Also known as ‘If You Love Me, Baby’, ‘Take Out Some Insurance On Me, Baby’ was recorded by The Beatles and Tony Sheridan in 1961 in Hamburg.
Written by Charles Singleton and Waldenese Hall, it was first recorded by Jimmy Reed, who released it as a single in 1959.
‘Take Out Some Insurance On Me, Baby’ was covered by Sheridan and The Beatles at Studio Rahlstedt in Hamburg, Germany on 24 June 1961. It was the last of three days of recordings produced by Bert Kaempfert, in which The Beatles recorded several other songs including ‘My Bonnie’ and ‘The Saints’.
‘Take Out Some Insurance On Me, Baby’ was first released in Germany in April 1964 on the Polydor album The Beatles’ First, which collated a number of the group’s studio recordings from Hamburg.
On 29 May 1964 the single ‘Ain’t She Sweet’/‘If You Love Me, Baby (Take Out Some Insurance On Me, Baby)’ was released in the UK as Polydor NH 52-317. It featured new drums overdubbed by Bernard Purdie.
Three days later, on 1 June 1964, it was the b-side of ‘Sweet Georgia Brown’, a single released in the US as ATCO 63102.
Lyrics
If you leave me, baby
I don’t know what I’d do
I guess I would die, sweetheart
If I don’t get a kiss from you
Take out some insurance on me, baby
Take out some insurance on me, baby
Well, if you ever, ever, say goodbye
I’m gonna haul right off and die
Oh, if you want me, baby
You’ve gotta come to me
Mmm, I’m just like a stump in a field
You just can’t move me
Take out some insurance on me, baby
Woo, some insurance on me, baby
Well, if you ever, ever, say goodbye
I’m gonna haul right off and die
Well, if you want me, baby
Mmm, you’ve gotta come to me
I’m just like a stump in a field
You just can’t move me
Take out some insurance on me, baby
Mmm, some insurance on me, baby
Well if you ever, ever, say goodbye
I’m gonna haul right off and die
Well, if you leave me baby
I don’t know what I’d do
I guess I would die, sweetheart
If I don’t get a kiss from you
Take out some insurance on me, baby
Woo, some goddamned insurance on me, baby*
If you ever, ever, say goodbye
I’m gonna haul right off and die
*Edited as “Mmm, some insurance on me, baby” for the Atco release
Good blues solo by George (he was only 17!!)