Cover art for Waterfalls by Paul McCartney

Waterfalls

May. 16, 19801 viewer13.8K views

Waterfalls Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Don't go jumping waterfalls
Please keep to the lake

People who jump waterfalls
Sometimes can make mistakes

[Chorus]
And I need love
Yeah, I need love
Like a second needs an hour
Like a raindrop needs a shower
Yeah, I need love every minute of the day
And it wouldn't be the same
If you ever should decide to go away


[Instrumental Break]

[Chorus]
And I need love
Yeah, I need love
Like a castle needs a tower
Like a garden needs a flower
Yeah, I need love every minute of the day
And it wouldn't be the same
If you ever should decide to go away
[Verse 2]
Don't go chasing polar bears
In the great unknown
Some big friendly polar bear
Might want to take you home

[Chorus]
And I need love
Yeah, I need love
Like a second needs an hour
Like a raindrop needs a shower
Yeah, I need love every minute of the day
And it wouldn't be the same
If you ever should decide to go away


[Verse 3]
Don't run after motor cars
Please stay on the side
Someone's glossy motor car
Might take you for a ride

[Chorus]
And I need love
Yeah, I need love
Like a castle needs a tower
Like a garden needs a flower
Yeah, I need love, said I need love
Like a raindrop needs a shower
Like a second needs an hour
Every minute of the day
And it wouldn't be the same
If you ever should decide to go away

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum

About

This song bio is unreviewed
Genius Annotation

‘Waterfalls’ is basically saying don’t go doing a load of dangerous stuff, ’cause I need you. And that’s a kind of more mature thought for me than I would have been able to have done 20 years ago, ’cause I just didn’t realise that it’s not all gonna be here for ever. That’s the kind of thing you realise when you pass 30.

-Paul McCartney

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Paul McCartney say about "Waterfalls"?
Genius Answer

The only song that was written before I came to record was ‘Waterfalls’… ‘Waterfalls’ could have been called ‘I Need Love’ but that would have been too ordinary. I just had this waterfalls and lakes idea, from the notices you see in American tourist resorts, and it stuck. Halfway through the album, making it all up as I went along, I got a bit bored. I had finished about eight tracks by then and I thought I would do something different. So I decided to do a song that was already written, a track left over from the last Wings album, and that was my favourite at the time. That’s why it’s included. The original lyrics were just working lyrics, gut lyrics, just spewed out. I thought I’d have to get serious and sensible and change them. Lyrics like that I don’t trust. But in time, I got to like them and I thought I should add electric piano and a distant string synthesiser like a mad Swiss orchestra on a mountaintop. And it worked! A lot of people have rung up about that one and said that it’s their favourite. So when you get such a good feeling, you think that perhaps it should be a single. – [x]

Credits
Lead Vocal
Electric Piano
Recorded At
Paul McCartney's home studio, Sussex, England; Spirit of Ranachan, Campbeltown, Argyll and Bute, Scotland (June - August 1979)
Release Date
May 16, 1980
Songs That Sample Waterfalls
Songs That Interpolate Waterfalls
View Waterfalls samples
Tags
Comments