Only A Northern Song

George Harrison's 'Only A Northern Song' appeared on the album 'Yellow Submarine', after it was felt not to fit in with the other songs on the 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' album. It is thought that it is a response to Harrison's often disrespected hometown of Liverpool, but more significantly, a take on Northern Songs, and his feelings about them due to the treatment he received from them.

Lyrics to 'Only A Northern Song'

If you're listening to this song
You may think the chords are wrong
But they're not;
He just wrote it like that.
It doesn't really matter what chords I play
What words I say or time of day it is
As it's only a Northern song
It doesn't really matter what clothes I wear
Or how I fare or if my hair is brown
When it's only a Northern song.
When you're listening late at night
You may think the band are not quite right
But they are, they just play it like that
It doesn't really matter what chords I play
What words I say or time of day it is
As it's only a Northern song.
It doesn't really matter what clothes I wear
Or how I fare or if my hair is brown
When it's only a Northern song.
If you think the harmony
Is a little dark and out of key
You're correct, there's nobody there.
It doesn't really matter what chords I play
What words I say or time of day it is
And I told you there's no one there.

The words are fairly self explanatory about how Harrison was feeling at the time, and the fact it was deemed not good enough to go on Sgt Pepper futher comfirms his standing within the band by the record company.