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Released in 2018

1882

Written by Paul McCartney • Linda Eastman / McCartney

Last updated on May 4, 2019

Album This song officially appears on the Red Rose Speedway - Archive Collection Official album.

Timeline This song was officially released in 2018

Timeline This song was written, or began to be written, in 1972, when Paul McCartney was 30 years old)

Related sessions

This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:

Other unreleased songs from the double-album Red Rose Speedway project

Related interview

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

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

Bootlegs

See all bootlegs containing “1882”

Live performances

“1882” has been played in 19 concerts.

Latest concerts where “1882” has been played

See all concerts where “1882” has been played

Going further

Paul McCartney writing

Talk more talk, chat more chat

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Brian K • 7 years ago

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.

The PaulMcCartney Project • 7 years ago

Thanks Brian for the comment. Need to listen to it again (it's been a long time!) and then fix the text !

adam • 6 years ago

iamaphoney did a mix https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eneJnciQmw thanks for a great site man :-)

adam • 6 years ago

better version? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5OIhB9QGLU

adam • 6 years ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwfxNh1xVK4 The Beatles Piece of mind

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