Junk

I have downloaded this song off a compilation entitled "The Whiter Album", full of what I assume is demos for the White album. Paul wrote it while in the beatles while on their spiritual retreat with the maharishi, The lyrics are a cultural critique to american (or first world) capitalist consumerism and decadence and how it is both a mirror of destruction home(as junk) and out (in war).

This is a pretty simple meaning, and it kind of fits along with the idea that Paul puts whatever words that sound right in with the melody. What sticks out to me are the "bicycles for two", "sleeping bags for two", "broken hearted jubilee". It has always struck me as a sad lost love song. I look at the "buy, buy says the sign in the shop window" as when you're in love together you buy things for the both of you, things that mean something to the both of you. And the "why, why, says the junk in the yard" is post-relationship when you have no use for all that stuff anymore.

This song is on the Beatles Anthology 3, disc 1

I'm surprised no one has tried to take a spin at this song yet. The lyrics are so nonsensical that they can basically mean anything. For instance, what I got from this song is that it's about capitalism and using war to spread sales of items. Since 9/11 we've been buying "survival gear" and the such... "Army boots," "parachutes" "sleeping bags" et cetera. And, if course, "buy, buy, says the sign in the shop window." As I said, you can basically get any meaning you want from this song.

A beautiful melody that I think Paul just never got around to defining lyrically. In interviews Paul often spoke of coming up with melodies and just putting any words that fit to the tune and then later working out the actual lyrtics. It always felt sad to me.

The only song I remember called "Junk" was the one on the McCartney solo record. Where and when is this song from?

I heard that he actually wrote this during their religious retreat to that weird guy in the desert (I forget his name) It was later that he recorded it.

Never on any Beatles record, unless its turned up on one of the many bootlegs (of demo's or early versions) that never appeared on record. Macca recorded it on Ram, I think (too lazy to look it up)

Who is Jeremy Max Finer and why is he taking credit for writing a Paul McCartney song?

I always thought of it as a general message against consumerism, but now, 40 years after first hearing it, I notice that so many of the things that are junk are about the two of them. They became junk because of the split of "you and me". The breakup has made all those loved things into junk, because the loved one is no longer there to share them and give them meaning. The singer wonders why he should care about anything at all.

Since it mentions "old and new", it suggests "borrowed and blue", and that the breakup is literally a divorce.

A beautiful, haunting song and melody.

note: I posted these comments under a different username in the section for Paul Mccartney's version.