# "Live and Let Die" Lyrics question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 26, 2004, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/live-and-let-die-lyrics-question/281646 "2004-12-26T04:51:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/live-and-let-die-lyrics-question/281646/1 "2004-12-26T04:51:56Z")
I think it’s commonly thought / known that McCartney sings the line “…and if this ever-changing world **in which we live in…** ” which is horrible grammar. My wife, however, hears “and if this ever-changing world **in which we’re living…** ” which is acceptable. I disagree with her hearing on this. Anyone agree with her? G ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/live-and-let-die-lyrics-question/281646/2 "2004-12-26T04:55:05Z")
I do. But I always tend to think the best of Beatles. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/live-and-let-die-lyrics-question/281646/3 "2004-12-26T04:57:38Z")
I’ve had this debate before. Unfortunately, it was with myself, and so it remains unresolved. I always sing your version, even as my mind insists that it must be your wife’s version. I mean, that _does_ make more sense. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/live-and-let-die-lyrics-question/281646/4 "2004-12-26T05:35:57Z")
Guns n Roses cover cleared it up for me. McCartney uses the gramatically correct lyrics, but that English thing he does with his voice makes “we’re” sound like “we.” Snotty Boston people do it too–they just ignore “r” if it doesn’t begin a word. “Havad”, “pak the ca”, etc. After Axl sang it, I’ve been able to hear McCartney’s very faint “ya” as in we’re = “we’ya.” The he very Rock n Roll-ly dumps the g off “living.” Come on, you have to try to butcher grammer that badly. Unless, he did it on purpose to accentuate the ever-changingness of the world…but I’m not sure Paul goes that deep. ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/live-and-let-die-lyrics-question/281646/5 "2004-12-26T05:37:38Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > I think it’s commonly thought / known that McCartney sings the line > > “…and if this ever-changing world **in which we live in…** ” > > which is horrible grammar. My wife, however, hears > > “and if this ever-changing world **in which we’re living…** ” > > which is acceptable. I disagree with her hearing on this. Anyone agree with her? > > G I don’t. I admit however that I have not heard the McCartney version but the Guns and Roses version clearly says ‘in which we live in’. As far as the grammer goes its ugly and ends in a preposition. It would probably draw the wrath of the red pen if it were in an essay but I don’t know if it violates any hard and fast rules. ---
**Author:** ![rfgdxm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@rfgdxm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfgdxm)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/live-and-let-die-lyrics-question/281646/6 "2004-12-26T05:58:18Z")
> [@treis](#): > > I don’t. I admit however that I have not heard the McCartney version but the Guns and Roses version clearly says ‘in which we live in’. As far as the grammer goes its ugly and ends in a preposition. It would probably draw the wrath of the red pen if it were in an essay but I don’t know if it violates any hard and fast rules. I just downloaded the McCartney version with WinMX, and checked lyrics sites. Most lyrics sites have it as “But if this ever changin’ in which we live in”. My ears indicate that the end is clearly “…live in”. As for whether it is “we” or “we’re”, it is unclear. However, I do seem to hear a “we’ya” in there, so it may in fact be “we’re” with the “r” sound deemphasized. ---
**Author:** ![rfgdxm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@rfgdxm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfgdxm)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/live-and-let-die-lyrics-question/281646/7 "2004-12-26T06:01:42Z")
Added: However, if it is “livin’” (end g dropped off, as is common in soul/rock music), this sounds exactly the “live in”. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/live-and-let-die-lyrics-question/281646/8 "2004-12-26T07:47:58Z")
> [@treis](#): > > I don’t. I admit however that I have not heard the McCartney version but the Guns and Roses version clearly says ‘in which we live in’. As far as the grammer goes its ugly and ends in a preposition. It would probably draw the wrath of the red pen if it were in an essay but I don’t know if it violates any hard and fast rules. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with ending a sentence with a preposition. That old rule was nothing but nonsense. The grammatical problem with “in which we live in” is that “in” is repeated. It’s either “the everchanging world in which we live” or “the everchanging world which we live in” NOT “the everchanging world in which we live in.” I agree that the G’n’R version is definitely “in which we live in,” and the McCartney version sounds a heck of a whole lot like the same to me, but I’m willing to give him the benefit of a doubt. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/live-and-let-die-lyrics-question/281646/9 "2004-12-26T13:52:49Z")
> [@rfgdxm](#): > > I just downloaded the McCartney version with WinMX, and checked lyrics sites. Most lyrics sites have it as “But if this ever changin’ in which we live in”. That doesn’t say much. Lyrics on the web can be remarkably inaccurate, and the idea that Macca screwed up in this boneheaded way is so popular that it’s likely to influence transcriptions of his lyrics whether he did it or not. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/live-and-let-die-lyrics-question/281646/10 "2004-12-26T15:23:54Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > It’s either “the everchanging world in which we live” or “the everchanging world which we live in” NOT “the everchanging world in which we live in.” > > I agree that the G’n’R version is definitely “in which we live in,” and the McCartney version sounds a heck of a whole lot like the same to me, but I’m willing to give him the benefit of a doubt. Bah… GnR version just uses the Ebonics form of “we’re” : “we” McCartney puts his English spin on “we’re” which render’s the " 're" portion inaudible. Both dump the g off living. Now, as for that “Blinded By The Light” song … ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/live-and-let-die-lyrics-question/281646/11 "2004-12-26T17:49:21Z")
> [@treis](#): > > I don’t. I admit however that I have not heard the McCartney version but the Guns and Roses version clearly says ‘in which we live in’. As far as the grammer goes its ugly and ends in a preposition. It would probably draw the wrath of the red pen if it were in an essay but I don’t know if it violates any hard and fast rules. It would not draw the wrath of anyone in an essay, because it’s not the end of a sentence. “But if this ever-changin’ world in which we’re livin’ makes you give in and cry, say live and let die.” ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/live-and-let-die-lyrics-question/281646/12 "2004-12-26T18:40:02Z")
According to the liner notes from McCartney’s _All The Best!_ album, the lyrics are: > [@](#): > > But if this ever-changing world in which we live in It surprises me, because I’ve always sung “in which we’re living,” but I consider this to be a pretty definitive source. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![rfgdxm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@rfgdxm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfgdxm)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/live-and-let-die-lyrics-question/281646/13 "2004-12-26T20:29:08Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > According to the liner notes from McCartney’s _All The Best!_ album, the lyrics are: > It surprises me, because I’ve always sung “in which we’re living,” but I consider this to be a pretty definitive source. 🙂 I wouldn’t consider that 100% definitive. I’ve seen liner notes where there were obvious errors. And cases where the artist had changed the lyrics between when they were first written down, and the time they recorded the song. Plus it wouldn’t surprise me that someone at the record company decided they wanted to include liner notes, and because they didn’t have the actual lyrics from the source, just had someone transcribe them based on listening to the song because this was the quickest and easiest way to go. When you are a record company (as opposed to a seller of sheet music), getting the lyrics just right isn’t exactly a top priority. Hmm… [http://groups-beta.google.com/group/rec.music.beatles/msg/d77a65296ca81e6b?dmode=source](http://groups-beta.google.com/group/rec.music.beatles/msg/d77a65296ca81e6b?dmode=source) “Those are certainly the published lyrics to “Live and Let Die”. The published lyrics to “Hi Hi Hi” also say “body gun” instead of what Paul insists the lyrics are/were - “polygon”. There are quite a few examples of the published (i.e. copyrighted) lyrics being incorrect as per the writer. “Live and Let Die”, if you listen to the song (both the recorded and any one of several live versions), is another example of the published lyrics being incorrect.” "He clearly sings and has sung “ever changing world in which we’re living”. Somebody years ago in alt.music.beatles made the same observation I did. I don’t have access to any of the live versions at the moment, but those might clear up the confusion. Likely the only possible way, as I doubt asking Paul himself is possible. ---
**Author:** ![rfgdxm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@rfgdxm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfgdxm)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/live-and-let-die-lyrics-question/281646/14 "2004-12-26T20:42:11Z")
For a humorous example of an officially botched McCartney lyric: [http://rigby.chat.ru/books/his/hisown05.html](http://rigby.chat.ru/books/his/hisown05.html) Interviewer: “‘Hi Hi Hi’ was the one that brought you back to the top ten, after ‘Give Ireland Back to the Irish’ and ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb,’ although in Britain they played ‘C Moon’ because ‘Hi Hi Hi’ was banned by the BBC.” Paul: "I thought the ‘Hi Hi Hi’ thing could easily be taken as a natural high, could be taken as booze high and everything. It doesn’t have to be drugs, you know, so I’d kind of get away with it. Well, the first thing they saw was drugs, so I didn’t get away with that, and then I just had some line ‘Lie on the bed and get ready for my polygon.’ “The daft thing about all of that was our publishing company, Northern Songs, owned by Lew Grade, got the lyrics wrong and sent them round to the radio station and it said, ‘Get ready for my body gun,’ which is far more suggestive than anything I put. ‘Get ready for my polygon,’ watch out baby, I mean it was suggestive, but abstract suggestive, which I thought I’d get away with. Bloody company goes round and makes it much more specific by putting “body gun.” Better words, almost.” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/live-and-let-die-lyrics-question/281646/15 "2004-12-27T00:31:38Z")
My ears, which are somewhat accustomed to non-rhotic accents (New England, in my case) hear the R in _we’re_ - it’s just very very faint. Of course that could be just an example of knowing what to listen for, because that has always been a lyric that I misheard as “in which we live in”. :smack: