Beatlesongs.wiki
SongsA Hard Day's NightI'll Cry Instead
A Hard Day's Night album cover

I'll Cry Instead

1964 · A Hard Day's Night

“I've got a chip on my shoulder that's bigger than my feet”

Lennon's country-tinged confession of a jilted man retreating to tears, written for A Hard Day's Night but dropped from the film proper and later added to the 'breaking out' montage. Issued as a US-only Capitol single, where it topped the Cash Box chart for a week.
VinylCD

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Year1964
AlbumA Hard Day's Night
Track9 · Side 2
Duration1:46
Songwriter(s)LennonCredited as Lennon-McCartney
Lead VocalJohn
RecordedJune 1, 1964
ReleasedJuly 10, 1964
Song familyFragile LennonShy, hiding, would lock himself up

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Text284 tags

Motif

SadnessAngerLonelinessRelationshipAnatomyLoveTravelChildhoodWomenCommunicationFreedomSelf reflectionNumbers

Vocabulary

Casual languageNegative tone

Narrative

First personConversationalConfessional

Lyrical device

Simile

Rhyme type

Perfect rhymeExtrametrical rhymeInternal rhyme

Song form

Verse-chorusAABA form12-bar blues

Sections

Has refrainStandard verses (2-4)Standard choruses (1-3)Has intro

Section links

Intro based on verse

Repetition

Recurring verseRecurring lineConsecutive verses
Word cloud

Recurring words

biggerearthgirlsheartsinsteadmadmeetpeoplereasonroundshouldershowsomehowstarestarttheirand showback againbut i'llcan docause i'vecould seedo youearth togonna breaki couldi geti've justif ilost themake youman canmy feeton earthpeople thatround thesee youshow youshy whenso i'llstart totalk tothe onlythere's peoplewanna crywhen there'swhen theyyes i'myou sadyou whatall the girlsand when ii could seeif i couldthe only girlto make youtry to makeyes i'm gonna

Cover-shared words

allawaybackbetterbreakcausecomecryemeveryfeetgetgirlgotheyhidelostlovingmakemanmymyselfnowsadseesomedaytalktheretheytodaytrytwountilwayworldyouyourall theand whenbut icause i'mcome backget mygirl igot ai can'ti doi hadi'll comei'm gonnai've gotin twolocked upmy wayon mythat ithe worldthen i'llto beto maketry towhen iyou betteryou nowyour lovingbut i can'ti'll come backi've got ayour loving man

Lyric shape

[ADJ] the[ADJ] when[ADV] again[NOUN] can[VERB] their[WORD] thenagain [WORD]could [VERB]only [NOUN]that's [WORD]their [WORD]there's [NOUN][ADJ] the [NOUN][NOUN] can do[NOUN] i had[NOUN] that's [WORD][NOUN] to be[VERB] [ADV] again[VERB] their [WORD][VERB] to [NOUN][VERB] up [ADV][VERB] you what[WORD] in [WORD]and [VERB] youbut i'll [VERB]i could [VERB]i've [VERB] [WORD]i've just [VERB]just [VERB] theso i'll [VERB]the only [NOUN]their [WORD] [WORD]there's [NOUN] [ADV]to be [ADJ]when they [VERB]you [ADJ] [WORD][NOUN] i'm gonna [VERB][NOUN] that i [VERB][NOUN] to be [ADJ][VERB] [NOUN] can do[VERB] you [ADJ] [WORD]i [VERB] [ADJ] wheni've [VERB] a [NOUN]if i could [VERB]when there's [NOUN] [ADV][VERB] the only [NOUN] i[VERB] to [VERB] you [ADJ]i could [VERB] my [NOUN]

Cover-shared shape

[NOUN] i[NOUN] i'm[NOUN] i've[NOUN] on[NOUN] that[NOUN] that's[NOUN] to[VERB] a[VERB] my[VERB] myself[VERB] the[VERB] to[VERB] up[VERB] when[VERB] you[WORD] in[WORD] than[WORD] thea [NOUN]and [VERB]be [ADJ]can't [VERB]gonna [VERB]i [VERB]i'd [VERB]i'll [VERB]i've [VERB]in [WORD]just [VERB]my [NOUN]on [NOUN]the [NOUN]the [WORD]they [VERB]to [NOUN]to [VERB]wanna [VERB]you [ADJ]you [ADV]your [VERB][NOUN] on my[VERB] [WORD] in[VERB] [WORD] the[VERB] a [NOUN][VERB] my [NOUN][VERB] to [VERB][VERB] you [ADJ][VERB] you [ADV][WORD] the [WORD]a [NOUN] oni [VERB] [ADJ]i can't [VERB]i'd [VERB] toi'll [VERB] [ADV]i'll [VERB] [WORD]i'm gonna [VERB]i've [VERB] aon my [NOUN]that i [VERB]then i'll [VERB]to [VERB] youyou [ADJ] [VERB]your [VERB] [NOUN][VERB] [WORD] the [WORD][VERB] a [NOUN] on[VERB] to [VERB] youi'd [VERB] to [VERB]i'm gonna [VERB] [WORD]they [VERB] to [VERB]to [VERB] you [ADJ]i'd [VERB] to [VERB] you

Rhyme scheme

ABCCDAABBCAABB

Line length

9-8-8-8Unique line length

Distinctive word

chip
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Music115 tags

Arrangement

Lead vocalsBacking vocalsElectric guitarAcoustic guitarLead guitarRhythm guitarBass guitarDrumsPercussionTambourine12-string guitar

Instrument group

GuitarsPercussion

Music genre

PopMerseybeatCountryCountry rockRockRockabilly

Influence

Country influence

Tempo

Upbeat

Key

G majorD majorKey change

Time signature

4/4

Song form

Verse-chorusAABABAAABA form12-bar blues

Sections

Has refrainStandard verses (2-4)Standard choruses (1-3)Has intro

Section links

Intro based on verse

Repetition

Consecutive verses

Section transition

I to iiiV to I

Harmony

Plagal cadenceRock/Mixolydian cadenceJazz cadencePerfect cadenceParallel harmonyCircle of fifths

Composition

Tonic openingTonic endingVerse in ITonic verseChorus in iiiNon-tonic chorus

Mode

Ionian

Chord type

majorminordom7

Scale degree

IiiIVVV7vi

Chord degree

V–IV–IIV–I–Vvi–Vii–Vii–V–II–VV–IVIV–IV–II–V–IVV–I–iiV–IV–I–V–II–iiIV–I–V–II–ii–Vvi–V–I

Chord shape

C → B♭C → B♭ → FC → G → DAm → GC7 → FC → DmAm → DAm → D7Am → G → CAm → D → GC → GC → FC → G → FC7 → F → GmC → F → GmC → G → D → GC → Dm → GC → Dm → G7Am → D7 → GC → B♭ → F → C → F

Chord literal

C → G → DBm → AA → DA7 → DEm → AG → DC → GD → GEm → A7 → DEm → A → DD → C → GD → EmD → Em → A7A → D → EmD → CD → Em → AEm → A7G → D → CC → G → D → G
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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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