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8.07pm
3 May 2012
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^^ What? It’s giving me a headache trying to work that out. I think he meant that she wasn’t poor, yet she didn’t give him presents. So She’s A Woman ? That’s where it stops making any sense.
Moving along in our God given ways, safety is sat by the fire/Sanctuary from these feverish smiles, left with a mark on the door.
(Passover - I. Curtis)
8.07pm
16 September 2013
Offline Expert Textpert said
bikelock28 said
“My love don’t give me presents/ I know that she’s no peasant,”
Nuff said.That was going to be my example. Worst lyric ever. Let’s analyze it. Is he saying that only peasants give presents, and therefore he knows that she’s not one? Or is he saying that even though she never gives him presents, he knows that she can afford presents, and so she must be rich, and not a peasant? And thefore, She’s A Woman ?
Here’s my theory on this “so-bad-it’s-really good” lyric: Paul came up with the rockin’ melody line first, and began scat-singing nonsense syllables to the music. The beginning lines “My love”… and “I know”… would have come easy, and then he probably shouted out some garbled yelps just to “block out” some kind of scansion on the beat. After a few run-throughs, “… don’t bring me presents”… began to take shape, and then to be funny, he rhymed it with the absurd “I know that she’s no peasant.” John Lennon heard this and heartily approved of it. That seems very plausible to me. 
8.17pm
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1 May 2011
Offline According to John, speaking at the BBC, they had to finish it off in the studio and thats why the lyrics were so rubbishy (or words to that effect). Presumably they shoved it in as a line filler (anything will do for now) and never had the time to fix it before recording.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
8.38pm
3 May 2012
Offline I think it sounds alright as long as you don’t listen too closely to the words. It’s not meant to be a ”deep” song, so it kind of gets away with it.
Moving along in our God given ways, safety is sat by the fire/Sanctuary from these feverish smiles, left with a mark on the door.
(Passover - I. Curtis)
9.43pm
10 November 2009
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I’m gonna love you till the cows come home.
That is clearly a desperate, rushed lyric due to go World touring the next day. 
Also, from the same song, I found it interesting but:
”Come on, let me through,
I’ve got so many things I’ve got to do,
I’ve got no business being here with you
This way.”
These two words, don’t fit and rhyme in any way 
; clearly John was really out of time to write another song for the album 
Even so, it is one of my favorite/underrated songs of them despite of the obvious rush. 
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realRLLet me take you down 'cause I'm going to...Strawberry Fields.
5.29pm
16 September 2013
Offline We’ve been kicking around the obvious bad lines in “She’s A Woman :” “My love don’t give me presents/I know that she’s no peasant.” But the second verse is no slouch, either: “She don’t give boys the eye/She hates to see me cry”… Of course she hates to see you cry, Paul! Who wants to hitch their wagon to a wimp? Man up, man, and deal with it! If she’s got commitment issues, don’t just go and start squirting tears. And come to think of it, around that same time John Lennon wrote another song called “I’ll Cry Instead .” Wow… Back then it wasn’t just George’s guitar that was “gently weeping.” 
5.34pm
3 May 2012
Offline Yeah, of course. That ‘peasant’ line is so bad we’d completely forgot to mention the other ones… Maybe we should just say ”this song’s lyrics are pretty bad” and be done with it 
Moving along in our God given ways, safety is sat by the fire/Sanctuary from these feverish smiles, left with a mark on the door.
(Passover - I. Curtis)
6.27pm
14 December 2009
Offline
I don’t think the presents/peasant sentiment is necessarily illogical at all. She doesn’t give him presents, even though she can easily afford to, unlike some peasant. But so what, he doesn’t care about something as trivial as gifts: “She’s A Woman who understands/She’s A Woman who loves her man!” and that’s all that really matters to him!
I like to imagine that if they recorded the same song in their drug-soaked days of 1966-67, they might’ve replaced “peasant” with “pheasant” just for a larf.
Paul: Yeah well… first of all, we’re bringing out a ‘Stamp Out Detroit’ campaign.
6.31pm
18 January 2014
Offline Yeah, presents/peasant is kind of bad, but Paul sings it so epically it’s almost good. Taken into context alongside the rest of the verse, I submit this analysis for peer review.
My love don’t give me presents
I know that she’s no peasant
Only ever has to give me
Love forever and forever
My love don’t give me presents
5.01am
Reviewers
4 February 2014
Offline TheOneBeatleManiac said
I’m gonna love you till the cows come home.That is clearly a desperate, rushed lyric due to go World touring the next day.
Also, from the same song, I found it interesting but:
”Come on, let me through,
I’ve got so many things I’ve got to do,
I’ve got no business being here with you
This way.”
These two words, don’t fit and rhyme in any way; clearly John was really out of time to write another song for the album
Even so, it is one of my favorite/underrated songs of them despite of the obvious rush.
I agree that the cow line is bad, I always found that funny, but I like the ‘this way’ at the end of the verse. Having a shorter line there sounds good to me, although it was probably the result of rushing.
5.18pm
8 November 2012
Offline 
From the end of Rock Show:
Place your wig on straight, we can’t be late, come on, we’ve got a date.
Filing under “not enough irony in the world…”
parlance
5.28pm
Reviewers
17 December 2012
Offline I’ve always seen Rock Show as a comparison between ’60s and ’70s US shows, and the “Put your wig on straight…” being a reference back to those ’60s fans/groupies and their Beatle wigs.
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The Beatles Bible 2020 non-Canon Poll Part One: 1958-1963 and Part Two: 1964-August 1966
2.45pm
18 February 2014
Offline 4or5Magicians said
Yeah, presents/peasant is kind of bad, but Paul sings it so epically it’s almost good. Taken into context alongside the rest of the verse, I submit this analysis for peer review.My love don’t give me presents
I know that she’s no peasant
Only ever has to give me
Love forever and forever
My love don’t give me presentsI believe that the general idea that the author is trying to convey is that his love, despite having ample resources with which finance the act of showering him with gifts, chooses to give him lasting (unconditional?) love in lieu of material things. In essence, the line can be seen as a retread of the ideas expressed in “Can’t Buy Me Love ” – a sense of satisfaction with a sense of love and companionship that transcends the fleeting nature of material possessions.Also, after reading the Beatles Bible entry for the song she gets him pot when he’s lonely… so there’s that…
Yeah. The reason she don’t give him presents (sic) isn’t because she is poor but rather because what she does give him is more than enough to satisfy him.
Still, there’s nothing wrong with love forever and forever AND presents!!
When you see beyond yourself then you may find peace of mind is waiting there
4.38pm
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1 November 2013
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1.28pm
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20 August 2013
Offline I’m looking around for lightning bolts to come down on my head for posting a criticism of a Beatles song. But, all of you have lived so here I go.
I want to change the the second line here from You Won’t See Me .
“I wouldn’t mind
If I knew what I was missing”
I want it to say “But I know what I am missing”.
Does anyone have a suggestion as to what I’m missing if that line sounds right to you?
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2.04pm
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1 May 2011
Offline Paul was pissed of that Jane wouldn’t give up her career in the Performing Arts to stay at home and be at his beck and call which lead to arguments (We Can Work It Out ). I’d guess that that chorus in You Won’t See Me (“time after time you refuse to even listen. I wouldn’t mind if I knew what i was missing”) was Paul saying that Jane wasn’t listening to Paul’s request to quit and that he wouldn’t be so pissed if he knew what she was getting up to when away from Paul or Paul could be saying that if Jane just stopped for a bit they could take it from there. Any jealousy or fears of Jane being unfaithful on Paul would be quite ironic considering he was the one having secret trysts when she was away. Maybe it was due to his affairs that he felt he couldn’t trust Jane.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
2.11pm
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20 August 2013
Offline OK. So, it isn’t a bad lyric in terms of this thread. That’s actually a relief. Thanks, mmm!
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10.39pm
8 November 2012
Offline While hearing “Please Please Me ” on Absolute 60s, I just realized how much “I don’t want to sound complaining” irks me.
parlace
8.09am
28 May 2014
Offline Gonna love her till the cows come home!
9.46am
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Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline parlance said
While hearing “Please Please Me ” on Absolute 60s, I just realized how much “I don’t want to sound complaining” irks me.parlace
I always though it was “start complaining”; my brain must automatically alter it as start is better, making more sense to me. “Sound complaining”? Who says that?
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
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