LONDON (AP) — Shakespeare, the Magna Carta — and now some of John Lennon's finest lyrics. The British Library on Wednesday added substantially to its already formidable collection with handwritten lyrics to Beatles' classics "Strawberry Fields Forever" =========================
Let me take you down, cos I'm going to Strawberry Fields Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about Strawberry Fields forever Living is easy with eyes closed Misunderstanding all you see It's getting hard to be someone but it all works out It doesn't matter much to me Let me take you down, cos I'm going to Strawberry Fields Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about Strawberry Fields forever No one I think is in my tree I mean it must be high or low That is you can't you know tune in but it's all right That is I think it's not too bad Let me take you down, cos I'm going to Strawberry Fields Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about Strawberry Fields forever Always, no sometimes, think it's me But you know I know when it's a dream I think I know I mean a "Yes" but it's all wrong That is I think I disagree Let me take you down, cos I'm going to Strawberry Fields Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about Strawberry Fields forever Strawberry Fields forever "She Said She Said" and "In My Life." ================================= Although these three songs are legally credited to Lennon and band mate Paul McCartney, the wistful, evocative lyrics are primarily associated with Lennon. The manuscripts and a number of Lennon's letters were donated to the library by Hunter Davies, a Beatles biographer with longtime connections to the Fab Four. "The British Library is the perfect home for it," he said of his unmatched Beatles collection. The library already had some rare Beatles material on display, including some scrawled partial lyrics to earlier songs written on hotel stationery during the band's tours. The new material, however, catches the band near the height of its creative powers, with Lennon's haunting lyrics often offset by McCartney's sunnier take on life. The foreboding "Strawberry Fields Forever" captures Lennon's ruminations about their childhood home of Liverpool, while McCartney's "Penny Lane" — the flip side of the single record — offers a much more cheerful take on the city of their youth. Davies said he is pleased the unique collection will be kept together and put on public display. Library chief executive Roly Keating said the existing Beatles' material in the library's Treasures Gallery already draws throngs. "Visitors from all over the world are thrilled to see such legendary lyrics in their very earliest draft form," he said. In exchange for the gift, Davies will receive a reduction in his tax liability. Handwritten lyrics by the band have recently sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
