The "Paul is dead" Story
Originally posted to the net by rjp1@ihlpa.UUCP
(Pietkivitch)
This is the message you hear when you play the ending of _I'm So
Tired_ from the Beatles "White Album", backwards. All the Beatles
discussion on the net has brought back memories from the "Paul is
dead!" period. Back then, me and a couple of my friends really
poured over our Beatles albums (American versions) looking for
"clues" about McCartney's death. We had discovered phone numbers
and called them. Got strange replies like, "you're getting closer"
and "beware of Abbey Road". I think there were times when we almost
believed. But of course, he wasn't dead. And the phone numbers and
messages could have been faked. After a time, these numbers didn't
work anymore and we lost interest. But at the time, we were
immersed..
For some reason or another, a Paul McCartney look alike contest
was held. The winner was William Campbell. He supposedly looked
enough like PM to sit in with the other Beatles for photographs,
sometimes even fooling the photo- graphers. There is a picture of
William Campbell on the poster that comes with the White album.
He's in the lower left-hand corner. A small picture, he has a
mustache and is wearing glasses. Looking back on that period, I now
understand the "hoax" to be a metaphysical statement made by the
Beatles. Paul did indeed die, spiritually, as he was re-born in the
ways of the Maharishi. A spiritual rebirth; his old self dying. The
creative genius of the Beatles (and I think all of them were
involved to some extent in the great hoax) was to have done this
without anyone suspecting for a couple of years. I think it all
started when a DJ stated that he thought PM was dead, and that the
proof lie in the album covers and in the lyrics of songs.
Well, I dug out my old scrap book and found a good many "clues".
Some of them are clear statements, while others apply only with a
stretch of the ol' imagination. The way we understood it back then
was, PM got into this car wreck early one Wednesday morning at 5 am
whilest looking at a pretty meter maid, not seeing the changing
traffic lights. He wasn't killed outright, but his car caught fire,
a crowd of people stood around, and then he died from head wounds
(he lost his teeth and hair). The morning papar came out with an
article but was then censored, recalled. Enter William Campbell and
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Here's some of the clues
found on album covers and song lyrics:
These are from the "American" versions
- Rubber Soul album:
-
- The title "Rubber Soul" in the shape of a heart, indicating a
"false soul" amongst them. The Beatles are peering downwards (at/in
a grave?!).
- Rubber Soul lyrics:
-
- I've Just Seen A Face:
- "..had it been another day I might've looked the other way, and
I'd have never been a were.." (the British accent on the word
'aware' sounds like 'a were').
- Girl:
- "..that a man must break his back to earn his day of leisure
will she still believe it when he's dead.." (who, Jane
Asher?!)
- I'm Looking through You:
- "..I'm looking through you, where did you go? I thought I knew
you, what did I know. You don't look different but you have
changed, I'm looking through you, you're not the same.." "..your
lips are moving I can not hear, you don't sound different I've
learned the game.." "..you were above me but not today, the only
difference is you're down there.." "..you've changed, you've
changed, you've changed.." (yep, he's down there in the grave)
- In My Life:
- "..all these places have their moments ... some are dead and
some are living, in my life I love you more.."
- Yesterday And Today album:
- The original Y&T album cover had a picture of the Beatles
with decapitated dolls, raw meat, and loose teeth. PM had both
teeth and a doll head on him, indicating the places of his fatal
injuries. On the "other" album cover, the Beatles are standing and
sitting on an empty case. PM is inside of the case indicating that
he's buried in one. Is that a picture of William Campbell?! William
Campbell has this faint scar on his upper lip, PM doesn't.
- Yesterday And Today Lyrics:
-
- Nowhere Man:
- "He's a real nowhere man.." "..doesn't have a point of view,
knows not where he's going to.." "..you don't know what you're
missing, nowhere man can you see me at all?.."
- Dr. Robert:
- "..you're a new and better man.." "..he does everything he can,
Dr. Robert.." (William is the new man. Nothing Dr. Robert can do
will bring Paul back) Yesterday:
- .."oh I believe in yesterday, suddenly, I'm not half the man I
used to be, there's a shadow hanging over me. Yesterday came
suddenly.."
- And Your Bird Can Sing:
- "..you can't see me, you can't see me.." "..you can't hear me,
you can't hear me.."
- Revolver album:
- First cover with an open palm above PM's head. An open palm
signified that the person below was departed from this world.
- Revolver lyrics:
-
- Taxman:
- "..if you drive a car *Paul*.." "..if you get too cold
*Paul*.." "..my advice to those who die -taxman.." (see your
taxidermist)
- Eleanor Rigby:
- "..father McKenzie (McCartney?!) writing the words of a sermon
that no one will hear.." "..was buried.." "..father McKenzie wiping
the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave, no one was
saved.."
- Yellow Submarine:
- "..in the land of submarines.." "..sky of blue, sea of green in
our yellow submarines.." (nice term for a casket that's underneath
a sea of green grass)
- She Said She Said:
- "..she said I know what it's like to be dead.."
- For No One:
- "..she says her love is dead.." "..she says that long ago she
knew someone but now he's gone.."
- Got To Get You Into My Life:
- "..I was alone I took a ride I didn't know what I would find
there.." "..and then suddenly I see you.." (lovely Rita, meter
maid)
- Tommorow Never Knows:
- "..laid down all thoughts surrendered to the void.." "..*Paul*
play(ed) the game existence to the end.." (hmmm, we all play the
game existence to the end)
- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album:
- I think here, the Beatles were masters. The crowd includes
faces (and bodies) of many famous people who passed away or have
become outdated. Even the wax figues of the "early" Beatles stand
in. They're overlooking a grave site. The flowers spell out the
word "Beatles" and there is a bass guitar there with 3 sticks upon
it indicating that there are 3 remaining Beatles. There is another
open palm above PM's head. A doll sits off to the side (Jane
Asher?!) with red lines (blood) running down her dress. A small car
sits on her lap, a model of the car PM was driving. On the back
cover, the Beatles are all facing forward except for PM, who's
turned around. George is pointing a "sixth" finger at him, a sign
of ill-omen. If you read across the back cover, from left to right,
you can find all sorts of clues. Starting with "Somebody calls you,
you answer quite slowly" (from Lucy), continue to read across
"Wednesday Morning at five o'clock as the day begins", "life flows
on within you and without you", "you're on your own you're in the
street". Inside the album, PM has a patch on his left arm "O. P.
D.", which in Canada means "Officially Pronounced Dead".
[Editor's Note: The patch actually reads O.P.P. which stands for
Ontario Provincial Police which was given to Paul when the Beatles
stopped in Totonto. Thanks to Chris Bowes for this information]
Hmm, looks like William Campbell again. He always had a mustache or
slight beard.. One last note, the paper sleeve that held the vinyl
record looked like it had been standing in, soaking up blood! At
the bottom it's bright red but then fades into a light pink at the
top. Subsequent releases of this album did not have the
red-faded-into-pink color scheme on the inner sleeve.
- Sgt. Pepper's lyrics:
-
- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band:
- "..so let me introduce to you the one and only Billy Shears and
Sgt. Pepper's lonely heart's club band.." (Sgt. Pepper's Band is
actually an idea taken from history (somewhere) where a man was
able to take the place of another man without anyone catching on.
Billy is a nice nickname for William Campbell)
- Fixing A Hole:
- "..and it really doesn't matter if I'm wrong I'm right where I
belong. See the Beatles standing there, they disagree.." "..silly
Beatle run around, they worry me.." (William is adjusting to his
new role)
- She's Leaving Home:
- "..Wednesday morning at five o'clock as the day begins.." (the
time of the fatal accident)
- Lovely Rita:
- "..standing by a parking meter when I caught a glimpse of
Rita.." (took his eyes off the road!)
- Good Morning, good Morning:
- "..nothing to do to save his life.." "..and you're on your own
you're in the street.." "..people running around it's 5 o'clock.."
"..watching the skirts you start to flirt, now you're in
gear.."
- A Day In The Life:
- "..I saw the photograph. He blew his mind out in a car, he
didn't notice that the lights had changed. A crowd of people stood
and stared they'd seen his face before, nobody was really sure if
he was from the house of *Paul*.."
- Magical Mystery Tour album:
- Paul is in the walrus costume on the cover. The walrus is a
sign of death in certain cultures. The word "Beatles" when held to
a mirror is actually a phone number! The number is: 2317438. When
my friends and I called this number way back then, we'd get this
strange, cryptic message "You're getting closer.." and then the
call would cut off abruptly. Inside the album is a booklet with
pictures from the movie. Page 3 has a picture of Paul seated at a
desk with a banner in front of him stating "I was". Also looks like
Campbell again, you can see the scar on his lip here. Page 15 has a
cartoon of Paul playing with a car on his desk. On page 18 and on
the last page of the booklet there's that open palm again above
PM's head. Page 23 has PM wearing a black flower, not a red one
like the others are wearing.
- Magical Mystery Tour movie:
- There are a couple of clues in the movie, but I don't recall
them at the moment.
- Magical Mystery Tour lyrics:
-
- Fool On The Hill:
- "..day after day, alone on a hill, the man with the foolish
grin is perfectly still.." "..but nobody ever hears him and the
sound he appears to make.." (that's because he's gone)
- I Am The Walrus: (no you're not! Said little Nicola.)
- "..bury me, bury me.." "..bury my body.." "..*Paul* you're darn
near death!.." "..rest you.."
- Hello Goodbye:
- "..you say goodbye, I say hello.." (exit PM, enter WC)
- Strawberry Fields Forever:
- "..I buried Paul.." (this infamous line means he must've been
there with father McKenzie)
- All You Need Is Love:
- "..No one you can save that can't be saved.." "..nothing you
can see that isn't shown.." "..yes, he's dead.." "..we loved you
yeah, yeah, yeah.."
Interestingly enough, "Lady Madonna" and "Revolution" (45 rpm
version) were released next in 1968, but didn't appear on an album
until the "Hey Jude" album was cut in 1970. So, I'll put "Hey Jude"
next, before the White album.
- Hey Jude album:
- The picture above the Beatles on top of the doorway they are
standing in front of is a picture of where Paul is supposed to be
buried.
- Hey Jude lyrics:
-
- Lady Madonna:
- "..Wednesday morning papers didn't come.." (they were recalled
remember)
- Revolution:
- "..don't you know it's gonna be -all right, *Paul* died, all
right.." (a couple of those "all rights" sound just like "*Paul
died", also a background vocal occasionally dubs in/over *Paul*
died)
- White album:
- The 4 glossy pictures of the Beatles are John, George, Ringo,
and William! And, of course, there is a small picture of William on
the poster that comes with the album, as previously mentioned.
- White album lyrics:
-
- Glass Onion:
- "..I told you about Strawberry Fields.." "..well here's another
place you can go.." "..to see how the other half live, looking
through a glass onion.." "..I told you about the walrus and me.."
"..well here's another clue for you all, the walrus *was* Paul.."
"..I told you about the fool on the hill.." "..listen to me, fixing
a hole in the ocean.." "..looking through a glass onion.." (a glass
onion is a term used for a coffin with a glass panel over the top
so you can see in, see how the other half live)
- I'm So Tired:
- "..Paul's dead man, miss him miss him.." (what you hear when
you play the very end of the song backwards)
- Mother Nature's Son:
- "..find me in my field of grass, Mother Nature's son.."
- Revolution #9:
- "..his voice was low and his eye was high and his eyes were
closed.." "..*Paul* died.." "..my fingers are broken and so is my
hair, I'm not in the mood for wearing clothing.." "..maybe even
dead.." "..you become naked.." (these are heard playing the song
forward amongst other things, the droning "number 9". McCartney has
9 letters in it) "..get me out, get me out!.." "..turn me on dead
man, turn me on dead man.." (these are heard playing the song
backwards, there is a nasty car crash and it catches fire, that's
when you hear Paul screaming "get me out! get me out!". Curiously,
the forward droning words "number 9, number 9" actually are the
words "turn me on dead man" backwards!)
- Yellow Submarine album:
- The open palm appears above Paul's head on the front cover,
while the yellow submarine is pictured beneath the land, very
stationary.
- Yellow Submarine movie:
- The movie has a couple of clues, one happens during the song
"All You Need Is Love" when John sings "..yes, he's dead.." the
word "know" on the screen changes into the word "now" at the same
moment.
- Yellow Submarine lyrics:
-
- Only A Northern Song:
- "..when you're listening late at night you may think the band
is not quite right.." "..you may think the bands a little dark and
out of key, you're correct, there's nobody there.." (there's nobody
there on bass, if that's what you mean)
- Hey Bulldog:
- "..you think you know me but you haven't got a clue.."
- Yellow Submarine:
- (see Revolver)
- All You Need Is Love:
- (see Magical Mystery Tour)
- Abbey Road album:
- The cover shows the Beatles walking across Abbey Road. John is
dressed in white, as the preacher. Ringo is dressed as pallbearer,
Paul, who is out of step, barefoot, and holding a cigarette in his
right hand when he is a left hander, is the corpse. And George is
dressed like the grave digger. A Volkswagon has a license plate
that says "28 if", meaning, Paul would be 28 if he were alive. On
the back, the word "Beatles" is broken, and a glimpse of a woman
(Rita?!) can be seen walking by.
- Abbey Road lyrics:
-
- Come Together:
- "..he say I know you, you know me.." "he got early warning.."
"..he say one and one and one is three. Got to be good looking
cause he's so hard to see.."
- You Never Give Me Your Money:
- "..one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, all good children
go to heaven.."
The song "You Know My Name, Look Up The Number" was released on the
flipside of "Let It Be" (45 rpm). This strange song has a cuckoo
clock that "cuckoos" 5 quick times just before another phone number
is read off. This number gave us the "beware of Abbey Road" message
each time we called.
That about wraps it up. I'm sure that there are other clues out
there that I am/was not aware of, or have simply forgotten. I also
remember someone trying to verify that the vocal patterns of Paul's
voice were the same when he sang "Yesterday" and "Lady Madonna",
but found that they were different voices instead! It's all too
much..
Oh yeah, almost forgot. The song "I'll Follow The Sun" has some
hints of what was to come when Paul sings "..someday, you'll look
to see I've gone.."
More from Scott Slavin....
Worried about losing their public or something, the Beatles decided
to hide the death and get a replacement for public appearances. The
replacement was named . . . Billy Shears. I don't remember the
supposed chronology, but I think it was just before the release of
Sgt. Pepper. In any case, John was haunted by Paul's death, because
he felt that if he had been there (or whatever) Paul wouldn't have
been driving where the accident happened.
There was no person "Billy Shears", the Beatles were using a
play on words to express that William Campbell was in the
group:
Billy Shears = BillyS hears = Billys hear = Billys here
Get it!! Billy is there, and the Beatles were introducing
him.
Don't we all read books on such pointless matters. William
Campbell is the guy who won the Paul McCartney lookalike contest,
but he was not announce as the winner in 1965 (? on the year) He
became friends with the Beatles and had some plastic surgery (yeah
sure like I believe this stuff too).
I, you, he, she and everybody else knows it was a publicity
stunt. Not that the Beatles will admit it, but it benefitted them.
It made there albums sell more.
Now lets get on with some more serious matters. Like John Lennon
death clues. Like the one on the Magical Mystery Tour. If you look
at ( I don't remember the page number) the booklet that came with
the older MMT albums there is a picture of John and a sign next to
him stating "The best way to go is by MD&C" Obviously MD and C
means Mark David Chapman. Go ahead look, I ain't jokin'.
Yet More Clues!!!
- on the Sgt. Pepper cover:
- the interior of the small car held by the doll is blood red;
was it like this when paul's head was crushed or whatever happened
to him?
paul is the only beatle facing directly forward, supposedly
because the others were posing with a life-size cut-out of him for
the cover photo.
the "younger" paul is consoling the "younger" ringo, who looks
like he's looking down into a grave (all four of them are looking
down like that)
the flowers in the shape of the bass are actually over what is
supposed to be paul's grave, and the bass looks peculiarly like the
one paul played most often; it's even supposedly left-handed.
paul is the only beatle to be holding a black instrument; an
english horn, which is also the only one of the four of them
holding an instrument not from a marching band.
one of the patches of yellow flowers looks like a flaming car
going off a cliff; i think it's the patch that the little doll is
looking at.
"day in the life" often claimed to be the song john wrote
immediately after paul died. clearly the whole first verse talks
about exactly what everyone thought were the circumstances of
paul's death. Some people will tell you that the big orchestral
build ups are somwhow representative of the car crash; and that the
big final chord at the end sounds like the musical interpretation
of slamming a coffin shut. I know they used to give me the creeps,
with or without the hoax stuff.
- magical mystery tour: the movie and photos
- there's one album photo from the movie that shows the group
standing outside of a large stone structure. this structure is
paul's tomb. also, the white-capped "eggmen" in the background were
the surgeons who tried to save paul.
paul is pictured as the fool on the hill with a crushed hat
(head injuries???).
although what scott slavin said about mark david chapman was
pretty wild, "the best way to go is by md&c" is believed by
hoax buffs to refer to one of the more widely known english funeral
parlours -- could this have been the company that handled paul's
burial????
the subtitle of "i am the walrus" is "'no you're not!,' said
little nicola, because as we find out in "glass onion" the walrus
is not john, it WAS paul.
"i am the walrus" lyrics:
- john sings "goo goo goo joob", which are supposedly (where they
get this from, i have no idea) humpty dumpty's last words before he
fell off the wall and broke his *head*.
- "choking smoke" -- from the crash and fire?
- "Pretty little policemen in a row" -- the infamous meter
maid???
- "Yellow matter custard, dripping from a dead dog's eye" -- not
to get vulgar, but maybe paul's brain dripping from his cracked
head??
"hello, goodbye" lyrics:
- "You say stop and I say go go go, oh no" -- the circumstances
surrounding paul's accident??
- "Why why why why why why do you say goodbye goodbye, oh no?" --
why did paul die??
- white album liner photos
- i believe one of the album photos shows a lifeless paul
floating in a tub of water. there is some dark substance around his
mouth. this could be a photo of the body being washed/prepared for
burial.
lyrics
don't pass me by: ringo sings: "you were in a car crash, and you
lost your hair" while my guitar gently weeps: george can supposedly
be heard in the song's fade-out saying "oh paul, oh paul" martha my
dear: "Hold your hand out you silly girl see what you've done" --
more reference to the meter maid?? (see what she's done?)
blackbird: "Take these sunken eyes and learn to see" -- reference
to paul's condidtion? i will: "For if I ever saw you; I didn't
catch your name; But it never really mattered; I will always feel
the same." -- if he ever saw this meter maid, he never caught her
name, but it never really mattered because now he's dead???
- abbey road cover:
- paul is barefoot because that's how many corpses were buried in
england. his eyes are closed.
let it be lyrics:
- "when i find myself in times of trouble; mother mary comes to
me"
- "i wake up to the sound of music; mother mary comes to me"
- "in my hour of darkness, she is standing right in front of
me"
- "when the night is cloudy; there is still a light that shines
on me"
- "when the broken-hearted people (paul's friends and family?);
*living* in the world agree"
- "for though *they* (the beatles????!?!?!?) may be PARTED; there
is still a chance that they will see"
these could all be references to paul departing from this world.
"let it be" could be another way of saying "rest in peace". the
whole song has a very sorrowful feeling to it, and as you can see,
every line of every verse can be twisted into a "clue".
get back: the second verse is about a transvestite, someone
pretending to be what he is not; metaphor for billy campbell
pretending to be paul?
long and winding road lyrics:
- "the wild and windy night; that the rain washed away; has left
a pool of tears; crying for the day" -- aside from being very
poetic, could refer to the night/morning he "died"
- "don't leave me standing here, lead me to your door" -- don't
leave paul where he is, lead him into the afterlife????
- "the long and winding road" could just be a metaphor for life,
leading to the "door" of death, which is where paul had gone.
One point my parents (who lived through this and say that if the
"current" Paul Mccartney were to admit to the hoax tomorrow, they
would "not be surprised") brought up was this: Paul was with Jane
Asher for such a long time; then all of a sudden he's marrying
Linda Eastman. they both remember being very surprised at the
suddenness of his marriage (maybe William Campbell was dating Linda
Eastman already??).
Paul didn't have much family left, so there wasn't much question
of being able to keep family leaks under control.
Some people seem to think that Billy Campbell is a couple of
inches TALLER than the "real" Paul. They would argue that part of
the reason the Beatles stopped touring was to minimize the chance
that people would notice the physical difference between the
two.
John was supposedly haunted by Paul's death because the wreck
was said to have happened after Paul left the studios angry,
following a fight with the rest of the group. He stormed out, and
the rest is either history or fiction, depending on your
opinion.
all of which just goes to show how ridiculous this stuff is; you
can twist anything into evidence that Mccartney died.
Sent to me by Mark Fortney:
First take either the album LP cover or CD cover and look for
the drum. Notice the letters lonely hearts. Place the edge of a
butter knife or mirror across the center of the letters reading
HEARTS and it will read "HE ^ DIE" pointing straight up to
Paul.