What Goes On

Lennon/McCartney/Starkey

Lyrics:
What goes on in your heart?
What goes on in your mind?
You are tearing me apart
When you treat me so unkind
What goes on in your mind

The other day I saw you
As I walked along the road
But when I saw him with you
I could feel my future fold
It's so easy for a girl like you to lie
Tell me why

What goes on in your heart?
What goes on in your mind?
You are tearing me apart
When you treat me so unkind
What goes on in your mind

I met you in the morning
waiting for the tides of time
But now the tide is turning
I can see that I was blind
It's so easy for a girl like you to lie
Tell me why
What goes on in your heart?

I used to think of no on else
But you were just the same
You didn't even think of me
As someone with a name
Did you mean to break my heart and watch me die
Tell me why

What goes on in your heart?
What goes on in your mind?
You are tearing me apart
When you treat me so unkind
What goes on in your mind
in your mind
in your mind

Availability:

Rubber Soul
"Yesterday"...And Today

Lead Singer: Ringo

Recording: 11/4/65
Mixing: 11/9/65
Length: 2:44
Take: 1

What Goes On? Anomalies

0:05
Right, backing chorus is late, leaving just "goes on..." * NEW * I know this happens every start of chorus, but the suddenness of the vocal coming in makes it feel like an edited in piece, or a late fade in, as opposed to being actually sung like that. Also, it doesn't happen at the one at 1:30 and 2:13, listen carefully to the right channel alone to hear whether there is a "What" or not.

0:09
Talking (Left channel) - Paul says "Yip!"

0:48
Chorus is late (" ... goes on") on right

0:58
Harmony for "tearing" is flat, and corrects upwards

1:11
(Left channel) someone says something

1:28
(Left channel) John says "TELL me why." It's possible that John says "I already TOLD you why;" if so, "I already" is too faint to hear, but the inflection is too unclear for me to state it conclusively.
* NEW * It is suggested that this is a reference to the earlier 1964 song, Tell Me Why.

1:35
(Right) A little whoop!

1:35-1:54 especially loud at 1:46-1:53
Ringo hums the melody during the middle eight. This left Joe Brennan wondering how many songs Ringo hummed during, though without a mic.

Max Mismetti suggests that all of Ringo's humming was caught while recording the basic track -- as a guide vocal.

2:36-2:40
Ringo sings "in your mind" twice at the end of the song.

Notes:

Ringo's first written contribution credit (with John & Paul) on an album was "What Goes On." Originally it was written early in 1963 by John, and was one of the songs The Beatles played for George Martin for consideration for a single as a follow up to "Please Please Me." The other songs The Beatles played this day for Martin were "From Me To You," "Thank You Girl," and "One After 909." As Ringo said when asked about co-writing a song, he replied, "I wrote about five words." It was recorded on November 4, 1965. What goes on in your heart? What goes on in your mind?