Day Tripper

By John T. Marck

Recorded on October 16, 1965, “Day Tripper,” broke the rule that one could tell which Beatle wrote what song by who sang the lead. A total Lennon composition, it was Paul who sang the lead, while Lennon sang the chorus.

During the summer of 1965, John Lennon and George Harrison had been introduced to LSD by a London dentist. It seems that the dentist slipped some into their tea after dinner one evening. In August, while in the United States, they again gave LSD a try, after which Lennon said that “he ate it all the time.”

Lennon used the title of “Day Tripper,” as a play on words, in an attempt to reflect the then influence of drugs into a Beatles’ song. In his way, Lennon was saying that people like him could not afford the luxury of being high all the time, so he opted to be a “weekend hippie,” or Day Tripper, versus lets say an “all the time tripper.”

By definition, this song is about a girl who leads the singer on, a sort of tease, as in “she’s a big teaser.” This phrase meaning a girl who encourages sexual arousal with no intention of having sex.

By style, it was similar to “I Feel Fine,“ and “Ticket To Ride,“ built around rock-solid guitar riffs, like The Rolling Stones used at the time.

“Day Tripper,” reached number one in the United Kingdom on December 3, 1965, remaining there for five weeks. In the United States, it only reached number five. This song was one that was released as a double A-side single, with “We Can Work It Out.”

Got a good reason, for taking the easy way out

Got a good reason, for taking the easy way out now

She was a day tripper, one way ticket, yeah

It took me so long to find out, and I found out

She's a big teaser, she took me half the way there

She's a big teaser, she took me half the way there, now

She was a day tripper, one way ticket, yeah

It took me so long to find out, and I found out

Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah

Tried to please her, she only played one night stand

Tried to please her, she only played one night stand, now

She was a day tripper, one way ticket, yeah

It took me so long to find out, and I found out

Day tripper, day tripper,

yeah

NOTE: All lyrics contained herein are ©Copyright Northern Songs. All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured. The lyrics contained herein are for the sole use of educational reference for the readers of this article. All other uses are in violation of international copyright laws. This use for educational reference, falls under the "fair use" sections of U.S. copyright law. Copyright © 2000-2022 by John T. Marck. All Rights Reserved. This article and their accompanying pictures, photographs, and line art, may not be resold, reprinted, or redistributed for compensation of any kind without prior written permission from the author, or the registered copyright holders. Except as otherwise stated above, all information contained in this article, EXCEPT song titles, lyrics, and photographs © John T. Marck.