10 Most Iconic Lyrics From George Harrison

The truth that prevailed inside The Beatles was that John Lennon and Paul McCartney should only be the ones to provide the songs; anyone else who wasn’t mentioned shall only fulfill the duty as a member to help them create it. But for George Harrison, who blossomed into a superior writer as time went on, such concept couldn’t do any good for him.

While Harrison did fight for his position to any Beatle albums, it seemed as though he wasn’t given much of a priority; albeit the songs that he wrote were far more influential than others. With that, let’s explore the depths of Harrison’s beautiful songwriting, all neatly packed on the songs provided below.

 

“Taxman” – Revolver (1966)

“Let me tell you how it will be

There’s one for you, nineteen for me

‘Cause I’m the taxman

Yeah, I’m the taxman”

The opening track from Revolver became one of the progressive songs that the band ever created, courtesy of Harrison. The musician wrote this as an ode to the unfair taxing of the government, especially for the band, who’d have to give most of their money to taxes.

“Don’t Bother Me” – With the Beatles (1963)

“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”

The first song was written by George, just to exercise his skills in writing a song. “I was sick in bed…maybe that’s why it turned out to be ‘Don’t Bother Me,’” Harrison said in an interview.

“End of the Line” – Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 (1988)

“Well, it’s alright, even if they say you’re wrong

Well, it’s alright, sometimes you gotta be strong

Well, it’s alright, as long as you got somewhere to lay

Well, it’s alright, every day is judgment day”

A gem from Harrison’s supergroup The Traveling Wilburys, tells us about being okay with being not okay; that’s life.

“Within You Without You” – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

“Try to realize it’s all within yourself

No one else can make you change

And to see you’re really only very small

And life flows on within you and without you”

After the band’s iconic visit to India, Harrison started to write “Within You Without You,” clearly depicting the lessons he’d learn from his transcendental experience. With Eastern influences and a knack for spiritual lyrics, the song depicts Harrison’s prime.

“Wah-Wah” – All Things Must Pass (1970)

“Wah-wah

You’ve given me a wah-wah

And I’m thinking of you

And all the things that we used to do

Wah-wah, wah-wah”

Getting sick of all the egos and dominant leadership of Paul McCartney, George Harrison thought of a perfect way to attack his comrade, and that is to write a song about it. According to him, “Wah-Wah” was a way of saying “you’re giving me a bloody heartache” to his bandmates.

“Here Comes the Sun” – Abbey Road (1969)

“Little darling, it’s been a long cold lonely winter

Little darling, it seems like years since it’s been here”

Dreaming about the sun after a long, cold lonely winter, this song sure speaks about hope for the humanity that will always prevail. The song was formed out of Harrison’s wondrous escape from Apple Corps. the meeting, a thing he admitted to on his book, I, Me, Mine.

“The Answer’s at the End” – Extra Texture (Read All About It) (1975)

“Scan not a friend with a microscopic glass

You know his faults, now let the foibles pass

Life is one long enigma, my friend

So read on, read on, the answer’s at the end”

Harrison was keen on writing about forgiveness, and “The Answer’s at the End” became the riposte of Harrison’s feelings about it. The song helps us to encourage kindness and remain forgiving.

“All Things Must Pass” – All Things Must Pass (1970)

“Sunset doesn’t last all evening

A mind can blow those clouds away

After all this, my love is up

And must be leaving

It’s not always been this grey

All things must pass

All things must pass away”

With Eastern philosophy blended to the notion of Western pop, this is arguably one of Harrison’s most unforgettable songs. The album is like a conglomeration of sweet poems with music that the singer ever thought of doing.

“Something” – Abbey Road (1969)

“Something in the way she knows

And all I have to do is think of her

Something in the things she shows me

I don’t want to leave her now

You know I believe and how”

Apart from its impressive arrangement, heart-melting lyrics, and the fact that it’s the most favorite love song of Frank Sinatra, “Something” is the only no. 1 Beatle single that didn’t contain the infamous Lennon-McCartney etch. Whether it’s written about his ex-wife Pattie at that time or it’s about the universe, at least we all can agree that it’s one of Harrison’s greatest compositions about love.

“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” – The Beatles (1968)

“I look at the world

And I notice it’s turning

While my guitar gently weeps”

Exercising the idea of randomness, when George Harrison approached the Chinese Book of Changes and saw the words “gently weeps,” he knew he had to write a song about it.  “Every little item that’s going down has a purpose,” he once said.