut up on this, except to continue to point out that it doesn't fit.

If he had simply written "yes, today came suddenly" instead of "yesterday came suddenly," then it would fit like a glove and be even more genius.

Well, if you ever get the chance to meet him, point that out to him!