Cry Baby Cry

The White Album

**"Cry Baby Cry"** is a song released by the English rock band The Beatles, and is the twenty-eighth track of their self-titled ninth album, *The Beatles* (also known as "*the White Album*)" (1968). The outro is a brief segment by Paul McCartney called “*Can You Take Me Back*,” which was originally going to be part of another song called “*I Will*." Lennon got the inspiration for the lyrics from an advertisement and the nursery rhymes told to him as a kid.

## Lyrics

[Intro]

Cry baby cry, make your mother sigh

She's old enough to know better

[Verse 1]

The king of Marigold was in the kitchen

Cooking breakfast for the queen

The queen was in the parlour

Playing piano for the children of the king

[Chorus]

Cry baby cry, make your mother sigh

She's old enough to know better

So cry baby cry

[Verse 2]

The king was in the garden

Picking flowers for a friend who came to play

The queen was in the playroom

Painting pictures for the children's holiday

[Chorus]

Cry baby cry, make your mother sigh

She's old enough to know better

So cry baby cry

[Verse 3]

The duchess of Kircaldy always smiling

And arriving late for tea

The duke was having problems

With a message at the local Bird and Bee

[Chorus]

Cry baby cry, make your mother sigh

She's old enough to know better

So cry baby cry

[Verse 4]

At twelve o'clock a meeting round the table

For a seance in the dark

With voices out of nowhere

Put on specially by the children for a lark

[Chorus]

Cry baby cry, make your mother sigh

She's old enough to know better

So cry baby cry

Cry cry cry baby, make your mother sigh

She's old enough to know better

So cry baby cry

[Outro]

Can you take me back where I came from? Can you take me back?

Can you take me back where I came from? Brother, can you take me back?

Can you take me back?

Mm, can you take me where I came from?

Can you take me back?

## Personnel

#### Cry Baby Cry

* John Lennon – lead vocal and harmony vocal, falsetto vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, organ
* Paul McCartney – bass guitar, falsetto vocals
* George Harrison – lead guitar
* Ringo Starr – drums, tambourine
* George Martin – harmonium

#### Can You Take Me Back?

* Paul McCartney – lead vocal, acoustic guitar
* John Lennon – percussion, maracas
* Ringo Starr – bongos

## Info

* “Cry Baby Cry” is followed on the album by an unrelated and unlisted track, ad-libbed and sung by Paul McCartney. Though the song has no official name, it is popularly known as “*Can You Take Me Back*” (after the primary lyric of the song). The hidden track is an improvised jam recorded by McCartney during a 1968 session for “*I Will*.”
* The song was inspired by a nursery ryhme that John was told to him as a kid.
* In the song, John mentions the "Duchess of Kircaldy." Kircaldy is in Fife, Scotland and when he was young, Kircaldy was a stop that John always made when in route to visit his relations in Durness. The Beatles also performed in Kircaldy in their early years.

## References

1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Beatles\_discography
2. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Beatles\_(album)
3. ↑ https://genius.com/The-beatles-cry-baby-cry-lyrics
4. ↑ https://genius.com/10436856
5. ↑ https://www.songfacts.com/facts/the-beatles/cry-baby-cry