travelling wilburys lyrics i so tired of being lonely

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Roy Orbison – Handle Me With Care - Travelling Wilburys lyrics

Been beat up and battered around Been sent up and I've been shut down You're the best thing that I've ever found Handle me with care Reputations changeable Situations tolerable But baby you're adorable Handle me with care

I'm so tired of being lonely I still have some love to give Won't you show me that you really care? Everybody's got somebody to lean on Put your body next to mine and dream on

I've been fucked up and I've been fooled I've been robbed and ridiculed Daycare census and night schools Handle me with care

Been stuck in airports, terrorized Sent to meetings, hypnotized Overexposed commercialized Handle me with care

I'm so tired of being lonely I still have some love to give Won't you show me that you really care Everybody's got somebody to lean on Put your body next to mine and dream on

I've been uptight and made a mess But I'll clean it up myself I guess Oh the sweet smell of success Handle me with care

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The Traveling Wilburys - Handle With Care Lyrics

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Handle With Care

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Lyrics submitted by Dorthonion , edited by smallwonderrobot

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It's been noted, that this song is about how the artists each felt as they rose to stardom. We, the public, don't see the nasty side.

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Yes! It is fucking amazing song!!

RIP Harrison!

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@CommieAS ~ And RIP Orbison

How has no one commented on this song? It is fucking amazing, man. I don't see why a band with such great, talented artists didn't last longer.

Well for starters a couple of them died.

Lawlorator, the band probably didn't last longer because Roy Orbison died just after they released their first album.

"Fobbed off" is British slang. It means that you've been lied to. Specifically it usually means that the lie was an excuse to get out of something. Eg "Bob was supposed to be in today but he fobbed off some excuse" ie. He made up some lie and got out of coming in. For this song I think the meaning is obvious, Its part of a list of bad things that have been done to him.

Listen to Jenny Lewis and The Watson Twins' cover of this song, it's amazing

its funny how it was just a bet between bob and tom..... The story goes that they bob and harrison were doing some sort of songs together and tom was with orbison and he had left his guitar with harrison. So he called harrison and he and orbison went to see them and tom was like bob your such a great lyric writer write a song for us 4. Then bob said about what and i forget who but someone said just the first thing they saw which was handle with care becuase there was a box in there. Still an amazing song

@chunkymonkey102 It wasn't a "bet". You have a few anecdotal bits sort of correct, but mostly not. All of this is well documented in interviews with Harrison himself. George needed a track to be the "B" side for a promo single release from his album "Cloud 9". He didn't have anything recorded, so he was just going to go into a studio and fool around with some song ideas he already had, and record something. He was talking about this with his friends, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne at dinner and they asked if they could come along and help. He didn't have anywhere to record it and you can't get studio time on 24 hours notice, even if you are George Harrison. But he knew Bob Dylan had a small studio in his home. Calling him up, Dylan said, "sure", he could come over and work on his song. So like magic, the 4 of them were placed at Dylan's that day. The only other strike of lightening was that George was picking up a guitar from Tom Petty he had lent him, and Petty also asked if he could "come along". Dylan asked Harrison what he was going to call the song, and since they were standing in Dylan's garage, George saw a box marked "Handle With Care" and said, "How about that?"<br />

really lovely.

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Handle With Care

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The Traveling Wilburys (sometimes shortened to the Wilburys) were a British–American supergroup consisting of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. Originating from an idea discussed by Harrison and Lynne during the sessions for Harrison's 1987 album Cloud Nine, the band formed in April 1988 after the five members united to record a bonus track for Harrison's next European single. When this collaboration, "Handle with Care", was deemed too good for such a limited release, the group agreed to record a full album, titled Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1. Following Orbison's death in December 1988, the band released a second album, which they titled Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3, in 1990. The project's work received much anticipation given the … more »

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Written by: GEORGE HARRISON, JEFFREY LYNNE, ROBERT DYLAN, ROY ORBISON, THOMAS EARL PETTY

Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC

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Handle With Care by The Traveling Wilburys

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• This was the first single from The Traveling Wilburys, a supergroup created by George Harrison and Jeff Lynne. Initially an informal grouping with Roy Orbison and Tom Petty, they got together at Bob Dylan's Santa Monica, California, studio to quickly record an additional track as a B-side for the single release of Harrison's song "This Is Love." "Handle With Care" was the song they came up with, which Harrison and his record company immediately realized was too good to be released as merely a B-side. The five superstars decided to form a band and make an entire album, recording nine more songs at Dave Stewart's (of Eurythmics) house in Los Angeles in a 10-day window when they were all available.
• "Handle With Care" is a phrase that is sometimes stamped onto boxes to let delivery personnel know that the contents are fragile. In this song, the singer must be handled with care because he's been hurt in the past. Bob Dylan's studio, where they recorded the song, was in his garage, and George Harrison noticed a box that was marked "Handle With Care," thus inspiring the lyric.
• All five Wilburys had very distinctive voices, but for yearning heartbreak, there was no one better than Orbison. He's the clean-up hitter on his track, coming in with the chorus: I'm so tired of being lonely I still have some love to give Won't you show me that you really care?
• The group made a music video for this song that proved quite popular on VH1. Directed by David Leland, it has a sepia tone to give it a dusty, old-timey feel as we see the group performing the song around a microphone. It's the only Traveling Wilburys video they made while Roy Orbison was still alive. Just two months after the album was released, Orbison died of a heart attack. For their next single, " End Of The Line ," they paid tribute to Orbison with a guitar in a chair where he would have been. The four remaining Wilburys carried on for one more album, which they released in 1990 and cheekily named Volume 3 .
• Petty explained to Mojo magazine January 2010 what it was like co-writing a song with Bob Dylan. Said Petty: "There's nobody I've ever met who knows more about the craft of how to put a song together than he does. I learned so much from just watching him work. He has an artist's mind and can find in a line the key word and think how to embellish it to bring the line out. I had never written more words than I needed, but he tended to write lots and lots of verses, then he'll say, this verse is better than that, or this line. Slowly this great picture emerges. He was very good in The Traveling Wilbur's: when somebody had a line, he could make it a lot better in big ways."
• Tom Petty's Heartbreakers bandmate Mike Campbell was originally asked to play the guitar part on "Handle With Care" that George Harrison eventually performed. He recalled to Uncut magazine: "They didn't have the slide intro. I setup my amp, and Tom, Jeff and George are there. I'm trying my best, but I thought, 'Oh my gosh, I'm playing the guitar in front of a Beatle!' I played pretty good but I said, 'I really think George would be better on this, his fill would be much sweeter.' So he used my amp and I handed him my guitar. He came up with that beautiful guitar part."
• Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne performed "Handle With Care" at the 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony with George Harrison's son, Dhani, joining in. The performance was a tribute to George, who died three years earlier.
• More songs from The Traveling Wilburys
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Comments: 39

• Helen from N. Lanarkshire Scotland Dave from E Brookfield MA.....I believe it was Bob Dylan playing the harmonica.
• Eb from Fl Keys I was about 20 years old when this song came out. I liked well enough then. I’m 50-ish now, and I feel this song. Such a great depiction of middle-to-older age life, with a twinkle in the eye even in the world weariness.
• Shelly from Ireland 5 legends, no egos apparent here, looks to me just pure appreciation for each others talent and contribution to music that will forever be with us xx
• Don from Willoughby, Ohio RIP Tom Petty. He now joins Roy and George in Rock in Roll Heaven. 10/2/2017
• Don from Willoughby, Oh It brings a tear to my eyes that two of these great voices are no longer with us.
• Molly from Niagara Falls, Ny Re Jeff Lynne being the odd man out, are you familiar with ELO? He's prolly better known than you'd think. ~.^
• Gino from Caracas, Venezuela In the beginning Tom Petty wasn't in the plans. The other four musicians were in Bob Dilan's home at LA when they decided participate on the tune that George Harrison had been already working on, but (as often) he didn't have a title. I think was Jeff Lynne who asked their friends to pass by Petty's house to pick up his guitar. When Tom saw the group, he joined instantly and the five went to the studio to record this fantastic song.
• Joe from Grants Pass, Or Dylan on harp
• Joe from Grants Pass, Or For one thing, You may not like ELO, But Jeff Lynne did a whole-lotta stuff For McCartney Also ( and don't forget FRIENDSHIP ) DUUUHHHHHH !!!!!!!!!!
• Scott from Sydney, Australia Why do Bob and Tom get so much of the vocals on most Wilburys songs? And before you kill me, Bob Dylan is my favourite artist ever, and Tom Petty is also up there. I just mean that, when you have such a beautifully pure voice as George Harrison's and possibly the greatest rock n roll voice in Roy Oribison, why would you give most of the vocals to Bob and Tom?
• Mark from Pine Hall, Nc what a great song
• Brady from Niagara Falls, Ny One of those Rock songs that you hate to hear end. Sounds like they all got together and said let's define ROCK & ROLL
• Pete from Nowra, Australia 5 mates getting together and having fun
• Pat from Albuquerque, Nm "The Traveling Wilburys" is a great CD. there are no bad songs. Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty--perfect. Too bad Roy died shortly after they hit the charts. G of Potomac MD: Jeff Lynne was the producer as well as a musician, and did a heck of a job.
• John from Grand Island, Ny The combined talent in this group of men is mind boggling. I include drummer Jimmy Keltner as well. He is an often an overlooked member of this wonderful little band.
• Helbs from Liverpool, Austria Amazing song: beat, vocals, everything!
• Jfv from Philadelphia, Pa In addition to being a very talented musician, Jeff Lynne is also considered a master song producer. Lynne has produced records for many well known artists, including George Harrison and Tom Petty. In fact, the work he has done with Tom Petty has received rave reviews from critics as well as Petty himself and several of the Heartbreakers. His trademark is to start with a rough demo of a song and to add all of the vocals and instrumentation in a piecemeal fashion, one after another. The band typically does not ever actually play the song together. Although the results are usually outstanding, bands that are used to jamming together when they record often find it to be a very difficult transition. Some of the other members of the Heartbreakers never got comfortable with the approach. Nevertheless, the results speak for themselves since records produced by Lynne have a great sound and ambiance to them. Although he has never been a critically acclaimed vocalist, his vocals on several of the Wilburys songs are top notch and fit the Wiburys style and sound quite well.
• Robin from Plattsburgh, Ny G, Potomac, MD seems to think that jeff lynn is not worthy of this group, apparently you have no clue exactly who he is. you should probably google him or something cause you missed out....
• Allen from Chicago, Il Del Shannon was going to rplace Orbison on the second LP but died before recording started.
• Dave from E. Brookfield, Ma anyone know if it was Orbison or Dylan who played the harmonica at the end of the song? and for a little in the middle...
• G from Potomac, Md Which does not belong: Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and... Jeff Lynne? 4 out of 5 ain't bad
• Ken from Louisville, Ky The story that George called the song "Handle With Care" because of a note he saw on a instrument packing case is true. He had all of the song written except for the last line of the verses, and when he saw that, he had his title.
• Chinchu from Guayaquil, South America Great song!!! One of my favorites for sure...
• Jeff from Liverpool, England probably the finest collection of stars to record in the studio (not including charity groups) who did'nt have the success, singles wise in the u.k. as they probably deserved
• Randy from Rio De Janeiro, Brazil The name of the group comes from a humorous comment one of the members made about a mistake that was made during recording: "We'll bury (Wilbury) it in the mix!"
• Kevin Witt from Haymarket, Va The talent in this group is mind boggling.
• Johnny from Los Angeles, Ca Now I can here their voices. I thought this was one of those country-rock 70's groups that weren't very big. Boy was I wrong
• Teresa from Mechelen, Belgium Sorry Teri, I didn't know Bob Dylan was also a member of the group but as he was a good friend of George Harrison it's not amazing. A supersong from a supergroup, I love it so much.
• Teri from Chicago, Il Here are their nicknames as follows; George Harrison is 'Nelson Wilbury' Jeff lynne is 'Otis Wilbury' Roy Orbison is 'Lefty Wilbury' Bob Dylan is 'Lucky Wilbury' Tom Petty is 'Charlie T.Wilbury Jr.'
• Teri from Chicago, Il Hey Teresa, you forgot Bob Dylan!! I also heard they were each assigned 'Wilbury nick names'. I'll find out and re-post.
• Teri from Chicago, Il Song Title; Correct me if I'm wrong... I heard that Harrison was just looking around Dylan's garage when he saw a cardboard box with a sticker on it that said 'Handle with Care' That became the basis for the song lyrically and for the title as well. Later for now...
• Kristina from Albuquerque, Nm Since George is singing lead, "Stuck in airports, terrorized" probably refers to when the Beatles were stuck in the Phillipines and terrorized at the airport. It was 1966, I believe, and they practically had to escape from the Manila airport. And of course George felt "overexposed, commercialized" by the whole Beatle experience.
• Teresa from Mechelen, Belgium It's true, really like this song song song song song song very much.
• Tyler from Hamilton, Canada Andy, it's actually Scott Thurston that sings the Roy Orbison part.
• Mark from Wee Waa, Australia Teresa, Mechelen, Belgium you really like this song song song song song
• Alan from Singapore, Singapore The video of the song shows all of them singing in some deserted warehouse, all gathered round a microphone suspended from the ceiling. When each of them sing, photos of each of them as kids flash on the screen.
• Andy from Arlington, Va I saw Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers in concert last year, and was pleasantly surprised when they played this song, with Petty singing the Harrison part and Benmont Tench singing the Orbison part. I never thought I'd get to hear this tune live.
• Teresa from Mechelen, Belgium The Traveling Wilburys : George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty singing together, an everlasting beauty.
• Simmy from Ottawa, Canada the travelling wilburys should definitely be more famous for how amazing they are. this song rocks

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The Story Behind “Handle with Care” by the Traveling Wilburys and How it Was Inspired by a Box in Bob Dylan’s Garage

W hile George Harrison was recording Cloud Nine with Jeff Lynne, they discussed creating a band to record a song as a bonus track for his next European single. The resulting supergroup took on pseudonyms as half-brothers from the traveling Wilbury family. Based more on “who would you rather hang out with” than musical ability, they brought in Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, and Roy Orbison to fill out the group. They each shared a love of ’50s music as well as the comedy of Monty Python. As the song was recorded, everyone agreed it was too good for the limited exposure it would receive as a bonus track on a European single. They instead recorded an entire album and used the song as the lead single. Let’s take a look at the story behind “Handle with Care” by the Traveling Wilburys.

Been beat up and battered ’round

Been sent up, and I’ve been shot down

You’re the best thing that I’ve ever found

Handle me with care

The Band’s Formation

As Harrison worked on Cloud Nine , producer Lynne was also working on Roy Orbison’s Mystery Girl . Although the studio was booked, Harrison invited Orbison to join him for the session. He called Dylan, who agreed to let them use his Malibu studio. Harrison went to Petty’s house to retrieve a guitar and asked the singer to join them in the studio.

Reputations changeable

Situations tolerable

Baby, you’re adorable

It Came from a Box

When the band recorded the basic tracks, they used Dylan’s Ampex recorder in his Malibu garage. There was a box there marked “Handle with Care,” which inspired the lyrics. The track started with acoustic and electric six- and 12-string guitars and a drum machine.

I’m so tired of being lonely

I still have some love to give

Won’t you show me that you really care?

A Great Picture Emerges

All five band members shared writing credit on “Handle with Care,” but Petty talked about writing a song with Dylan. In 2010, he told Mojo magazine, “There’s nobody I’ve ever met who knows more about the craft of how to put a song together than he does. I learned so much from just watching him work. He has an artist’s mind and can find in a line the key word, and think how to embellish it to bring the line out. I had never written more words than I needed, but he tended to write lots and lots of verses, then he’ll say, this verse is better than that, or this line. Slowly, this great picture emerges. He was very good in The Traveling Wilburys. When someone had a line, he could make it a lot better in big ways.”

Everybody’s got somebody to lean on

Put your body next to mine and dream on

“I’m playing the guitar in front of a Beatle!”

They originally asked Mike Campbell, who is part of Petty’s backup band The Heartbreakers, to play the guitar. He told Uncut magazine, “They didn’t have the slide intro. I set up my amp, and Tom, Jeff, and George are there. I’m trying my best, but I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m playing the guitar in front of a Beatle!’ I played pretty good, but I said, ‘I really think George would be better on this. His fill would be much sweeter.’ So, he used my amp, and I handed him my guitar. He came up with that beautiful guitar part.”

I’ve been fobbed off, and I’ve been fooled

I’ve been robbed and ridiculed

In daycare centers and night schools

The Recording

Harrison added the electric slide guitar part on a Rickenbacker 12-string, and Dylan played harmonica. Drummer Ian Wallace and Lynne overdubbed percussion. The Wilburys wanted Jim Keltner to be involved, and he also added some percussion to the drum machine track at Quincy Jones’ Los Angeles studio.

Been stuck in airports, terrorized

Sent to meetings, hypnotized

Overexposed, commercialized

“The Big O”

The “Handle with Care” music video was shot in October 1988 at an abandoned brewery in Los Angeles. David Leland directed the video after recently completing Harrison’s HandMade Films production Checking Out . The Wilburys performed the song around a single microphone. It was the last video to feature Orbison, who died of a heart attack two months later. “The Big O” had entertained the rest of the band by reciting entire Monty Python sketches. In 2015, Lynne told author John Van der Kiste, “He’s got this enormous and most infectious giggle you’ve ever heard, and we’d all be giggling like schoolgirls after a minute or two and all fall about!”

A Guitar on a Chair

The remaining members of the band carried on and made another video for “End of the Line.” When Orbison’s lines came up, shots of a guitar on a chair were shown to represent the departed singer. Funnily enough, a second album was also made, entitled Volume 3 .

The Song’s Afterlife

In 2002, Petty, Lynne, and The Heartbreakers performed the song at the Concert for George , a tribute to Harrison, who died in 2001. In 2004, they performed “Handle with Care” with Harrison’s son Dhani at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. In 2006, Jenny Lewis covered the song on her debut solo album Rabbit Fur Coat . In 2014, Lynne performed the song in London’s Hyde Park for the BBC Radio 2 Festival in a Day . In 2019, Dhani Harrison was the featured guest during Jeff Lynne and ELO’s tour of the U.S. He included the song in his sets.

I’ve been uptight and made a mess

But I’ll clean it up myself, I guess

Oh, the sweet smell of success

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The post The Story Behind “Handle with Care” by the Traveling Wilburys and How it Was Inspired by a Box in Bob Dylan’s Garage appeared first on American Songwriter .

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• The Traveling Wilburys Collection Album
• Handle With Care - 2007 Remastered Lyrics

Traveling Wilburys - Handle With Care - 2007 Remastered Lyrics

Artist: Traveling Wilburys

Album: The Traveling Wilburys Collection

Been beat up and battered around Been sent up and I've been shot down You're the best thing that I've ever found Handle me with care Reputation's changeable Situation's tolerable But baby, you're adorable Handle me with care I'm so tired of being lonely I still have some love to give Won't you show me that you really care? Everybody's got somebody to lean on Put your body next to mine and dream on I've been fobbed off and I've been fooled I've been robbed and ridiculed In day care centers and night schools Handle me with care Been stuck in airports, terrorized Sent to meetings, hypnotized Overexposed, commercialized Handle me with care I'm so tired of being lonely I still have some love to give Won't you show me that you really care? Everybody's got somebody to lean on Put your body next to mine and dream on I've been uptight and made a mess But I'll clean it up myself, I guess Oh, the sweet smell of success Handle me with care

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The Traveling Wilburys Lyrics