Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite
Billy Connolly Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

For the benefit of Mr. Kite
There will be a show tonight on trampoline
The Hendersons will all be there
Late of Pablo Fanques Fair-what a scene
Over men and horses hoops and garters
Lastly through a hogshead of real fire!
In this way Mr. K. will challenge the world!
The celebrated Mr. K.
Performs his feat on Saturday at Bishops Gate
The Hendersons will dance and sing
As Mr. Kite fly's through the ring don't be late
Messrs. K and H. assure the public
Their production will be second to none
And of course Henry The Horse dances the waltz!

The band begins at ten to six
When Mr. K. performs his tricks without a sound
And Mr. H. will demonstrate
Ten summer sets he'll undertake on solid ground
Having been some days in preparation




A splendid time is guaranteed for all
And tonight Mr. Kite is topping the bill

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Billy Connolly’s song β€œBeing for the Benefit of Mr. Kite” describes a circus or show that will take place that evening, that will feature Mr. Kite performing on a trampoline while the Hendersons dance and sing. The descriptions get more elaborate as they go on, with mentions of men and horses, hoops and garters, and even jumping through a hogshead of real fire. The second verse features Mr. Kite performing at Bishops Gate on Saturday, while the Hendersons dance and sing as he flies through the ring. The performers promise their production will be second to none, and Henry the Horse will even dance the waltz. The last verse mentions the band beginning at 10 to 6, and Mr. Kite demonstrating his tricks without a sound, while Mr. H undertakes ten summer sets on solid ground. The preparations have taken days, but the show promises to be splendid.


Overall, β€œBeing for the Benefit of Mr. Kite” seems to be a fantastical description of a show or circus, with the promise of excitement and awe for the audience. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the performers and their acts, with Mr. Kite as the main attraction. The song is a tribute to a real-life Mr. Kite, William Kite, who was a circus performer in the 19th century. The lyrics were taken from a poster advertising one of his shows, which had been found by John Lennon in an antique shop. Lennon was inspired by the imagery and decided to turn it into a song.


Line by Line Meaning

For the benefit of Mr. Kite
This song is being performed to amaze and entertain Mr. Kite.


There will be a show tonight on trampoline
A show consisting of performers jumping on trampolines will occur tonight.


The Hendersons will all be there
The Henderson family will attend and participate in the show.


Late of Pablo Fanques Fair-what a scene
The Hendersons previously performed at Pablo Fanques Fair and were quite impressive.


Over men and horses hoops and garters
The performers will jump over obstacles like men and horses while wearing hoops and garters.


Lastly through a hogshead of real fire!
The final act will involve jumping through a barrel full of real fire.


In this way Mr. K. will challenge the world!
Mr. Kite's show will be so impressive that it will be a challenge for anyone else to top it.


The celebrated Mr. K.
Mr. Kite is well-known and highly regarded for his feats.


Performs his feat on Saturday at Bishops Gate
Mr. Kite's performance will be on a Saturday at the Bishops Gate venue.


The Hendersons will dance and sing
The Henderson family will entertain the audience with both dance and song.


As Mr. Kite fly's through the ring don't be late
Don't be late to the show or you might miss Mr. Kite's impressive jump through a ring.


Messrs. K and H. assure the public
Mr. Kite and the Henderson family promise the public that their show will be the best.


Their production will be second to none
Their show will be better than any other production.


And of course Henry The Horse dances the waltz!
Henry The Horse, a popular performer, will dance a waltz during the show.


The band begins at ten to six
The live music will start at 5:50 PM.


When Mr. K. performs his tricks without a sound
Mr. Kite's performance will be silent and require no spoken words.


And Mr. H. will demonstrate
One of the Hendersons will show off their ability.


Ten summer sets he'll undertake on solid ground
The performer will complete ten sets of difficult moves on solid ground.


Having been some days in preparation
The performers have been rehearsing for several days.


A splendid time is guaranteed for all
Everyone who attends the show is guaranteed to have a great time.


And tonight Mr. Kite is topping the bill
Mr. Kite is the most important performer of the night and will be the final act.




Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

Arvid Youngquist

I am glad Billy Connolly was chosen by Sir George Martin to perform his own songs which were mostly covered by the Beatles. These artists on Martin's special CD are uniquely suited to provide an interpretation to Martin's opus.

The Joker

Cant listen to the original without switching to this! Just feels so joyous

Liisa Varhalla

This is superb!!! Well done Sir William, well done!!!!😊😊😊😊😊😊😊🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈

Stewart Nicol as BILLY CONNOLLY

Billy was born to play the RingMaster at the Circus - here he is given the chance to live it! :-)

TeddyBearWithSexHair

I've always seen Billy as a big-top man. Who knows, he just might sooner or later. He's quite the showman, Mister Connolly.

patrick45sue

Billy & Beatles togethe, what else could I want for,love them both ....

ChiliConQueso

This song sounds so awesome with a Scottish accent.

Keimori12

Man, It may be some form of blasphemy to say so, But this in my favorite Version of this song! Theres just some sort of power the way Connolly sings this that the Beatles don't have in the original. Don't get me wrong, the original is grand, and the softness of the original has its own charm, but I find it lacks the showcallery tone Connolly has here, which is why I like this.

M M

i feel the same way

napalm5

It's better than the original

More Comments

More Versions