Two, three...
[Verse 1]
Yes, I'm lonely
Want to die
Yes, I'm lonely
Want to die
If I ain't dead already, woo
Girl, you know the reason why
[Verse 2]
In the morning
Want to die
In the evening
Want to die
If I ain't dead already, woo
Girl, you know the reason why
[Verse 3]
My mother was of the sky
My father was of the earth
But I am of the universe
And you know what it's worth
I'm lonely
Want to die
If I ain't dead already, woo
Girl, you know the reason why
The eagle picks my eye
The worm he licks my bones
I feel so suicidal
Just like Dylan's Mr. Jones
Lonely
Want to die
If I ain't dead already, woo
Girl, you know the reason why
[Verse 5]
Black cloud crossed my mind
Blue mist round my soul
Feel so suicidal
Even hate my rock and roll
Want to die
Yeah, want to die
If I ain't dead already, woo
Girl, you know the reason why
[Instrumental Outro]
About
McCartney told Lennon not to title this song “Yer Blues,” but “just say it straight.” However he kept the title as he was self conscious about singing blues. In the January 1971 edition of Rolling Stone, Lennon explained this was because, “We were all listening to Sleepy John Estes and all that in art school, like everybody else. But to sing it was something else. I’m self conscious about doing it.”
This song was recorded in Room 2B of EMI Studios (now Abbey Road Studios). This was a tiny room attached to Studio 2’s control room, previously where the likes of Scott would operate four-track recording machines whilst assisting Norman Smith or Geoff Emerick.
Following Emerick’s departure from the sessions for The Beatles, Scott was promoted to an engineer’s role. When George Harrison experimented with different recording spaces for “Not Guilty”, Scott joked that they should attempt to record in 2B.
John Lennon took Scott up on his word when he wanted to record “Yer Blues”.
That is what I’m saying: it was really because the four of us were in a box, a room about eight by eight, with no separation.
- Ringo Starr
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
- 2.Misery
- 4.Chains
- 5.Boys
- 6.Ask Me Why
- 10.Baby It’s You
- 12.A Taste of Honey
- 13.There’s a Place
- 14.Twist and Shout
- 16.It Won’t Be Long
- 18.All My Loving
- 19.Don’t Bother Me
- 20.Little Child
- 24.Hold Me Tight
- 33.If I Fell
- 35.And I Love Her
- 36.Tell Me Why
- 38.Any Time at All
- 39.I’ll Cry Instead
- 41.When I Get Home
- 43.I’ll Be Back
- 45.No Reply
- 46.I’m a Loser
- 47.Baby’s in Black
- 50.Mr. Moonlight
- 53.Words of Love
- 54.Honey Don’t
- 60.Help!
- 61.The Night Before
- 63.I Need You
- 64.Another Girl
- 66.Ticket to Ride
- 67.Act Naturally
- 68.It’s Only Love
- 72.Yesterday
- 73.Dizzy Miss Lizzy
- 75.Drive My Car
- 77.You Won’t See Me
- 78.Nowhere Man
- 80.The Word
- 81.Michelle
- 82.What Goes On
- 83.Girl
- 85.In My Life
- 86.Wait
- 90.Taxman
- 91.Eleanor Rigby
- 93.Love You To
- 99.For No One
- 100.Doctor Robert
- 101.I Want to Tell You
- 103.Tomorrow Never Knows
- 108.Getting Better
- 109.Fixing a Hole
- 110.She’s Leaving Home
- 113.When I’m Sixty-Four
- 114.Lovely Rita
- 117.A Day in the Life
- 119.Magical Mystery Tour
- 120.The Fool on the Hill
- 121.Flying
- 122.Blue Jay Way
- 124.I Am the Walrus
- 125.Hello, Goodbye
- 127.Penny Lane
- 131.Back in the U.S.S.R.
- 132.Dear Prudence
- 133.Glass Onion
- 134.Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
- 135.Wild Honey Pie
- 139.Martha My Dear
- 140.I’m So Tired
- 141.Blackbird
- 142.Piggies
- 143.Rocky Raccoon
- 144.Don’t Pass Me By
- 146.I Will
- 147.Julia
- 148.Birthday
- 149.Yer Blues
- 150.Mother Nature’s Son
- 152.Sexy Sadie
- 153.Helter Skelter
- 154.Long, Long, Long
- 155.Revolution 1
- 156.Honey Pie
- 157.Savoy Truffle
- 158.Cry Baby Cry
- 159.Revolution 9
- 160.Good Night
- 162.Yellow Submarine
- 163.Only a Northern Song
- 164.All Together Now
- 165.Hey Bulldog
- 166.It’s All Too Much
- 167.All You Need Is Love
- 168.Pepperland
- 169.Sea of Time
- 170.Sea of Holes
- 171.Sea of Monsters
- 172.March of the Meanies
- 176.Come Together
- 177.Something
- 179.Oh! Darling
- 180.Octopus’s Garden
- 182.Here Comes the Sun
- 183.Because
- 185.Sun King
- 186.Mean Mr. Mustard
- 187.Polythene Pam
- 189.Golden Slumbers
- 190.Carry That Weight
- 191.The End
- 192.Her Majesty
- 194.Two of Us
- 195.Dig a Pony
- 196.Across the Universe
- 197.I Me Mine
- 198.Dig It
- 199.Let It Be
- 200.Maggie Mae
- 201.I’ve Got a Feeling
- 202.One After 909
- 204.For You Blue
- 205.Get Back
- 207.Love Me Do
- 208.From Me to You
- 209.Thank You Girl
- 210.She Loves You
- 211.I’ll Get You
- 213.This Boy
- 215.Sie Liebt Dich
- 216.Long Tall Sally
- 217.I Call Your Name
- 218.Slow Down
- 219.Matchbox
- 220.I Feel Fine
- 221.She’s a Woman
- 222.Bad Boy
- 223.Yes It Is
- 224.I’m Down
- 225.Day Tripper
- 226.We Can Work It Out
- 227.Paperback Writer
- 228.Rain
- 229.Lady Madonna
- 230.The Inner Light
- 231.Hey Jude
- 232.Revolution
- 234.Don’t Let Me Down
- 236.Old Brown Shoe