The Night Before Lyrics

[Verse 1: Paul McCartney, John Lennon & George Harrison]
We said our goodbyes (Ah, the night before)
Love was in your eyes (Ah, the night before)
Now, today, I find
You have changed your mind
Treat me like you did the night before

[Verse 2: Paul McCartney, John Lennon & George Harrison]
Were you telling lies? (Ah, the night before?)
Was I so unwise? (Ah, the night before?)
When I held you near
You were so sincere
Treat me like you did the night before

[Bridge: Paul McCartney]
Last night is a night
I will remember you by
When I think of things we did
It makes me wanna cry!

[Verse 3: Paul McCartney, John Lennon & George Harrison]
We said our goodbye (Ah, the night before)
Love was in your eyes (Ah, the night before)
Now, today, I find
You have changed your mind
Treat me like you did the night before
(Yes)
[Guitar Solo]

[Refrain: Paul McCartney]
When I held you near
You were so sincere
Treat me like you did the night before

[Bridge: Paul McCartney]
Last night is a night
I will remember you by
When I think of things we did
It makes me wanna cry

[Verse 4: Paul McCartney, John Lennon & George Harrison]
Were you telling lies? (Ah, the night before?)
Was I so unwise? (Ah, the night before?)
When I held you near
You were so sincere
Treat me like you did the night before
Like the night before

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About

Genius Annotation

Written by Paul McCartney, “The Night Before” was featured in the 1965 movie, Help! The song was arbitrarily chosen to be played before a chase scene involving tanks.

The song was notably recorded in just two takes on February 17, 1965.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did The Beatles say about "The Night Before"?
Genius Answer

That’s Paul again. I’ll just say it’s Paul, meaning I don’t remember anything about it except it was in the movie Help!

— John Lennon, All We Are Saying, David Sheff

What inspired Paul McCartney to write this song?
Genius Answer

The song was written by Paul McCartney when he was living with his then girlfriend Jane Asher. It has been speculated that it is about their turbulent relationship, however, there is no direct evidence to support that.

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