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Post by PaulBearer on Jul 29, 2003 6:44:57 GMT
Lyrics to The World Tonight from Flaming Pie:I saw you sitting at the centre of a circle
Everybody, everybody wanted something from you
I saw you sitting there
I saw you swaying to the rhythm of the music
Caught you playing, caught you praying to the voice inside you
I saw you swaying there
I don't care what you want to be
I go back so far I'm in front of me!
It doesn't matter what they say
They're giving the game away
I can see the world tonight
Look into the future
See it in a different light
I can see the world tonight
I heard you listening to a secret conversation
you were crying, you were trying not to let them hear you
I heard you listening in
Never mind what they want to do
You've got a right to your point of view!
It doesn't matter what they say
They're giving the game away
I can see the world tonight etc
I saw you hiding from a flock of paparazzi
You were hoping, you were hoping that the ground would swallow you
I saw you hiding there
I don't care what you want to be etcAnalysis:General chorus:Faul has a fear of exposure, that he will be betrayed, perhaps even by the very people that gave him his persona. It talks about various events in his "career" that have played on his own insecurities, a sense of humiliation and failure, and fear of discovery and being betrayed. "I go back so far, I'm in front of me" - this is a direct reference to a clue on the "Anthology 3" album cover.  Can you dig it? We see the other 3 Beatles from the "Let It Be" album, but Faul's picture is covered over with Paul from the "Rubber Soul" album. "It doesn't matter what they say, they're giving the game away" - the "game" being the codeword for this deception. "I can see the world tonight..." - he can just see those future headlines now - "Faul exposed", "Faul not Paul","Paul really dead after all" etc etc First verse:Faul is in a situation amongst a group of people where he is expecting to perform, to create some new original music as would be expected of Paul but he can't! He's swaying to the music, trying to drum up some inspiration but - NOTHING. "Caught you praying to the voice inside you" - that may be a reference to eastern religion. According to 60IF, the trip to India was to try to put Paul's soul into Faul's body. So, this could actually be the incident when they tried to do this. But it didn't work. Second verse:Faul heard people secretly conspiring, plotting against him to betray him. Does the verse refer to overhearing the other Beatles planning to expose him at the end of the breakup? .Faul never really fit him with them, never really felt he belonged and he would've felt gutted just knowing what they really felt about him. Third verse:This is the famous paparazzi incident. Again, Faul felt humiliated (he hoped the ground would swallow him) as reporters hounded him about the Paul-is-dead rumours. He ran away from them and hid, and actually threw a bucket of water on them. But later somehow he got the strength to pull himself together and decided to face them after all and bluff his way out of it with the famous "Rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated" line. Peculiarly, although this incident is well-known, I have yet to see any mention of it in a Beatles timeline, though it may simply just be an oversight. Point of view:It seems to me (correct me if this seems too way out), that this song is sung from the point of view of Paul's spirit, like it's hovering over Faul and watching everything he does.
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17thBeatle
Contributor
Goddess X now available at barnesandnoble.com
Posts: 24
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Post by 17thBeatle on Jul 29, 2003 7:15:26 GMT
Greetings Paul Bearer,
I think your assessment of "The World Tonight" is correct. I would have interpreted it much the same way, especially the point about it being from the point of view of Paul's spirit. I must say, I am still in shock from when I first realized that the Paul McCartney I've loved and admired for so long has not been Paul McCartney since 1966! I'm still processing the whole idea in my head and wondering about the immensity of it all. You suggested that I check out the lyrics of "Band on the Run," and since I know them by heart, it wasn't long before I saw the connections:
"Stuck inside these four walls
Sent inside forever
Never seeing no one nice again like you, mama etc...
If I ever get out of here
Thought of giving it all away
To a registered charity
All I need is a pint a day
If I ever get out of here..."
Could Faul be referring to his imprisonment in the Beatles, his imprisonment in the press, in the minds and hearts of millions of fans and most of all, in the persona of someone else? Of James Paul? Truly, this is a modern day version of Faust! Faul won the greatest lottery of all time, but at what cost in the final analysis?
What other clues are out there? Surely we can only go by these tidbits, since it is highly unlikely the truth will ever be made publicly known. Please let me know of other Wings/solo Faul lyrics that might allude to this situation.
Many thanks!
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Post by Uberkinder on Jul 29, 2003 8:54:58 GMT
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Post by Chris on Jul 29, 2003 13:41:32 GMT
Who wrote The Fool on the Hill  Was it written before Paul died These are the lyrics... Day after day, alone on the hill The man with the foolish grin is keeping perfectly still But nobody wants to know him They can see that he's just a fool As he never gives an answer But the fool on the hill Sees the sun going down And the eyes in his head See the world spinning around Well on the way, head in a cloud The man of a thousand voices talking percetly loud But nobody ever hears him Or the sound he appears to make And he never seems to notice But the fool on the hill Sees the sun going down And the eyes in his head See the world spinning around And nobody seems to like him They can tell what he wants to do And he never shows his feelings But the fool on the hill Sees the sun going down And the eyes in his head See the world spinning around He never listen to them He knows that they're the fools They don't like him The fool on the hill Sees the sun going down And the eyes in his head See the world spinning around I was thinking of this since I 1st woke up. I was listening to it yesterday on a cd I have. I believe that this was written AFTER Paul died & the entire song is about Faul... Think about that, & THEN re-read the lyrics... 1st of all, in the video sequence, that stupid ass is prancing around like fool... What more can be said ?? But nobody wants to know him They can see that he's just a fool As he never gives an answer But the fool on the hill Nobody wants to know him, because he's just a stand-in for Paul... He never gives an answer, because he can't talk about it... The man of a thousand voices talking perfectly loud But nobody ever hears him Or the sound he appears to make And he never seems to notice But the fool on the hill The man of a thousand voices ( he could imitate all of their voices !!! ) , & is singing similar to Paul... Because we'd been duped, we didn't notice the switch in voices. He doesn't notice, because he thinks he's got it down... And nobody seems to like him They can tell what he wants to do And he never shows his feelings I think this is self- explanatory. Could they say it any plainer ? Nobody likes him, because they can tell that he wants to be THE Paul Mccartney & erase their memories of James Paul... He tries to be cool about it, but it's KILLING HIM that he'll never be as good as James Paul was... He never listens to them He knows that they're the fools They don't like him Faul could give a hang what everyone really feels... He knows that he's gotten over & everyone ( that matters )... THEY DON'T LIKE HIM !!!!! BTW - was Paul's house on a hill The mansion that Faul took over after he died Just curious...  Love to all... Chris  |
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Post by PaulBearer on Jul 29, 2003 16:54:31 GMT
Chris,
One intepretation of those lyrics was that Paul was buried on a hill (in strawberry fields). Paul had a kind-of goofy foolish grin (particularly after his tooth had been chipped). "ALONE on a hill", "keeping PERFECTLY STILL". But you could be right as well. It could be yet another double-meaning song, referring to both Paul and Faul.
17thBeatle,
Yes it is a shock. I went into shock for days and had trouble thinking about much else. I even lost my appetite for a while and didn't bother to eat much!
Anyway the first part of that song I used to think was referring to Paul trapped inside a coffin but the reference to "mama" is a giveaway. Faul's REAL mother is Italian. (John also refers to mama in "How Do You Sleep?" In fact, if you haven't, you should look at the lyrics or even listen to that song again. He is singing about what he thinks of Faul. There's a another post here about that song too.) Anyway, this means, while he originally chose to remain Paul because he didn't want to give up this fantasy (and thereby broke the original agreement which was to reveal everything after all of Paul's stuff had been recorded - he was only supposed to be a temporary replacement to avoid panic and an international incident) he soon realised he was trapped in this other persona and was going to carry that weight a long time.
In the next part of the song he's saying that if he ever gets free of this burden (which is what we are helping him to do here after all ;D) he's thinking of giving all the money he's earned (by the deceit of living off someone else's reputation) to charity, presumably to appease his guilt. When this all comes out, which it is now beginning to do at last, you think he will?
And what do you make of the next part of the song:
Well, the RAIN exploded with a mighty CRASH
As we fell into the SUN
And the FIRST one said to the SECOND one there
I hope you're having fun
I believe it is singing about that final fatal Sunday drive on September 11th 1966.
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Post by Forum Manager on Jul 29, 2003 18:30:21 GMT
And the FIRST one said to the SECOND one there
I hope you're having fun
the first one (paul) said to the second one (faul) i hope youre having fun.
its like paul's ghost saying "hey i hope youre having fun pretending to me you big jerk!"
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Post by PaulBearer on Jul 29, 2003 18:38:13 GMT
Oh yeah, I never saw it that way. Thanks Number-9.
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Post by Chris on Jul 29, 2003 18:51:29 GMT
Number 9 you've got it... Chris
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Post by Forum Manager on Jul 29, 2003 22:43:10 GMT
well thank you all! |
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Post by Uberkinder on Jul 30, 2003 6:25:07 GMT
Chris, One intepretation of those lyrics was that Paul was buried on a hill (in strawberry fields). Paul had a kind-of goofy foolish grin (particularly after his tooth had been chipped). "ALONE on a hill", "keeping PERFECTLY STILL". Also "The man of a THOUSAND VOICES...but NOBODY EVER HEARS HIM, or the sound he APPEARS to make." |
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Post by Chris on Jul 30, 2003 10:31:04 GMT
 I know Andy, but I saw it as : The man of a thousand voices talking perfectly loud But nobody ever hears him Or the sound he appears to make And he never seems to notice But the fool on the hill The man of a thousand voices ( he could imitate all of their voices !!! ) , & is singing similar to Paul... Because we'd been duped, we didn't notice the switch in voices. He doesn't notice, because he thinks he's got it down... So, it's all a matter of interpretation... Luv yah... Chris
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Post by Forum Manager on Jul 30, 2003 18:38:49 GMT
this is interesting. i was listening to an original version of "the fool on the hill" on one of the anthology albums. in the early version, the line "the man of a thousand voices" was replaced with "the man with the empty mind". i thought that was interesting
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Post by SunKing on Aug 8, 2003 13:24:53 GMT
Please explain why this means Faul's mother is Italian. I've always called my mother "Mama", and I'm not Italian...just Southern ;D (sorry if I missed an earlier explanation....I've only been here a few weeks) In "How Do You Sleep? actually the word is "mamma" not "mama". Only in italian the Mom is "Mamma" (with 2 mm) BTW I'm italian... ;D |
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Post by PaulBearer on Nov 7, 2003 5:41:45 GMT
*bump* Just 'cos I think it's important for newbees to look at this one.
I caught the end of a movie just the other week, can't remembers much detail but The World Tonight was playing at the closing credits. It was a movie about someone looking for their lost father or somesuch and pretending to be someone else!
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Post by Scatterdome on Nov 8, 2003 22:09:35 GMT
“Fool On The Hill” makes a different kind of sense under my theory. Here’s the link again, for those who are unfamiliar: 60if.proboards21.com/index.cgi?board=paul&action=display&thread=1063219993Under my theory, James Paul continued to write songs for Faul to perform until at least 1973; I have a strong feeling that he wrote "The Fool On The Hill" to be about Faul. Try to re-read the lyrics from that perspective… Another thing about that song is that the craft of the composition sounds like pure McCartney to me, although some people feel differently, for example: in terms of the Beatles---------the Paul brand of songwriting stops. The melodic invention, scale choices, chord progressions, and "ensemble" concepts that Paul brought in to songs like Michelle, Paperback Writer, I Feel Fine,etc. just stops. I am not saying there aren't nicely devised things later; just that Paul's stylistic signatures go away. A song like "Girl" is not a rock song. Give it a listen. It is pure music hall. With a "greek" flavor. (fun instrumental break). The tunes, which range from Dorian based (Eleanor Rigby), to Myxolydian based (Paperback Writer verses) from blues based, to harmonic minor (Girl verses) My point is, it ain't all major, it aint all moondoggie rock. But I must respectfully disagree with that opinion. One piece of “evidence” to the contrary: if you write down the track lists of every classical Beatles tribute album you can find, then add up how often each song is covered, you’ll find that “The Fool On The Hill” is one of the top 5 most-often-covered songs. (Actually, songs sung by both Paul and Faul greatly outnumber Lennon compositions on almost every classical Beatles tribute CD.) Classical musicians can’t seem to get enough of “The Fool On The Hill…” Yet the lyrics seem to obviously be about Faul! I have an alternate possible interpretation of the line in question from “Band On The Run,” as well. Well, the RAIN exploded with a mighty CRASH
As we fell into the SUN
And the FIRST one said to the SECOND one there
I hope you're having funI believe it is singing about that final fatal Sunday drive on September 11th 1966. the first one (paul) said to the second one (faul) i hope youre having fun. its like paul's ghost saying "hey i hope youre having fun pretending to me you big jerk!" If my theory is somewhat correct and James Paul did “fake his death,” in part by providing numerous “car crash clues,” then he would have been around after the “crash” to actually say to Faul in person, “I hope you’re having fun!” (On that note, he would’ve also been around to write the excellent Band On The Run album.) |
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Post by TotalInformation on Dec 19, 2003 4:19:04 GMT
Hmm, I was about to start a new thread on Fool on the Hill after reading this thread, but now that I see this one is sticky, I'll go ahead and slap my hypothesis here. . .
The lyrics were written by Lennon, as he said in Glass Onion. It is about Faul. Living in the same home on a hill in Scotland or wherever during (White Album) as he was during MMT. The song is about Faul. Oblivious Faul. Faul the fool. The Fool remember was the Court Jester, an emptyheaded man performing for the pleasure of the King and his court. I have a feeling that at the time the song was put together, Faul was oblivious to the fact the song was about him. He was probably almost totally out of the loop on the creative process until the et Back/Let It Be project.
(To tie this back to Walrus -- Jester = Joker. Faul was a bit of asshole, and he often laughed at the rubes (the fans) who bought the act after Pepper et al succeeded.)
As to the music -- maybe George Martin composed it based on an old Paul melody?
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Post by jerriwillmore on Jan 5, 2004 22:41:24 GMT
I thought it was about Princess Diana! ;D
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Post by jerriwillmore on Jan 17, 2004 1:21:37 GMT
I just was on the PM bulletin board asking what "world" was about. They said it could be about Paul! Hope not......    |
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I know Andy, but I saw it as :
