The Beatles
George Harrison & John Lennon Lyrics


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No bed for Beatle John!
Beatle John Lennon lost his hospital bed yesterday to a patient
It happened at Queen Charlotte's Hospital, London
Where John was keeping vigil in the room
Where his girlfriend, Yoko Ono
Is being kept under observation

When he realized his bed was needed for an urgent case
John sent out for a sleeping bag
And last night
He was once more happily kicked out alongside Yoko
In the sleeping bag

Yoko who expects her baby next February
Will remain in the hospital for another few days
A Beatles spokesman said
There is a good chance for the baby's survival

The Beatles win battle of the nude LP!
The Beatles have won their fight to put out an LP record
With a sleeve showing John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the nude!

EMI, the world's biggest recording company
Whose artists includes the Beatles
Refused to handle the LP called 'Two Virgins'
Because of the sleeve
So did the group's American outlet, Capitol Records

But the record with its controversial sleeve
Will be released in both countries next month
An official of The Beatles Apple company said last night
The sleeve has not been censored or altered in any way

We are pleased it is being distributed




But it may be that some record shops
Will still refuse to handle it

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "No bed for Beatle John!" by George Harrison and John Lennon primarily focus on the events surrounding John Lennon's hospital stay at Queen Charlotte's Hospital in London. Lennon is depicted as losing his hospital bed to another patient, and instead opts to sleep in a sleeping bag alongside his girlfriend, Yoko Ono, who is undergoing observation in the same room. The song highlights the dedication and love between Lennon and Ono, as Lennon chooses to be by her side despite not having a proper bed.


The second part of the lyrics references the controversy surrounding the Beatles' LP record titled "Two Virgins," which features a sleeve depicting Lennon and Ono in the nude. The record label EMI, as well as the group's American outlet, Capitol Records, initially refused to handle the album due to the explicit cover. However, the song suggests that the record will still be released with its original sleeve, despite potential backlash and some record shops refusing to carry it.


Overall, the lyrics serve as a commentary on John Lennon's personal life, his relationship with Yoko Ono, and the challenges faced by the Beatles regarding censorship and artistic expression.


Line by Line Meaning

No bed for Beatle John!
Beatle John Lennon lost his hospital bed yesterday to a patient


It happened at Queen Charlotte's Hospital, London
The occurrence took place at Queen Charlotte's Hospital in London


Where John was keeping vigil in the room
John was staying watchfully in the room


Where his girlfriend, Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono, John's girlfriend,


Is being kept under observation
Is currently under medical observation


When he realized his bed was needed for an urgent case
Upon realizing that his bed was required for an urgent situation


John sent out for a sleeping bag
John requested a sleeping bag to be brought to him


And last night
During the previous night


He was once more happily kicked out alongside Yoko
He was once again joyfully asked to leave alongside Yoko


In the sleeping bag
Using the sleeping bag for accommodation


Yoko who expects her baby next February
Yoko, who anticipates the arrival of her baby in February next year,


Will remain in the hospital for another few days
Will continue to stay in the hospital for a few more days


A Beatles spokesman said
According to a spokesperson for The Beatles


There is a good chance for the baby's survival
The baby has a high likelihood of surviving


The Beatles win battle of the nude LP!
The Beatles have triumphed in a battle to release a LP album featuring nudity


The Beatles have won their fight to put out an LP record
The Beatles have emerged victorious in their struggle to release an LP


With a sleeve showing John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the nude!
Containing a cover displaying naked images of John Lennon and Yoko Ono!


EMI, the world's biggest recording company
EMI, the largest recording company globally,


Whose artists includes the Beatles
Whose roster of artists includes The Beatles


Refused to handle the LP called 'Two Virgins'
Declined to distribute the LP titled 'Two Virgins'


Because of the sleeve
Due to the album cover


So did the group's American outlet, Capitol Records
Similarly, Capitol Records, the group's American distributor, did the same


But the record with its controversial sleeve
However, the record, along with its controversial cover


Will be released in both countries next month
Will be made available in both countries in the upcoming month


An official of The Beatles Apple company said last night
An official from The Beatles' Apple company stated last night


The sleeve has not been censored or altered in any way
The cover has not been edited or modified in any manner


We are pleased it is being distributed
We are delighted that it is being distributed


But it may be that some record shops
However, it is possible that certain record shops


Will still refuse to handle it
Will still decline to stock it




Lyrics Ā© O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

GT380man

I agree, and nowadays I doubt many producers would resist adding 12 more stems, filling everything up.
Yet itā€™s the very sparseness of the arrangement that renders it so atmospheric and honestly, heartbreaking (to me anyway).
I was 20 & working in an unskilled manual job when we heard John had been killed. I heard it in a pub in Portsmouth, in the middle of the day. I felt desolate for days. Iā€™d grown up on The Beatles. Like so many millions of us born after WW2 up to about 1960, it was the soundtrack to our lives.
I now appreciate it was deliberate social engineering by Tavistock.
Despite that, I donā€™t feel that my engineering was particularly shaped by The Beatles or The Rolling Stones, probably because I was born late in the target period (b. 1960).
My sisterā€™s attitudes were very much shaped by the music and artists of the era. Not for the good, either. Her arrogance and hedonism yielded a life less fulfilled imo than she might otherwise have had. She was born 1955.
What influenced me much more strongly was Bowie, Eno, Roxy Music, Punk, New Wave etc.
Even as I write those words, I recall so vividly the power of those artistā€™s & movements shaping my attitudes and therefore, to an extent, my whole life.
I might have been less directly affected because my upbringing wasnā€™t at all good & thatā€™s indelibly imprinted on me. Still, Iā€™m not at all unhappy to realise the undoubted intentions of Tavistock. Better than not to know.
Among the fallout is that Iā€™m no longer in awe of Bowie, which is such a wrench, as he was the most important musical influence on me when young. I now feel contempt. I doubt Iā€™ll listen to much Bowie ever again. The hurt is too deep.
My wifeā€™s favourite song used to be ā€œHeroesā€, but she wonā€™t listen ever again by choice.



All comments from YouTube:

Steve Schwartz

Much like the ā€œGet Backā€ sessions, you can just see the wheels turning in these amazing songwriterā€™s heads. Itā€™s quite remarkable that there was one songwriter of an amazing caliber in the group, let alone three, quite incredible. While John and George's lives on this plane were way too short, their music is forever.

Iā€™m grateful that before they left, they gave the world a lifetime of music.

Debbi Pond Hamilton

You said that beautifully. A perfect tribute to these two incredibly talented men. RIP JOHN AND GEORGE You are loved and missed!ā¤ā¤šŸ˜¢šŸ˜¢

Topazthecat

Thank you steveschwartz9771 you are so right and this is one of the main things that made The Beatles the greatest rock band ever,in addition to their great musicianship,great singing and beautiful melodies and harmonies.

The Mamat

@Topazthecat Sorry, but i beg to differ. The reason he quit The Beatles during Let It Be session is John & Paul never let him be upfront either with his song or his idea for their song. The earlier years of them maybe like u said, but mid to late 60's he's already develop as a songwriter and want John & Paul recognized him as such.

Š”Š¼ŠøтрŠøŠ¹ Š‘рыŠ»Š¾Š²

Š˜Š·Š²ŠøŠ½ŠøтŠµ, Š² Š³Ń€ŃƒŠæŠæŠµ Š±Ń‹Š»Š¾ Š”Š’Š Š³ŠµŠ½ŠøŠ°Š»ŃŒŠ½Ń‹Ń… сŠ¾Ń‡ŠøŠ½ŠøтŠµŠ»Ń ŠæŠµŃŠµŠ½. Š˜ Š±Š¾Š»ŠµŠµ тŠ¾Š³Š¾, Š½Š°Ń‡ŠøŠ½Š°Ń с ŠæрŠøŠ¼ŠµŃ€Š½Š¾ 1967, ŠŸŠ¾Š»ŃŒ - Š±Š¾Š»ŠµŠµ сŠøŠ»ŃŒŠ½Ń‹Š¹ Š¼ŠµŠ»Š¾Š“Šøст...

Steve Schwartz

@Š”Š¼ŠøтрŠøŠ¹ Š‘рыŠ»Š¾Š² Sorry, you're incorrect. Though songwriting didn't come as easy to George initially (not easy when you're competing for spots on an album with John and Paul), his contributions to the Beatles in the mid to later years proved he could hang with the best.

You must not have heard Something, Long Long Long, I Want to Tell You, I Need You, Old Brown Shoe, Savoy Truffle, Only a Northern Song, The Inner Light, For You Blue, Here Comes the Sun, Within You and Without you, Blue Jay Way, Taxman, While My Guitar Gently Weeps - unlikely.

Add about 45 more in his solo career and he ranks amongst songwriting elites! šŸŽ¶

3 More Replies...

Ben

Precious to see their creative process. Aside from Get Back, we have little video footage of the Beatles developing their songs. Lennon here seems alternately quite dreamy and childlike, and then ultra-incisive and clear what he wants.

Pat Donnelly

This is incredible! George strolls in early Clint Eastwood style, wordless, lights a smoke, picks a guitar off the wall and stares at Johns piano work intently. He starts playing along. John looks at him with such respect for picking up what he was putting down, so quickly. It's like they were mind melding. You can tell they have worked together for years...the chemistry is instantly palpable!!! Brilliant, talented one-of -a kind men, both very sadly missed. Lightning in a bottle!!

ŠšŠ¾Š½ŃŃ‚Š°Š½Ń‚ŠøŠ½ ŠÆŠ½ŠøцŠŗŠøŠ¹

Š–Š°Š»ŃŒ, чтŠ¾ Š¾Š½Šø рŠ°ŃŃŠ¾Ń€ŠøŠ»Šøсь с ŠŸŠ¾Š»Š¾Š¼ !

Joe McMeekin

Ya it's a musician thing, I've been there, done that, it is a magical blessing when minds click and connect ! I'm amazed at how quickly George dropped the tuning on the guitar close enough they could navigate through to get the song complete enough to have something to polish , that's the reason they were able to create so many songs, brilliant ! In fact, if there wasn't this musical bond between them, we would have never had all the songs from the Beatles, those two were the true work horses pulling the load, IMO John had the greatest whimsical imagination and George was a musical generous !

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