# Beatles - Golden Slumbers/The End **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 21, 2003, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beatles-golden-slumbers-the-end/196690 "2003-08-21T15:07:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BizarroRonJeremy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@BizarroRonJeremy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BizarroRonJeremy)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beatles-golden-slumbers-the-end/196690/1 "2003-08-21T15:07:37Z")
I just finished listening to Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End. Can anyone shed light on the following myths/truths: 1. In “The End”, is Paul McCartney doing the drum solo? 2. Paul, John and George take turns soloing. Is the super-distorted, banging out chords part really John? How about the other leads? Who’s playing what? ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beatles-golden-slumbers-the-end/196690/2 "2003-08-21T16:17:48Z")
1. Ringo played the drum solo; in fact he gets quite annoyed when anyone suggests he didn’t. 2. Yes, that’s John playing the “chugging” guitar. I’m not at home and can’t check in which order the guitarists come up, but **if** memory serves, it’s Paul-George-John, then repeat. ---
**Author:** ![PVenkman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed8c4c/32.png) [@PVenkman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PVenkman)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beatles-golden-slumbers-the-end/196690/3 "2003-08-21T17:25:16Z")
Biffy has it right on both counts. Ringo’s doing the solo and that’s the ONLY recorded solo he ever did with the Beatles. The order on the guitar solos is indeed Paul-George-John-repeat. About the only other instance I can recall of John playing lead guitar in the Beatles is on “You Can’t Do That”; maybe he did on “Revolution” too but I’m not sure about that. ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beatles-golden-slumbers-the-end/196690/4 "2003-08-21T17:32:40Z")
A lot of Beatles songs really had two or more rhythm parts, so its hard to say which one was the ‘lead’. But John played solos on: “Yer Blues” “Get Back” “I Want You (She’s So Heavy”) Also all guitars on “The Ballad of John and Yoko”. Paul played lead on many others, “Taxman”, “Ticket To Ride”. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beatles-golden-slumbers-the-end/196690/5 "2003-08-21T17:42:25Z")
BTW, the lyrics to “Golden Slumbers” were not written by the Beatles. It’s from a poem by [Thomas Dekker](http://www.helpself.com/love-poems/poem-6k.htm) dating from 1603. ---
**Author:** ![Ceejaytee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ceejaytee/32/2956_2.png) [@Ceejaytee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ceejaytee)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beatles-golden-slumbers-the-end/196690/6 "2003-08-21T19:47:25Z")
I’m pretty sure George did the solo in Revolution. I think I remember reading in the Anthology that he hated the fuzzy sound of the guitar solo, but John really wanted it that way. Didn’t John and Paul do The Ballad of John and Yoko by themselves, with Paul taking the drums? ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beatles-golden-slumbers-the-end/196690/7 "2003-08-21T20:43:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ceejaytee \* > \*\*Didn’t John and Paul do The Ballad of John and Yoko by themselves, with Paul taking the drums? \*\* Yes. There’s reportedly a charming moment on the master tape where John says to Paul something like “Ready, Ringo?” and Paul replies “Okay, George.” ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beatles-golden-slumbers-the-end/196690/8 "2003-08-21T23:19:28Z")
**pvenkman** Beatles’ drum solos. What about “Birthday” from the “White Album”? Doesn’t that count? ---
**Author:** ![Moo\_the\_Magic\_Cow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@Moo\_the\_Magic\_Cow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moo_the_Magic_Cow)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beatles-golden-slumbers-the-end/196690/9 "2003-08-22T00:39:31Z")
The lyrics to Golden Slumbers _were_ written by Paul see [this](http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Alley/5118/beatles/golden_slumbers-ly.html). A few lines are shared amongst the two and it is obvious that he borrowed from the poem, but Dekker didn’t write the whole thing. And yes, of course it counts **wolf\_meister** , I don’t see why everyone always forgets the drum solo in Birthday. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beatles-golden-slumbers-the-end/196690/10 "2003-08-22T05:54:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by wolf\_meister \* > \*\ ***pvenkman** > > Beatles’ drum solos. What about “Birthday” from the “White Album”? Doesn’t that count? \*\* I think Paul McCartney played drums on Birthday.