- Album This song officially appears on the Red Rose Speedway - Archive Collection Official album.
- Timeline This song has been written (or started being written) in 1972 (Paul McCartney was 30 years old)
Related sessions
This song has been recorded during the following studio sessions
Circa 1970
Nov 13, 1972
December 1972
Oct 17, 2017
Other unreleased songs from the double-album Red Rose Speedway project
Officially appears on Red Rose Speedway - Archive Collection
Officially appears on Red Rose Speedway - Archive Collection
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Song facts
This song dates back to 1970 when it was first recorded as demos around the time of the McCartney album. Two demos have been made available – and are described in the following way on “chained and perfumed” blog:
The first “1882” demo is predictably the less complete of the two. It’s a simple Paul-on-piano track and some of the eventual lyrics aren’t yet present but the vocals are very strong. […] If the first version is only a Macca warm up, he’s absolutely on fire in the second. He’s brought Linda in for some backing vocals and she, too, vocalizes the guitar bits. The results are amazing. This may be the among the last gasps of Paul’s knack for marrying his extreme pop sensibilities and his more oddball tendencies—not to mention the last gasp of the hippie dippy style of songs that he’d been writing since he was in India in 68—before reinventing himself as the stadium-rock monster that he and Wings would become within a few years time.
It is supposed that a studio version was recorded in January 1972, but this one hasn’t surfaced yet. The song was then covered during the “Wings Over Europe” tour, and presented as “from our next LP“. Indeed, “Red Rose Speedway” was initially planned as a double album, on which 1882 would have been available in live rendition, recorded during the concert in The Hague; some studio overdubs had been added on this live recording. However, the song has been removed from the final Red Rose Speedway album, and has remained unreleased.
Regarding the lyrics of the song, here is how the blog IAMAPHONEY describes them:
[…] The lyrical content of the song is quite unusual. Some would fault McCartney’s lyrics because of the way he separates common expressions in order to fit the melody, but there is every reason to believe that this was intentional. Saying “You’ll be tarred, you’ll be feathered” and “You’ll be drawn, you’ll be quartered” is like saying, “You’ll be fine, you’ll be dandy.”
Unlike many McCartney songs, this one does have a cohesive story. McCartney sings about an impoverished boy and the consequences he faced for stealing a loaf of bread from the big house upstairs. Many impoverished boys flooded into London in 1882. […]
First demo + live Rotterdam 1972
Live La Hague 1972
Last updated on May 4, 2019
Lyrics
Demo version
good morning, young master, it’s 1882
your mother is hungry, what will you do?
there is bread in the kitchen of the big house upstairs
but I warn you, don’t take it from them
your mother is calling, she wants you by the bed
so get up, young master, shake your sleepy head
“darling son, I am dying, and I leave it to you
I’m leaving, tell me, what did I do?”
you’ll be tarred, you’ll be feathered, you’ll be hung like a ham
and I warn you, don’t do it, young man
i own a sheepfarm.
i own a sheepfarm.
i’m dying, tell me, what did I do?
Live version
Good morning, young master, it’s 1882
And your mother is hungry, what will you do?
There is bread in the kitchen of the big house upstairs
But I warn you, don’t take it from them
You’ll be tarred, you’ll be feathered, you’ll be hung like a ham
And I warn you, don’t do it, young man
Your mother is calling, she wants you by the bed
So get ready, young master, well, go shake your sleepy head
“Darling son, I am dying and I leave it to you
As I’m leaving, tell me what did I do?”
“I’m dying, tell me what did I do?”
Well, boy steals the bread, now that’s enough, heads for the door
Man sees you coming, said “Boy, you won’t be running no more”
Boy gets arrested and the case it gets tested that day
Judge finds him guilty and the jailer takes him away
Yeah, whoa
Good morning, young master, it’s twenty-five to nine
They’ll be coming to get you, well, in twenty minutes time
You’ll be drawn, you’ll be quartered, you’ll be hung like a ham
But I warn you, get ready, young man
Said the boy, “I am dying and I leave it to you
As I’m leaving, tell me what did I do?
As I’m dying, tell me what did I do?”
Officially appears on
Red Rose Speedway - Archive Collection
Official album • Released in 2018
3:26 • Demo • A • Home recording. Unknown recording date.
- Performed by :
- Paul McCartney
Red Rose Speedway - Archive Collection
Official album • Released in 2018
6:31 • Live • L1.1
- Performed by :
- Paul McCartney • Linda McCartney • Denny Laine • Henry McCullough • Denny Seiwell
- Paul McCartney :
- Producer
- Alan Parsons :
- Recording engineer
- Bill Price :
- Mixing engineer
- Alex Wharton :
- Mastering
- Jeremy Gee :
- Recording engineer assistant
- Graham Fleming :
- Recording engineer assistant
Concert From the concert in Berlin, Germany on Aug 24, 1972
- Session Mixing:
- December 1972
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Red Rose Speedway - Archive Collection
Official album • Released in 2018
6:51 • Studio version • B
- Performed by :
- Paul McCartney • Linda McCartney • Denny Laine • Henry McCullough • Denny Seiwell
- Paul McCartney :
- Producer
- Alan Parsons :
- Recording engineer
- Alex Wharton :
- Mastering
- Steve Orchard :
- Mixing engineer
- Mike Jaratt :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- Nov 13, 1972
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 17, 2017
- Studio :
- Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
Official album • Released in 2018
6:27 • Live • L1
- Performed by :
- Paul McCartney • Linda McCartney • Denny Laine • Henry McCullough • Denny Seiwell
- Paul McCartney :
- Producer
- Alan Parsons :
- Recording engineer
- Alex Wharton :
- Mastering
- Steve Orchard :
- Mixing engineer
- Jeremy Gee :
- Recording engineer assistant
- Graham Fleming :
- Recording engineer assistant
Concert From the concert in Berlin, Germany on Aug 24, 1972
Bootlegs
Unofficial live • Released in 2003
6:26 • Live
Concert From the concert in The Hague, Netherlands on Aug 21, 1972
Unofficial live
5:56 • Live
Concert From the concert in Montreux, Switzerland on Jul 22, 1972
The Alternate Red Rose Speedway Volume 1: The Original Acetate
Unofficial album
6:09 • Live • Live with studio overdubs
Concert From the concert in The Hague, Netherlands on Aug 21, 1972
Live performances
“1882” has been played in 19 concerts.
Latest concerts where 1882 has been played
Berlin • Deutschlandhalle • Germany
Aug 24, 1972 • Part of Wings Over Europe Tour
Antwerp • Cinema Roma • Belgium
Aug 22, 1972 • Part of Wings Over Europe Tour
The Hague • Congresgebouw • Netherlands
Aug 21, 1972 • Part of Wings Over Europe Tour
Amsterdam • Concertgebouw • Netherlands
Aug 20, 1972 • Part of Wings Over Europe Tour
Groningen • Evenementenhal Martinihal • Netherlands
Aug 19, 1972 • Part of Wings Over Europe Tour
Going further
http://albumsthatneverwere.blogspot.fr/2013/04/paul-mccartney-wings-red-rose-speedway.html
http://iamaphoney.blogspot.fr/2008/07/1882-mccartney.html
http://johannasvisions.com/unreleased-1882-by-paul-mccartney/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Rose_Speedway
http://chainedandperfumed.com/2009/05/02/years-after-the-event-1882/
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On the home demo of 1882, I dont believe Linda is on there. Possibly for 2 or 3 seconds at the 2:52 mark, but doubtful. Earlier, even the high parts, are Paul.
Thanks Brian for the comment. Need to listen to it again (it's been a long time!) and then fix the text !
iamaphoney did a mix https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eneJnciQmw thanks for a great site man :-)
better version? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5OIhB9QGLU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwfxNh1xVK4 The Beatles Piece of mind