Firstly, I believe this is the first time George plays the Sitar.
Let us then review the lyrics:
I once had a girl
Or should I say she once had me
Okay so far. Interesting twist of lyrics. I doubt he’s trying to out-do Paul so on we go…
She showed me her room
Isn’t it good Norwegian wood?
Uh yeah, rooms and Scandinavian wood is fascinating.
She asked me to stay
And she told me to sit anywhere
So I looked around
And I noticed there wasn’t a chair
Glad she asked him to stay, rather than offer him a drink and a chair. This song is getting weird.
I sat on a rug biding my time
Drinking her wine
We talked until two and then she said
“It’s time for bed”
Okay! Paul did contribute to the lyrics so we know where this is going.
She told me she worked
In the morning and started to laugh
I told her I didn’t
And crawled off to sleep in the bath
Unexpected.
And when I awoke I was alone
This bird had flown
She had to work. Maybe she’d be okay if John Lennon hung around.
So I lit a fire
Isn’t it good Norwegian wood?
I have always heard this as John Lennon (or his character) is hanging for the day. Maybe drinking her wine. I dunno - this ain’t the 50’s - why does he sleep in the bath?
I’ve said this before but I read somewhere (can’t remember when or where) that the original lyric was “….isn’t it good? Knowing she would.” but Lennon kind of garbled the words and it came out sounded more like “Norwegian wood” and the Fabs thought it sounded nice and mysterious so they kept it.
That’s your question? I thought this was going to be about whether the narrator burned down her house or not (he did). I assume he sleeps in the bath because he’s not been invited to her bed; he’s an arsonist, not a rapist Also, it was after two in the morning.
Thant’s how I always thought about it, Most (early like Rubber Soul or Revolver) Beatle songs the singer or protagonist is basically Paul-ish or John-ish. I’d reckon George is always George.
So she chats with a more-or-less John Lennon (who was IRL married and had a house) but it’s. “yeah you can crash here but I’ve got a job”.
I’ve not slept in a bath so the rug would have done me fine if I had no place else to go.
Huh. My take at the time had been being playful with the names of pot strains in that era, like “Acapulco Gold” as the one I remember. Her having a fit of giggles, and the “lit a fire” just firing up a bong hit. I never even considered any other images in my head!
The narrator isn’t a jerk; just a loser. He had until 2am to seal the deal and he muffed it. She’s not a tease; he’s just an insecure male who was waiting for her to make the first move.
Yes, lit a fire was smoking a joint(or whatever them meddling kids called it). And he was staring at the woodwork (or his belly button) You know, he was high.
I first encountered this theory (or something close to it—that it was deliberate Lennon wordplay) in a story by SF writer Spider Robinson, but I don’t know whether it originated with him.
Everybody’s mentioning a house. The song specifically refers to her room. I’ve always envisioned her as living in a 1BR apartment (or flat, if you prefer). Possibly even just a studio apartment, and a poorly furnished one, at that.
And I’m pretty much convinced that he torched the place.
Also, it was after two in the morning.