I think Paul wrote Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End as a catharsis for the impending breakup of The Beatles.
I think McCartney wrote “Golden Slumbers” to try to express his sadness and hurt (and maybe even depression) at the breakup of the Beatles, and to try to soothe himself at the same time. He’s doing this with a song that is supposed to be a lullaby. A lullaby implies someone who is comfortable, singing a soothing song to someone in need of comforting. The person he is trying to comfort in addition to us, however, is himself. The person singing is also the one feeling the hurt, so Paul’s performance of the song is an emotional dichotomy, one part comforting (“sleep pretty darling do not cry”) and one part pain (“Golden slumbers fill your eyes”) and sadness (“Once there was a way to get back homeward“). That’s part of why this recording is so special.
On “Carry That Weight“, Paul is conveying anger and blame, whether it’s toward John, Yoko, or Allen Klein, (or all of the above,) before the song heads back to sadness with the reprise of “You Never Give Me Your Money“.
On “The End“, Paul comes to terms with the end of The Beatles and tries to help the fans do the same by performing a final number with rotating solos to close out a magnificent career for the group. The fans don’t know quite yet that this is the end, but Paul knows they soon will. And the final line expresses so well the impact of The Beatles, "and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make".
Interestingly, this series of songs also represented my personal feelings after John Lennon’s murder. In my sadness and shock, I instinctively wanted to hear these three songs.
I think Paul wrote Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End as a catharsis for the impending breakup of The Beatles.
I think McCartney wrote “Golden Slumbers” to try to express his sadness and hurt (and maybe even depression) at the breakup of the Beatles, and to try to soothe himself at the same time. He’s doing this with a song that is supposed to be a lullaby. A lullaby implies someone who is comfortable, singing a soothing song to someone in need of comforting. The person he is trying to comfort in addition to us, however, is himself. The person singing is also the one feeling the hurt, so Paul’s performance of the song is an emotional dichotomy, one part comforting (“sleep pretty darling do not cry”) and one part pain (“Golden slumbers fill your eyes”) and sadness (“Once there was a way to get back homeward“). That’s part of why this recording is so special.
On “Carry That Weight“, Paul is conveying anger and blame, whether it’s toward John, Yoko, or Allen Klein, (or all of the above,) before the song heads back to sadness with the reprise of “You Never Give Me Your Money“.
On “The End“, Paul comes to terms with the end of The Beatles and tries to help the fans do the same by performing a final number with rotating solos to close out a magnificent career for the group. The fans don’t know quite yet that this is the end, but Paul knows they soon will. And the final line expresses so well the impact of The Beatles, "and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make".
Interestingly, this series of songs also represented my personal feelings after John Lennon’s murder. In my sadness and shock, I instinctively wanted to hear these three songs.