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Released in 2013

Alligator

Written by Paul McCartney

Last updated on June 3, 2019

Album This song officially appears on the New Official album.

Timeline This song was officially released in 2013

Master album

Related sessions

This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:

Related interview

“Alligator” is a song from 2013 album “NEW“, produced by Mark Ronson, one of the four producers who worked on this album. This is the first song that Paul composed for this album.

I had a few weeks when I settled in a regular system. What I would do is, I’d take my little girl to school, my youngest daughter and then I’d come back, and I’d have some time before I would have to go and pick her up again. So, I’d just come home get myself a cup of green tea and sit with my guitar or piano. On Alligator I wanted to feel Zen. I was messing around and I staffed getting the idea: “I need someone to come home to. I need a place I can rest”. I knew that in about 3 or 4-hours’ time after I started I’d be ringing Nancy, who was in New York, and I knew I’d wake her up. It was about 12 o’clock, it was 7 o’clock for her. So this gave me a motivation to write something and ring her up and say: “Morning, baby. You wanna hear a song?”

Paul McCartney, interview with Zane Lowe, October 2013

From the NEW biography:

Mark’s other contribution, ‘Alligator’, afforded him the opportunity to get his hands on the original four-track recorder from Abbey Road that Paul had used on a lot of his solo recordings made post-The Beatles, up in Scotland. “That was one where we experimented a lot. Because his music is just so all around us now, we forget that Paul, with The Beatles and solo, was always on the cutting edge of technology. So it makes sense that he would want to try out all these new pieces of equipment. We used a TC Helicon for the vocals, which is what Kanye uses a lot on his stuff, so there’s some really interesting things going on with the vocals in the bridges of that song.”

Lyrics

I want someone to come home to

I need somewhere I can sleep

I need a place where I can rest my weary bones

And have a conversation not too deep

Everybody else is busy doing better than me

And I can see why it is

They got someone setting them free

Someone breaking the chains

Someone letting them be

I want someone who can save me

When I come home from the zoo

I need somebody who’s a sweet communicator

I can give my alligator to

Everybody seems to know what they are talking about

And I can see why it is

They got someone breaking them out

Someone finding the key

Someone setting them free

Could you be that person for me

Would you feel right setting me free

Could you dare to find my key

I want someone who can bail me

When I get up to my tricks

I need somebody used to

Dealing with a sinner

Whenever I get in a fix

Everybody else is busy doing better than me

And I can see why it is

They got someone setting them free

Someone breaking the chains

Someone letting them be

Could you be that person for me

Would you feel right setting me free

Could you dare to find my key

Officially appears on

Bootlegs

See all bootlegs containing “Alligator”

Live performances

“Alligator” has been played in 23 soundchecks.

Paul McCartney writing

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