Glass Onion
“The walrus was Paul”
A Lennon composition for The White Album, lead vocal by Lennon. The lyric strings together references to five earlier Beatles songs as a tease aimed at fans who over-interpreted the band's lyrics.
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This song is the only Beatles song that reaches the ♭viidim7 scale degree.
Songwriter(s)LennonCredited as Lennon–McCartney
RecordedSeptember 11 – October 10, 1968
ReleasedNovember 22, 1968
Song familyPaul is dead'The Walrus was Paul' taken as a death clue
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Text234 tags
Word cloud
Recurring words
clueflowsliveslivinglookingmeetoceanonionotherplaceshorestandingwalrusa holeabout theand mecan behow thei toldknow thelady madonnalisten tolooking throughme manplace yousee howstrawberry fieldsthe foolthe oceanthe otherthe placethe walrusthrough athrough theto seetold youyeah ohyou aboutas can befixing a holei told youlisten to menothing is realto make ayou can beyou know thea hole in theoh yeah oh yeahto make ends meetthe fool on the hilloh yeah oh yeah oh yeah
Lyric shape
[NOUN] he's[NOUN] is[NOUN] was[VERB] wherebe [NOUN]he's [VERB]was [WORD][NOUN] for you[NOUN] he's [VERB][NOUN] in the[NOUN] is [ADJ][NOUN] was [WORD][VERB] [ADV] still[VERB] on the[VERB] through the[VERB] you canfor you [WORD]on the [WORD]the [NOUN] wasthe [NOUN] wherethe [WORD] [ADV]to [VERB] ayou [WORD] [NOUN][NOUN] [WORD] [VERB] to[NOUN] in the [NOUN][VERB] on the [NOUN][VERB] on the [WORD][VERB] to [VERB] a[WORD] [VERB] to [VERB]a [NOUN] in thea [WORD] [NOUN] [WORD]on the [WORD] [NOUN]the [WORD] [ADV] [WORD]the [WORD] [NOUN] [WORD]the [WORD] [WORD] [VERB]to [VERB] a [WORD][VERB] on the [WORD] [NOUN][VERB] to [VERB] [WORD] [VERB][VERB] you [WORD] the [NOUN]a [NOUN] in the [NOUN]the [NOUN] on the [NOUN][VERB] you [WORD] the [NOUN] and
Cover-shared shape
[NOUN] and[NOUN] for[NOUN] in[VERB] a[VERB] as[VERB] how[VERB] on[VERB] that[VERB] the[VERB] through[VERB] to[VERB] you[WORD] thea [NOUN]a [WORD]as [VERB]can [WORD]i [VERB]is [ADJ]me [NOUN]the [NOUN]the [WORD]to [VERB]you [NOUN]you [VERB]you [WORD][VERB] a [NOUN][VERB] a [WORD][VERB] the [NOUN][VERB] to [VERB][VERB] to me[VERB] you [NOUN][VERB] you [WORD][WORD] [NOUN] for[WORD] [NOUN] you[WORD] [VERB] to[WORD] the [NOUN]a [NOUN] [WORD]a [NOUN] ina [WORD] [NOUN]as [VERB] asi [VERB] youin the [NOUN]on the [NOUN]the [NOUN] andthe [WORD] [NOUN]the [WORD] [WORD]to [VERB] [WORD]you [VERB] thatyou [VERB] theyou [WORD] theyou can [WORD][VERB] a [WORD] [NOUN][VERB] to [VERB] [WORD][VERB] you [WORD] thei [VERB] you [NOUN]i [VERB] you [WORD]you [VERB] the [NOUN]
Distinctive word
bentcastdovetailglassironjointpaultulips
Music146 tags
Chord shape
C → F → DAm → F → GAm → AmAm → D → GC → E♭C → DAm → FC → EmAm → GmAm → DAm7 → D7C → GmC → FC7 → F7C → AC7 → Gm7C → Gm → C → FC → E♭ → FAm → D → G → EAm → Gm → CAm → Am → FC7 → D7Am → Am7Am → D → Am → D → GAm → Am → Am → FAm7 → D7 → G7C7 → E♭7C7 → EmAm → Am → Am → Am → FC → Em → Dm → GAm → Gm7C7 → A7C → F → D → FC7 → F7 → D7Am → F7Adim → A♭dim → Gdim → F♯dimAm → Am → Am → F → GC → F → D → F → DAm → Gm7 → C7
People18 tags
Sources & references
Tags on this page are original analysis, transcribed and cross-checked against the fine work of others: Alan W. Pollack's “Notes on…” series, the Beatles Complete Scores (Hal Leonard), Mark Lewisohn's session histories, Ian MacDonald's Revolution in the Head, Dave Rybaczewski's Beatles Music History and Andy Babiuk's Beatles Gear for the instruments and studio equipment, and others besides – then verified by ear against the recordings. Full bibliography: Sources & thanks.
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