George Harrison MBE (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) born in Liverpool… Read Full Bio ↴George Harrison MBE (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) born in Liverpool, UK, was an English rock musician, singer-songwriter and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist in The Beatles, along with mainstream success as a solo artist. George contributed to the songwriting talents of his Beatles band mates, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, firstly by adding ideas and guitar parts, and later with his distinctive style of music inspired by Eastern spirituality. Ten years after Harrison's death, and forty-two years after its first release, his classic "Here Comes the Sun" is the number one Beatles download on iTunes.

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.

World of Stone
George Harrison Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Wise man, you won't be
To follow the like of me
In this world made of stone
Such a long way to go

We may disagree
We all have the right to be
In this world made of stone

Such a long way to go
Such a long, long way from home

(In a world made of stone)

And we may disagree
We all have the right to be
In this world made out of stone
It's such a long, long way to go

The wiser you may be
The harder it can be to see
In this world made of stone
Such a long, long way to go
Such a long way from home

In this world made of stone
Such a long, long way to go
And such a long way from OM, oh

(It's a world made of stone)

Overall Meaning

George Harrison's song "World Of Stone" reflects on the struggles and challenges of navigating through the complexities of life. The opening lines "Wise man, you won't be / To follow the like of me" suggest that the singer understands his limitations and advises others not to follow his example. He acknowledges that life is difficult and full of hardships, and the world can be an unforgiving and harsh place to navigate. The phrase "such a long way to go" could refer to the long and challenging journey one must take to achieve their goals, find their path, or simply survive.

The song's central idea seems to be that despite our differences and disagreements, we are all entitled to our opinions and beliefs, and we should respect each other's right to have them. The repetition of "we all have the right to be" reinforces this idea of individuality and acceptance in a world made of "stone," which could symbolize a life devoid of warmth, emotion, or humanity. The line "such a long way from home" could represent the feeling of being lost or disconnected from one's true self, purpose or identity.

Overall, Harrison's song "World Of Stone" is a poignant reminder that life can be difficult and challenging, but that we must strive to be true to ourselves and respect the difference of others.

Line by Line Meaning

Wise man, you won't be
I'm not necessarily smart enough to provide guidance

To follow the like of me
You probably shouldn't take my advice

In this world made of stone
Life is hard

Such a long way to go
It's a journey

We may disagree
We don't have to see eye-to-eye

We all have the right to be
We should be free to be ourselves in this world

In this world made of stone
Life is tough

Such a long way to go
It's a journey

Such a long, long way from home
We're far from where we belong

(In a world made of stone)
Repeating that life is tough

And we may disagree
It's okay if we don't see things the same way