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11.48pm
12 January 2013
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Can someone please tell me why (tee he) Run For Your Life is such a bad song? I just don't get it, it's not like it's as bad as Wild Honey Pi
The Incedibly True Story THat Never Ends. By Sam.
Best Friend: WHat are you listening to
Me: The Beatles
Best Friend: Go Figure
11.54pm
1 May 2011
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I think its the lyric content showing a very dark side of John – "id rather see you dead".
Personally i love the song, always have, the lyrics have never bothered me, if anything i like John writing about that side of his character, a side he alluded to in songs like No Reply and You Cant Do That ie "if you mess me about your rabbit's getting boiled". Admittedly John stole the key lyric "id rather see you dead little girl than to be with another man" from Baby, Lets Play House but thats a fine song in its own write and Beatles stole bits of songs from all over place.
8.02am
27 December 2012
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Run For Your Life is like Maxwell's Silver Hammer in a serious tone. Good Instrumentals, catchy instruments it shouldn't be a problem as long as you don't listen to the lyrics.
"When I was a robber *Piano Chord* in Boston Place"
"Let's hope this turns out pretty darn good huh"
"Pete may be the best, but Ringo is the star"
Paul:"Don't be nervous John"
John:"I 'm not"
8.41pm
18 November 2011
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It's one of my favorites. A lot of people have a problem with the lyrics, but that's the real John Lennon, at least at that point in his life. He claimed that "Help!" and "Strawberry Fields" were his most honest songs, but I think that "Run For Your Life" was one as well, which is why he had such distaste for it. The man was a great musician, but we shouldn't gloss over the fact that he was also a bit of a bastard at times.
"Run For Your Life" was one of George's favorites. Around the time that John gave his interview about how much he hated that song, he was angry at George for supposedly snubbing him in his book, so I feel like that also could've been a factor in his harsh condemnation of it.
2.40pm
14 April 2010
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It's nice to see this song getting some love. I think the music is great!
To the fountain of perpetual mirth, Let it roll for all its worth.
2295 6972
3.49pm
8 November 2012
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As I've said elsewhere on this forum, I liked the song musically as a kid, but then I listened to the lyrics. And it's impossible for me not to hear the misogyny in the lyrics, so I skip it entirely now.
I was under the impression that Yoko's influence as a feminist was the main factor in John's condemnation of the song.
parlance
5.23pm
21 November 2012
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I was never bothered too much by the lyrics, but it was never one of my all-time favourites anyway.
There are worse songs though. I like the melody of the chorus.
6.52pm
8 November 2012
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Linde said
There are worse songs though.
I've never understood this as an argument in favor of something. I probably wouldn't listen to those worse songs either.
parlance
3.46am
6 December 2012
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A while ago (back in good ol' 2010) Zig posted this on another thread:
OK, I think I found a way to make everyone happy. This is by no means my favorite song (not even in the top 10) but I do like the music a lot. For those of you who like the music but don't like the lyrics, I've cheered them up somewhat. Ah one, ah two, ah one two three four!
Well I'd rather see (RAINBOWS!), little girl
Than to be with another man
You better keep your head, little girl
Or you won't know (FUZZY SOCKS!)
You better (BUTTERFLIES!) if you can, little girl
(UNICORNS!) in the sand little girl
Catch you with another man
That's the (KITTENS!) little girl
Well you know that I'm a (PUPPIES!) guy
And I was born with a (DAISIES!) mind
And I can't spend my whole life
Trying just to make you (BUBBLE BATH!)
You better (WALK ON THE BEACH!) if you can, little girl
(CHOCOLATE!) in the sand little girl
Catch you with another man
That's the (PONIES!) little girl
Let this be a sermon I mean everything I've said
Baby, I'm determined
And I'd rather see you (IN A LOVING LONG TERM RELATIONSHIP!)
You better run for your (LAMBS!) if you can, little girl
(BABY CHICKS!) in the sand little girl
Catch you with another man
That's the (BUNNIES!) little girl
I'd rather see (PIGLETS!), little girl
Than to be with another man
You better keep your head, little girl
Or you won't know (SMILEY FACE!)
You better (ICE CREAM CONE!) if you can, little girl
(PANDA BEAR!) in the sand little girl
Catch you with another man
That's the (WARM TOAST!) little girl
Na, na, na
Na, na, na
Na, na, na
Na, na, na
This is possibly my favorite post in the entire forum. 
By the way, I think Run For Your Life is a good song, regardless of the lyrics.
Do you want to know a secret? Read my username backwards. ~ ~ ~ - - - . . . - - - ~ ~ ~ Also known as Egg-Rock, Egg-Roll, E-George, Eggy...
☮ & <3
4.26am
17 December 2012
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Not my favourite Lennon track by a long way. I agree with him about it being a bit of "hack work" to finish off the album. I've never understood the problem with the lyric though. Not exactly PC, but the most objectionable line, and its starting point, was written by Arthur Gunter -
"Now listen to me, baby
Try to understand.
I'd rather see you dead, little girl,
Than to be with another man."
Baby, Let's Play House
It's not exactly a Lennon confessional like so many of his other songs. Now his contribution to "Getting Better"…
4.29am
6 December 2012
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mja6758 said
Not my favourite Lennon track by a long way. I agree with him about it being a bit of "hack work" to finish off the album. I've never understood the problem with the lyric though. Not exactly PC, but the most objectionable line, and its starting point, was written by Arthur Gunter -"Now listen to me, baby
Try to understand.
I'd rather see you dead, little girl,
Than to be with another man."Baby, Let's Play House
It's not exactly a Lennon confessional like so many of his other songs. Now his contribution to "Getting Better"…
Wait, he actually beat Cynthia?!?!?!?!?
Do you want to know a secret? Read my username backwards. ~ ~ ~ - - - . . . - - - ~ ~ ~ Also known as Egg-Rock, Egg-Roll, E-George, Eggy...
☮ & <3
4.39am
17 December 2012
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Egroeg Evoli said
mja6758 said
Not my favourite Lennon track by a long way. I agree with him about it being a bit of "hack work" to finish off the album. I've never understood the problem with the lyric though. Not exactly PC, but the most objectionable line, and its starting point, was written by Arthur Gunter -"Now listen to me, baby
Try to understand.
I'd rather see you dead, little girl,
Than to be with another man."Baby, Let's Play House
It's not exactly a Lennon confessional like so many of his other songs. Now his contribution to "Getting Better"…
Wait, he actually beat Cynthia?!?!?!?!?
Which is what he admits to in "Getting Better" -
"I used to be cruel to my woman
I beat her and kept her apart from the things that she loved
Man, I was mean but I'm changing my scene
And I'm doing the best that I can"
That he admitted was confessional. RFYL was always just a lyric lifted from an Elvis song and worked into something new.
5.53am
1 November 2012
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Well, at least John was determined to "change his scene" -- so that makes it ok.
(Apart from my dripping sarcasm there, I'm not entirely certain he didn't slip up later: after all "doing the best that I can" doesn't mean you've actually stopped making the mistakes you rather chipperly rue. Aside from that, though, I thought that was mostly a Paul song -- as usual, about a fictional personage. I can't find a way out of these parentheses; so I think I'll end here…)
6.11am
5 November 2011
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mja6758 said
Egroeg Evoli said
mja6758 said
Not my favourite Lennon track by a long way. I agree with him about it being a bit of "hack work" to finish off the album. I've never understood the problem with the lyric though. Not exactly PC, but the most objectionable line, and its starting point, was written by Arthur Gunter -"Now listen to me, baby
Try to understand.
I'd rather see you dead, little girl,
Than to be with another man."Baby, Let's Play House
It's not exactly a Lennon confessional like so many of his other songs. Now his contribution to "Getting Better"…
Wait, he actually beat Cynthia?!?!?!?!?
Which is what he admits to in "Getting Better" -
"I used to be cruel to my woman
I beat her and kept her apart from the things that she loved
Man, I was mean but I'm changing my scene
And I'm doing the best that I can"That he admitted was confessional. RFYL was always just a lyric lifted from an Elvis song and worked into something new.
John didn't physically beat Cyn, that probably means emotionally. I could be remembering wrong, but in Cynthia's book I believe she said he only hit her once, and that was when they were still in art school.
11.51am
1 May 2011
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I remember John saying he would hit out at his girlfriends tho mainly when he was a teenager but have no idea where i read that or what source so this comment is practically pointless. Its also been rumoured that John began hitting Yoko before they split in '73 and that was one of the reasons why she kicked him out.
12.33pm
17 December 2012
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A couple of quotes from John, one on each track, that Joe uses in his entries on the songs, taken from David Sheff's "All We Are Saying".
On Run For Your Life: "Just a sort of throwaway song of mine that I never thought much of, but it was always a favourite of George's.
"It has a line from an old Presley song: 'I'd rather see you dead, little girl, than to be with another man' is a line from an old blues song that Presley did once."
On Getting Better: "It is a diary form of writing. All that 'I used to be cruel to my woman, I beat her and kept her apart from the things that she loved' was me. I used to be cruel to my woman, and physically – any woman. I was a hitter. I couldn't express myself and I hit. I fought men and I hit women. That is why I am always on about peace, you see. It is the most violent people who go for love and peace. Everything's the opposite. But I sincerely believe in love and peace. I am a violent man who has learned not to be violent and regrets his violence. I will have to be a lot older before I can face in public how I treated women as a youngster."
I think both songs raise an eyebrow, but the one he admits his contribution to was about him raises my eyebrow higher.
3.49pm
14 April 2010
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mja6758 said
Not my favourite Lennon track by a long way. I agree with him about it being a bit of "hack work" to finish off the album.
By now, we've all read John's comments on how much he supposedly hated the song. That being said, it wasn't just to finish off the album. On the contrary, it was the first song they worked on for Rubber Soul.
That fact doesn't make the song any better or worse, it just disples anyone's (not necessarily yours, mja6758) theory that they needed to throw this song on at the last minute to complete the album. To be fair, the entire album was hastily put together (staring in mid October 1965) in order to get it out before Christmas. Even though I like the song I often wonder, if John was telling the truth about hating the song so much, if it would have been included at all had they been given more time to come up with new material.
To the fountain of perpetual mirth, Let it roll for all its worth.
2295 6972
4.25pm
8 November 2012
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Zig said
Even though I like the song I often wonder, if John was telling the truth about hating the song so much, if it would have been included at all had they been given more time to come up with new material.
Well, I don't think he hated it at the time of recording, even it if was a hack job. Again, I think being introduced to feminism influenced his later embarrassment of the song.
In response to those who mention that it is a borrowed Elvis lyric, I also don't understand the argument that his borrowing it lessens the impact. The fact he borrowed it tells me he related to it on some level. A misogynistic lyric is a misogynistic lyric no matter what the source.
parlance
3.34pm
17 December 2012
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Zig said
mja6758 said
Not my favourite Lennon track by a long way. I agree with him about it being a bit of "hack work" to finish off the album.By now, we've all read John's comments on how much he supposedly hated the song. That being said, it wasn't just to finish off the album. On the contrary, it was the first song they worked on for Rubber Soul.
That fact doesn't make the song any better or worse, it just disples anyone's (not necessarily yours, mja6758) theory that they needed to throw this song on at the last minute to complete the album. To be fair, the entire album was hastily put together (staring in mid October 1965) in order to get it out before Christmas. Even though I like the song I often wonder, if John was telling the truth about hating the song so much, if it would have been included at all had they been given more time to come up with new material.
Hands up, writing something quick, I got part of it wrong. RFYL was the first song recorded for Rubber Soul, I thank you for the correction, and apologise for any unintended confusion.
I do feel you're right though, that weren't RS recorded so quickly, and they'd had the time, the song would probably have been discarded.
I think the main point I was making though, much as is wrong with the lyric of RFYL (and overall it's in my Top 100 Beatles songs, better than average), his contribution to Getting Better can't be ignored.
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