Composition
The song's instrumentation has specific similarities to Greek music, as with "And I Love Her" and "Michelle". As for the inspiration of the song's lyrics, Lennon stated that the "girl" was an archetype he had been searching for and would finally find in Yoko Ono. He said: "'Girl' is real. There is no such thing as the girl, she was a dream, but the words are all right. It wasn't just a song, and it was about that girl – that turned out to be Yoko, in the end – the one that a lot of us were looking for." In an interview for Rolling Stone magazine in 1980, Lennon said of his song "Woman": "Reminds me of a Beatles track, but I wasn't trying to make it sound like that. I did it as I did 'Girl' many years ago. So this is the grown-up version of 'Girl'."
Paul McCartney claimed that he contributed the lines "Was she told when she was young that pain would lead to pleasure" and "That a man must break his back to earn his day of leisure." However, in a 1970 interview with Rolling Stone, Lennon explained that he wrote these lines as a comment on Christianity, which he was "opposed to at the time". Lennon said: "I was just talking about Christianity, in that – a thing like you have to be tortured to attain heaven ... – be tortured and then it'll be alright, which seems to be a bit true but not in their concept of it. But I didn't believe in that, that you have to be tortured to attain anything, it just so happens that you were".
The deep breaths in the chorus were rumoured to have symbolised taking a long inhalation (toke) of a marijuana joint.
Girl
Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All about the girl who came to stay?
She's the kind of girl
You want so much it make you sorry
Still you don't regret a single day
Ah, girl, girl, girl
When I think of all the times
She will turn to me and start to cry
And she promises the earth to me
And I believe her
After all this time I don't know why
Ah, girl, girl, girl
She's the kind of girl who puts you down
When friends are there
You feel a fool
When you say she's looking good
She acts as if it's understood
She's cool, ooh, oo, oo, oo
Girl, girl, girl
Was she told when she was young
That pain would lead to pleasure
Did she understand it when they said
That a man must break his back
To earn his day of leisure?
Will she still believe it when he's dead
Ah, girl, girl, girl
Girl
The Beatles' song "Girl" is a melancholic ballad that describes the singer's complicated relationship with a particular girl. The opening lyrics, "Is there anybody going to listen to my story / All about the girl who came to stay?" immediately sets the tone for the song's confessional nature. The singer is seeking someone to hear their story and understand their feelings about this girl, who seems to have left a lasting impression on them.
The song goes on to describe the girl as someone the singer wants "so much it makes you sorry" - a feeling that many can relate to when it comes to unrequited love. Despite their attempts to leave her and move on, the girl always manages to pull the singer back in with her promises and manipulations. The chorus repeats the word "girl" several times, almost as if in disbelief or frustration at the hold she has over the singer's emotions.
The second verse takes a bit of a darker turn, describing how the girl puts the singer down in front of their friends and makes them feel foolish. The girl acts as if her beauty is a given, something that the singer should accept without question. The final lines of the song pose some deeper questions about the girl's motivations and beliefs, wondering if she was taught that "pain would lead to pleasure" and if she really believes that a man must "break his back" to earn any rest.
Overall, "Girl" is a deeply introspective and poignant song that touches on themes of love, manipulation, and the struggle to understand oneself and others. It showcases The Beatles' ability to write songs that are deceptively simple in structure, but pack a powerful emotional punch.
Line by Line Meaning
Is there anybody going to listen to my story
The singer is about to tell a story about a girl and wonders if anyone will care to listen.
All about the girl who came to stay?
The singer is going to talk about a girl who has come and stayed with him.
She's the kind of girl
The girl in question has a distinguishing characteristic.
You want so much it make you sorry
The singer feels a deep longing for her that makes him sorry at times.
Still you don't regret a single day
Despite the difficulties, the singer doesn't regret any of the time he's spent with her.
Ah, girl, girl, girl
The singer addresses the girl directly.
When I think of all the times
The singer has tried many times to leave her.
I tried so hard to leave her
The singer has struggled to end the relationship with her.
She will turn to me and start to cry
When the singer tries to leave her, she pleads and cries.
And she promises the earth to me
She makes big promises to the singer.
And I believe her
Despite past letdowns, the singer still believes her promises.
After all this time I don't know why
The singer is unsure why he still believes her after being let down before.
She's the kind of girl who puts you down
The girl can be demeaning to the singer.
When friends are there
She especially puts him down when others are around.
You feel a fool
The singer feels embarrassed and belittled.
When you say she's looking good
The singer tries to give her a compliment.
She acts as if it's understood
But she expects him to see her as looking good, so the compliment falls flat.
She's cool, ooh, oo, oo, oo
She is indifferent and unfeeling towards him.
Was she told when she was young
The singer wonders if she was taught something specific when she was young.
That pain would lead to pleasure
One possibility is that she learned that pain could lead to pleasure.
Did she understand it when they said
The singer wonders if she learned from the advice or if it was lost on her.
That a man must break his back
The singer refers to the common expression that men must work hard.
To earn his day of leisure?
He wonders if she believes he has to work hard to earn time to rest.
Will she still believe it when he's dead
The singer wonders if she'll stick to these beliefs even after his death.
Ah, girl, girl, girl
The singer addresses the girl once more.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN LENNON, JOHN WINSTON LENNON, PAUL MCCARTNEY, PAUL JAMES MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind