TheBeatlesOnline

George Harrison's I Me Mine is based on the Estern religious belief that humans have to let go of their own egos in order to be part of an universal consciousness.

"There is nothing that isn't part of the complete whole," George said.

"When the little 'i' merges into the big 'I', then you are really smiling!"

Musically, I Me Mine was inspired by Gallic walz-music Harrison had heard as performed by an Austrian marching band on TV.

In the Let It Be movie, there is a sequence in which George is strumming an acoustic version of the song to Ringo. This was filmed in January 1969. It's been said that Harrison wrote the song the night before, and that it only took him five minutes to do so.

The song wasn't recorded until year later, on January 1 1970, and then without Lennon who was on holiday in Denmark.

The original recording was of I Me Mine was only 1 minute and 34 seconds long. However, in April 1970, when producer Phil Spector re-produced and re-edited the song for the Let It Be album, he added another 51 seconds by spooling back after verse five and playing the song from verse two again. In other words, after the line "flowing more freely than wine" in verse five, the song starts from verse two again, from "all through the day."

I Me Mine

All through the day
I me mine
I me me mine, I me me mine
I me me mine

All I can hear
I me mine, I me mine, I me mine
Even those tears
I me mine, I me mine, I me mine
No one's frightened of playing it
Everyone's saying it
Flowing more freely that wine

All through the day
I me mine
I me me mine, I me me mine
I me me mine

All I can hear
I me mine, I me mine, I me mine
Even those tears
I me mine, I me mine, I me mine
No one's frightened of playing it
Everyone's saying it
Flowing more freely that wine

All through the life
I me mine