While My Guitar Gently Weeps Lyrics



Harrison


I look at you all see the love there that's sleeping
While my guitar gently weeps
I look at the floor and I see it needs sweeping
Still my guitar gently weeps
I don't know why nobody told you how to unfold your love
I don't know how someone controlled you
They bought and sold you.

I look at the world and I notice it's turning
While my guitar gently weeps
With every mistake we must surely be learning
Still my guitar gently weeps
I don't know how you were diverted
You were perverted too
I don't know how you were inverted
No one alerted you.

I look at you all see the love there that's sleeping
While my guitar gently weeps
Look at you all...
Still my guitar gently weeps.

 
Lead Singer: George

Recording: 7/25/68, 8/16/68, 9/3/68, 9/5/68, 9/6/68
Mixing: 10/7/68, 10/14/68
Length: 4:50
Take: 25

Anomalies

0:50-0:51 * NEW *
Just before "I don't know why", centre, sound like a digital watch beeping the hour!
1:57
Listen to right channel as the guitar solo begins. Ringo ends the drum roll, and then returns to the hi hat rhythm. Just for a moment, he blows it, and it all recovers by 2:00
3:14 * NEW *
Paul missed the middle note of his triple in the bass line (right channel)
4:19 * NEW *
Right channel, Ringo misses the kick (both beats!)

Eric Clapton played lead guitar. He and George Harrison were good friends, but George had to convince him to come to the studio because Clapton was worried the other Beatles wouldn't want him there.
Clapton's presence eased the mood in the studio at a tense time for The Beatles. They were at each other's throats during recording of The White Album, but they all relaxed when Clapton showed up.
Harrison often had to fight to get his songs on the albums. John Lennon and Paul McCartney were not interested in this at first, but came around when Harrison brought Clapton to the studio.
After reading a book on Eastern religion, Harrison decided to write a song based on the first thing he saw upon opening a random book. When he opened the book, the first words he saw were "gently weeps."
This was originally recorded as an acoustic ballad. This version can be found on bootlegs.
This was the first song Ringo played on after leaving the band in frustration a few weeks earlier. He returned to find flowers on his drums to welcome him back.
The guitar Clapton used on this was a Les Paul. Later in his career, he switched to a Fender Stratocaster.
Even though this was not a hit, it is one of the most enduring Beatles songs. It remains popular on Classic Rock radio.
Clapton became good friends with Lennon, and played with him on some of his solo work. When Harrison threatened to leave The Beatles in 1969, Lennon was ready to replace him with Clapton.
The original version of this song included just Harrison on acoustic guitar and McCartney on an organ. (thanks, Adrian - Wilmington, DE)
A version of this song being played on the Ukulele can be found here.
 
The White Album Lyrics   

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