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Read the original blog post1.44pm
31 March 2008
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‘Not Guilty’ is the second song on George Harrison’s self-titled eighth solo album.
Written in 1968, Harrison recorded a demo in May at Kinfauns, his home in Esher, Surrey, where The Beatles convened to try out their bumper crop of songs written during or immediately after their trip to India. See more…
I wrote that in 1968. It was after we got back from Rishikesh in the Himalayas on the Maharishi trip, and it was for the White Album . We recorded it but we didn’t get it down right or something. Then I forgot all about it until a year ago, when I found this old demo I’d made in the Sixties. The lyrics are a bit passé – all about upsetting ‘Apple carts’ and stuff – but it’s a bit about what was happening at the time. ‘Not guilty for getting in your way/While you’re trying to steal the day’ – which was me trying to get a space. ‘Not guilty/ For looking like a freak/Making friends with every Sikh/For leading you astray/On the road to Mandalay’ – which is the Maharishi and going to the Himalayas and all that was said about that. I like the tune a lot; it would make a great tune for Peggy Lee or someone.
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6.59pm
15 November 2018
Offline Not Guilty is a completely fantastic song. Every version is amazing, especially the Anthology 3 version.
Two questions:
#1: What’s the deal with “I’m not trying to steal your vest?” Was he having trouble coming up with a rhyme for “rest” or did he secretly covet Paul’s fabulous MMT sweater vest?
#2: Does the line ” But like you heard me said” bother anyone else? My inner grammar Nazi freaks out every time I hear it… am I missing some quirk of Liverpudlian grammar? 
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11.26pm
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27 November 2016
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You might like this thread, @50yearslate https://www.beatlesbible.com/f…..ot-guilty/
#1 it’s entirely possible that he was missing a rhyme, that happens in songwriting… but I don’t know
#2 that doesn’t bother me. Songwriting is hard, man… poetic licence!
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11.27pm
15 November 2018
Offline Oh crap 
I only checked the George threads, didn’t think to look in the Beatles section as well, sorry!
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7.32am
14 June 2016
Offline 50yearslate said
Oh crapI only checked the George threads, didn’t think to look in the Beatles section as well, sorry!
You are the opposite of this song title!
Good song, by the way. Would have liked it on the album, but we still have it anyway.
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1.51pm
31 March 2008
Offline To avoid more confusion, this thread is about George Harrison’s 1979 recording of ‘Not Guilty ‘.
Article and thread on the Beatles’ version.
For completion’s sake, here are the three main versions of the song, which you can play simultaneously, Zaireeka-style, if you’re so inclined.
GH 1979 version:
Esher demo (May 1968):
Beatles recording (August 1968):
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