Like hear the high clear robin sing,
Walk a bluebell carpet,
Watch the children playing games,
Catch a moon and drop it
Happy With You from Egypt Station (2018)
That was me,
Playing conkers, at the bus stop,
On a blanket, in the bluebells,
That was me
That Was Me from Memory Almost Full (2007)
The kids and I were there when she crossed over. They each were able to tell her how much they loved her. Finally, I said to her: “You’re up on your beautiful Appaloosa stallion. It’s a fine spring day. We’re riding through the woods. The bluebells are all out, and the sky is clear blue."
"You are my love, you are my song": Paul & Love As A Duet:
One of my favourite things Paul does in his work is use the idea of singing a song with someone as a metaphor for love or a relationship, so I've catalogued the main instances I think this occurs below!
Now, Paul writes lyrics about music/songs a lot (because he's Paul, he lives and breathes music), so this isn't every song that he references music or even references music in terms of a relationship, but the ones I felt explicitly have a 'loving someone = making music with them' lyric.
Starting in the late sixties we have three songs where there are lines about performing alone, or hearing someone else's song but not necessarily being a part of it.
So let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin,
You're waiting for someone to perform with
Hey Jude (1968)
And 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
I Will (1968)
Far away my lover sings a lonely song
And calls me to his side
When a song of lonely love invites me on
I must go to his side
Goodbye (1969), written for Mary Hopkin
Once we get to Paul's first solo album, where he's actively bringing Linda in on his music, we have this line about singing songs alone in the past tense:
I used to ride on my fast city line
Singing songs that I thought were mine alone
Man We Was Lonely (1970)
But in the present tense, has someone to sing his songs with:
Maybe I'm amazed at the way you help me sing my song
Maybe I'm Amazed (1970)
On Wild Life, we have the song that captures the idea completely, Paul and Linda singing to and with each other, both of them simultaneously the song, the singer and a recipient of a love song:
You are my love,
You are my song, linger on,
You are my song,
I am your singer.
You are my one
You are my own melody,
You are my song,
I am your singer.
Someday when we're singing
We will fly away,
Going winging.
Sing, singing my love song to you.
My song is sung,
When day is done harmonies will linger on,
I am your singer,
I am your singer,
Singing my love song to you.
I Am Your Singer (1973)
In Venus and Mars, we've got a little nod to the same idea, although perhaps less viewing love as a song to perform together, but certainly tying the idea of love and a song together.
My heart cries out for love
and all that goes with loving
Love in song, love in song
Love in Song (1975)
Then the idea seems to disappear, but reappears on Tug of War with Here Today, a song we know is about John. This isn't necessarily in the same vein as the Linda songs, but the very literal reading is about the importance of singing with John and keeping someone's memory alive in a song.
And if you take that metaphor of love as a song, the duet can still be kept alive if Paul continues to sing for the both of them.
What about the time we met?
Well I suppose that you could say that
We were playing hard to get
Didn't understand a thing
But we could always sing
…
And if I say I really loved you
And was glad you came along
Then you were here today,
For you were in my song
Here Today (1982)
From here on out my thoughts are more scattered, because I think primarily this idea is something he ties to Linda and John. But there are a few more interesting lyrics I think it's worth adding here.
In Press To Play, we've got a reference to 'our' song, which again, alludes to the idea that love is a song created between two people:
If you should ever feel that something's wrong,
I'm going to want to put it right,
To bring a happy ending to our song,
I'll carry on believing in a love.
Only Love Remains (1986)
On Flaming Pie we have him reflecting on how songs were something he and the other Beatles could come back to, this idea of music being a thread that ties him to other people.
But we always came back to the song
We were singing
At any particular time
The Song We Were Singing (1997)
On Driving Rain he reflects on a time where he was free, his heart was 'singing' and he was doing that with someone else:
I well remember when my soul was free
My heart could sing, so could we
Tiny Bubble (2001)
And then this idea of him constantly reaching out, singing a song and waiting for someone else to join in:
If you love me, won't you call me
I've been waiting, waiting too long
In my soul is constant yearning
Always singing, singing this song
Anyway (2005)
I'm not really trying to make some big point here, I just love this motif and especially the ways I think John, Linda and music all tangle together in his head. I'm not usually one for digging into every little line of a song for some sort of hidden meaning, but I do think it's interesting to note when patterns emerge in a body of work.
If anyone's got an additions/thoughts/corrections (or has written a similar post with a more coherent point), please do share, I love chatting about this stuff and reading other people's thoughts!
