#arrow through me

[eggshell-seas]

Back To The Egg

(feat. Saint Sebastian as Arrow Though Me)

[therealsaintscully]

Paul on Arrow Through Me. Notice the unconscious switch from 'the character' and 'he' to 'me'. If there was ever a smoking gun, it's right here.

[undying-love]

Is "Arrow Through Me" about John?

There is an interesting quote from Wings' drummer at the time (1979), Steve Holley, about Paul being depressed while recoding this song:

"It was the morning that we recorded 'Arrow Through Me'. The night before had been a particularly long one, it was the only time he ever spoke about it, nothing about his relationship, it was just more of a feeling that I had than anything, that he just missed that closeness... just a perception. My God, he misses John - that it was a huge hole in his life". -Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney, by Howard Sounes

So let's take a look at some of the lyrics:

Some people think that the line it's actually "It could have been a finer thing", but in Paul's The Lyrics, it's written as "finer fling", and also if you listen to the song, that's also what you hear.

Paul included it on his book The Lyrics. The section where he discussed this song is very odd because he just goes on talking about how difficult it was to for him to form a band that could live up to the Beatles, and how it was challenging at first to have Linda in Wings because she was an amateur. This is weird because this has nothing to do with the song itself. It's almost like he is avoiding discussing the song. But then on the last paragraph, he cryptically says:

It's interesting that he begins saying "the character in the song..", in a rather detached way, but then says at the end, "there was nobody more down than me at that moment", which may imply that person in the song was actually him (or partly based on him).

This song was written in 1979, so John was still alive.

What past relationship or "fling" could he be talking about at this time?

Whatever "fling" he was refering to must have been very significant, because the fact that Paul decided to include this relatively minor song in his book (and remembering how down he felt at that moment) is pretty interesting.

[mydaroga]

Exclusive: Steve Holley reveals Linda would drunk-shame Paul from horseback

I don't know how interested any of you are in the Fest for Beatles Fans, which I've attended twice now, but I thought everyone needed to hear this story.

I attended a panel with Adrian Sinclair, Steve Holley, Laurence Juber, and Allan Kozinn. The two on the ends wrote The McCartney Legacy. The other two were in Wings during Back to the Egg.

Recording "Arrow Through Me," which I've confirmed with the McCartney Project was done in Campbeltown, Scotland, they finished up a long day and went out to the pub. According to Steve Holley, they both drank everyone else under the table and around dawn, they emerged, staggering, to the street. Paul stopped and said, "d'you hear that?"

"What?"

"Do you hear a horse?"

Steve did, in fact, hear a horse.

"It's my wife," Paul said. "I'm in trouble."

Indeed, Linda rode up on a horse, stopped in front of them, and looked down. "Look at the state of you two," she said. "You disgust me." Steve said something about asking her if she'd let that man marry her daughter, which I didn't quite get, though she said, "Yes, but that's not the issue right now."

And Paul got up behind her and they rode away.

The existence of this story heavily implies this was not the only time Linda had to pick up Paul on a horse. We imagine that, upon discovering Paul wasn't yet home, she merely had to step outside, whistle, and her steed appeared, ready to shame Paul McCartney.

[beatles-hits]

The Beatles Hits Tourney

- Round 1 Group 1 Poll 6

Which song do you prefer?

She Loves You by the Beatles

Arrow Through Me by Wings

Voting ended onDec 6, 2024

She Loves You by the Beatles

Hot 100 Peak Position: 1

Peak Date: March 21, 1964

Arrow Through Me by Wings

Hot 100 Peak Position: 29

Peak Date: October 13, 1979

Please listen to each song before voting!

[lyrics-and-sonnets]

4. Arrow Through Me

Sonnet 4

Unthrifty loveliness, why dost thou spend Upon thyself thy beauty’s legacy? Nature’s bequest gives nothing but doth lend, And being frank, she lends to those are free. Then, beauteous niggard, why dost thou abuse The bounteous largess given thee to give? Profitless usurer, why dost thou use So great a sum of sums yet canst not live? For, having traffic with thyself alone, Thou of thyself thy sweet self dost deceive. Then how, when nature calls thee to be gone, What acceptable audit canst thou leave? -- Thy unused beauty must be tombed with thee, -- Which usèd lives th’ executor to be.

Arrow Through Me

Ooh, baby, you couldn't have done a worse thing to me If you'da taken an arrow and run it right through me, ooh Ooh baby, a bird in the hand is worth two flyin' But when it came to love, I'd knew you'd be lyin'

It could have been a finer thing Would have been a major attraction With no other thing Offering a note of distraction Come on, get up, get under way and bring your love

Ooh baby, you wouldn't have found a more down hero If you'da started at nothing and counted to zero

Ooh baby, you couldn't have done a worse thing to me If you'da taken an arrow and run it right through me

It could have been a finer thing Flying in a righter direction With no other thing Featuring my love and affection Come on, get up, get under way and bring your love Ooh baby, you wouldn't have found a more down hero If you'da started at nothing and counted to zero

[jimmys-zeppelin]

hoping, waiting

arrow through me part four

may 16, 1972

10:30pm

It was unseasonably cold that May night. The wet sheen on the pavement from the rain that had fallen earlier made Jeanie’s brand new Biba boots squeak louder than they would have in drier weather.

She pulled her mini skirt down further over her bum, though it was already at the lowest it could go. Her mother had bought her a soft pink jumper that matched perfectly with the outfit. She wished she could go home to show her mother her nice outfit; even though her mother would definitely have something to say about “the length of that skirt!”

Jeanie's stockings pricked at her legs, making her calves break out in goosebumps when combined with the London cold. Nadine, a friend of a friend and a girl she had barely known, walked beside her in the street. They were on their way to the after-party following a popular rock act’s performance.

They hadn't gone to see the performance, rather Nadine had only been invited to the after-party. Jeanie couldn't figure out how the logistics of that worked in the slightest, but she was the only one in a long line of girls available to attend that night, so she didn’t really care.

And so she went. The drinks were free...what was the worst that could happen?

"Jeanie, come on," Nadine urged, several steps ahead of her.

“It’s not like we’re missing anything,” Jeanie complained, adjusting her foot inside her tall boot. “Concert’s over anyway.”

5:35AM

Jeanie woke stirringly to long black hair acting as a pillow for her sweaty cheek. She was back in her flat (good) and saw only the dim light of the bathroom lighting the place up. With an inward groan, Jeanie would have rather gotten a slightly more expensive electric bill than to leave the comfort of her bed and the stranger—not stranger, Jimmy—beside her.

The warmth radiating beside Jeanie was comforting. The alcohol in her system had just begun to settle, and, in her sleep-filled stupor, she couldn't help but be drawn to it like a magnet. Jimmy sighed contentedly, pulling her closer as if they'd known one another for years. Her cheek settled into his bare, sparsely-haired chest, the distant scent of sweat mixed with cigarettes and his cologne proved the most intoxicating sleep aid.

She settled back to sleep then, setting all worries aside until the morning.

10:45PM

Miraculously, Jeanie was already sipping her second gin and tonic for the evening. Her first had been halfway slurped before being knocked out of her hand by another partygoer—Jimmy, as she'd come to know him—and he got her another drink.

"You live in London?" Jimmy asked. His green eyes sparkled even in the dark club lighting.

"Yeah. Just moved out here from Chiswick," she said as she sipped through the dual straws as hard as she could.

"That's cool. I've just moved here myself—well, actually it's been about four years," he chuckled.

"How old are you?" Jeanie asked, noticing how young he looked.

"Twenty-six," Jimmy replied with a slight raise of his eyebrows and a sip of his beer. She could tell he was trying to impress with the number. Now she wanted nothing more than to step away from him. No matter how cute he was.

Jeanie figured after she'd enough to make herself go cross-eyed, she would head home. Once again, the free drinks were something to take advantage of.

"Did you go to the show before this?" she asked, the gin and tonic starting to hit her right in her empty stomach.

"Yeah," Jimmy chuckled, "I'm the guitarist."

"Oh," Jeanie replied. How mortifying, she thought. But she played it off. "What kind of music is it? My friend only invited me to the after party," she said, pointing over at Nadine, who was slung over the arm of a blond man with curly hair.

"It's alright. We play rock music. Some pretty heavy stuff. Blues and such."

"Anything I may have heard?"

"Probably not."

"You're kidding."

"I mean it, we haven't gotten much radio exposure outside of the AM stations and live performances.”

"I listen to plenty AM, thank you very much," Jeanie said curtly, "I have to go rescue my friend. Excuse me."

Jeanie left without another vote of confidence for Jimmy, her patience having been exceeded a little too quickly. She was glad she hadn't wasted any perfume on her look that night.

"Nadine, let's go. I'm not vibing."

"Oh, come on, Jean, have a smoke, chill out," Nadine replied, her eyes hazy and her own perfume having been overtaken by the stench of reefer.

"Yeah, your friend's right, chill out darlin'!" the blond exclaimed, pushing a joint into Jeanie's face, which she declined with a near comical grimace.

11:45PM

"What would you do if you didn't make music?" Jeanie asked, passing Jimmy the ever-shortening joint that the alleged bassist, John, had rolled for them. After the three long drags she'd taken from it combined with the alcohol in her system, the view from each of her eyes begun to cross. Had she moved her head too quickly, she'd need more than a few seconds to refocus.

One more strong drink and she'd be done for.

"Biological research," Jimmy said, slurred. His eyes had begun to slump shut themselves, yet he remained firm. A drink of questionable color sat by his side on the pavement while Jeanie's fourth (or fifth?) gin and tonic sat empty, the plastic cup ready to blow away in the chilly night air.

She hadn't remembered why they were sat outside. The sweat between the crease of her knees was cool to the touch. The cooling sweat at her hairline reminded her that she'd dragged Jimmy away to sit outside the pub to give her ears a moment to relax. The music inside the pub had been awfully loud to her drunken ears.

"What?" she asked, forgetting her question.

"Dunno," Jimmy shrugged, "It's a stupid sort of thing kids say. That was my thing," he blinked along, the smoke from their shared joint floating past his lips with each word he spoke. His lips were awfully pink for a man his age, she thought. And plump. She felt she was mere inches from his face, but knew she was about a foot away. Even then, she felt that she could almost see his beard growing back onto his cheeks.

"What did I ask?" Jeanie wondered, not having listened to Jimmy's response at all. Her eyes came back to reality, noticing she had been closer to the rear bumper of the car beside her than she was to Jimmy's face.

"If I didn't do music," he stopped, not wanting to exert his brain into saying the rest of the question. Jeanie nodded.

"Ah."

"What d'you do, hm?" Jimmy asked, passing her back the joint.

Jeanie took another delicious drag of the marijuana, eyes fluttering shut as the smoke filled her lungs. She parted her lips and exhaled delightedly. "I'm a receptionist. At an ophthalmologist."

"Do carrots really improve your vision?"

She shook her head, "Load of bollocks. The doctor told me himself." she sucked on the joint. Hard. When she exhaled, she coughed a bit harder than she had anticipated.

"Alright?" Jimmy asked, patting her back lightly.

Jeanie waved him off, "Fine, thanks." She peered down at her watch, taking much too long to focus her vision and noticed it wasn't yet midnight. The night was still young. And she was pissed to high heaven.

"Might have to go soon," she said, giving Jimmy his turn on the joint again. He held it between delicate fingers, letting the edge smolder in the windy night air instead of smoking it some more.

"'s still early," Jimmy tried, scooting his body closer to hers on the pavement. The street was still damp from the morning's rain.

"I know. We started too early," Jeanie slurred. "We should go back in....dance a bit."

"Sure," Jimmy said, standing from the pavement with little difficulty. He placed the joint between his lips and wiped off the backs of his slacks before extending soft, pale hands to Jeanie. She took him gracefully, taking her time to get back to her feet.

Jimmy took a quick drag of the joint, blowing it out as he put it back in Jeanie's mouth. "Done?" she asked. He cleared his throat with a nod.

"Don't wanna get too zoinked."

With a giggle, Jeanie acknowledged his words, "Zoinked is funny," she paused, "You're pretty."

"You're drunk. And high."

"You don't think I'm pretty, Jimmy?" Jeanie pouted.

"Prettier when you're sober," he said, taking Jeanie by her shoulders and guiding her back into the pub, their drinks laying abandoned by the street. "Maybe we should get you home."

"Hm, good idea," Jeanie agreed.

1:59AM

With her bed mere feet away, Jeanie began to strip as if no one was watching. Her clothes began to pile up where she stood: skirt first, shoes next (out of necessity), stockings, and lastly, her bright pink jumper.

Jimmy entered the room seconds later, surprised at how quickly Jeanie had managed her clothes off.

"Mind if I have a piss?" he asked.

Jeanie hummed in agreement, ignoring Jimmy as she pulled her comforter back, exposing her white sheets with blue peonies printed throughout, and diving headfirst onto her creaky mattress. Her pillows and sheets smelled familiar; like home. She smiled contentedly and stuffed her face into the pillow, not minding her makeup in the slightest.

2:06AM

Jimmy stepped lightly into Jeanie’s bedroom, ready to bid her a good night; a rather unusual occurrence after spending an entire night with a woman. She was already snoring when he knocked on the door frame.

“Jeanie…?”

Her heavily exhaled breath was his response.

“Jean…” Jimmy approached the bed. She lay solely in her bra and underwear. He did his best not to stare voraciously at her unconscious body, the curve of her waist, the dimpes in her back. She coughed lightly as she slept. “I’m on my way out…” he continued.

Jeanie stirred, looking over her shoulder at Jimmy. “Stay…I’m cold.”

“I—Jeanie, no, I couldn’t. I’ve got to—“

“Please,” her eyelids opened in mere slits, practically bloodshot with the weed she had smoked.

Jimmy looked over at the clock on her nightstand. He softly stroked Jeanie’s hair and sighed. He’d given way to a woman’s pleas once again. Though he kept his pants on—out of decency—he peeled off the sweat-riddled blouse he’d worn to the Led Zeppelin gig that evening. He wished Jeanie could have been at the show…then asked himself who the fuck would only invite Nadine to the after-party and not the actual show.

He settled into the bed, trying his best not to intrude in Jeanie’s sacred space. It wasn’t long before sleep caught up with him as well.

11:30AM

Jeanie picked at a thread on the sleeve of her pink jumper. “Here’s my number,” she said, handing Jimmy a slip of paper. “Now, you better call me. Or else I’ll have to tell people I fumbled the Led Zeppelin guy.”

Jimmy laughed, scratched at his brow, and pocketed the slip of paper. “I’ll call once I get back home. Today. You’ve got my word. And I’d appreciate if you called me by my full name.”

“And that is…?”

“Jimmy Page.”

“Good name,” Jeanie nodded.

“How’s yours, then?”

“Jeanine Eldridge. It’s no better than Page.”

“Maybe one day I’ll pass it on…” Jimmy winked.

Jeanie blushed. “Go home, Jimmy Page.”

“Leaving, Jeanine Eldridge….” he started away from the door. “Thanks for tea, by the way.”

“Sure…call me,” she said.

“I will” Jimmy answered. He turned for one last look at her. It was different, and filled Jeanie with the same butterflies she had gotten when he kissed her just before she’d poured him tea earlier that morning. She wasn’t one to put out, but something about Jimmy made her want to just leave herself open to his every beck and call. Apart from Jimmy being a world-famous rock star, Jeanie knew this relationship would be different from any other she’d experienced in her life.

---

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[jt1674]

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