After the Beatles stopped touring in 1966, George started writing more songs than could be fitted onto the albums so that by the time of the split he had built up a collection of songs, some used on his debut solo album, All Things Must Pass. The album, released in 1970, contains the two-time number one hit, "My Sweet Lord".
Harrison is also credited for creating music benefits, notably the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh. Harrison played beside Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Ringo Starr, and Leon Russell to a crowd of 40,000 in Madison Square Garden, New York. The show raised over $240,000 benefiting the George Harrison Fund for Bangladesh relief.
Harrison went on to release several successful solo albums, and in the late 1980s collaborated with Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty, in a group called Traveling Wilburys. The group released two albums. Later, Harrison reunited with the other two surviving Beatles, after John Lennon's murder in 1980, to produce two final Beatles records, "Free As a Bird" and "Real Love" featuring the voice of Lennon, taken from home demos provided by Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono. The three Beatles also co-wrote a massive autobiography and television special, both titled "The Beatles Anthology."
Before his death, Harrison conceived of a Cirque du Soleil show, "Love," featuring remixes of Beatles music which were overseen by Beatles producer George Martin.
Harrison died on November 29, 2001 after a battle with cancer, leaving behind a wife and son, Olivia and Dhani Harrison. His last album, Brainwashed, was released posthumously and featured the single "Any Road".
A benefit concert in Harrison's memory was played on 29 November 2002 at the Royal Albert Hall. The star-studded event (featuring Eric Clapton and Monty Python, as well as former band mates Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr) was released on the DVD double-album, Concert for George.
Beware of Darkness
George Harrison Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Beware of falling swingers
Dropping all around you
The pain that often mingles
In your fingertips
Beware of darkness
Watch out now, take care
Winding up inside your head
The hopelessness around you
In the dead of night
Beware of sadness
It can hit you
It can hurt you
Make you sore and what is more
That is not what you are here for
Watch out now, take care
Beware of soft shoe shufflers
Dancing down the sidewalks
As each unconscious sufferer
Wanders aimlessly
Beware of Maya
Watch out now, take care
Beware of greedy leaders
They take you where you should not go
While Weeping Atlas Cedars
They just want to grow, grow and grow
Beware of darkness
The song "Beware of Darkness" by George Harrison is a meditation on the different types of negativity that can afflict people. It warns the listener to be careful of falling swingers - people who bring others down through their own destructive behavior. The pain that often mingles in your fingertips refers to the physical manifestation of emotional pain caused by holding onto negative thoughts and feelings. The lyrics urge the listener to beware of thoughts that linger and cause hopelessness, leading to sadness that can hurt and make one sore. This sadness is not what one is here for and ought to be avoided.
The song also warns of other types of negativity, including the soft-shoe shufflers who dance down the sidewalks, unconscious of their own suffering and the suffering of those around them. The lyrics encourage the listener to beware of Maya, or illusions, and to be careful of greedy leaders who take people places they should not be. Rather than allowing oneself to be led blindly, it is better to cultivate awareness and avoid falling into the darkness.
Line by Line Meaning
Watch out now, take care
Be cautious and mindful of your surroundings
Beware of falling swingers
Be wary of unexpected and harmful situations
Dropping all around you
These harmful situations can happen at any moment
The pain that often mingles
These situations can cause physical and emotional pain
In your fingertips
The pain can be deeply felt and personal
Beware of darkness
Be careful of the negative and oppressive forces in the world
Beware of the thoughts that linger
Be mindful of negative thoughts that can taunt and hurt you
Winding up inside your head
These negative thoughts can become stuck in your mind
The hopelessness around you
The world can seem bleak and without hope
In the dead of night
Especially in moments of darkness and despair
Beware of sadness
Be wary of the debilitating effects of sadness
It can hit you
Sadness can come suddenly and unexpectedly
It can hurt you
Sadness can cause emotional and physical pain
Make you sore and what is more
Sadness can leave you feeling vulnerable and exposed
That is not what you are here for
Don't let sadness consume you, there is more to life than that
Beware of soft shoe shufflers
Be cautious of those who may be hiding something or tip-toeing around the truth
Dancing down the sidewalks
These people may seem care-free and happy-go-lucky
As each unconscious sufferer
But they may be masking their own pain or suffering
Wanders aimlessly
Lost and without direction in life
Beware of Maya
Watch out for the illusions or distractions in life that can mislead and confuse
Beware of greedy leaders
Be cautious of those in power who may put their own interests above the well-being of the people
They take you where you should not go
These leaders can lead society down a dangerous or destructive path
While Weeping Atlas Cedars
The natural world around us can have a calming and steady influence
They just want to grow, grow and grow
The natural world operates without greed or selfishness, simply growing as it was meant to
Beware of darkness
Once again, be careful of the negative and oppressive forces in the world
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: George Harrison
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind