The Beatles – Maxwell's Silver Hammer Lyrics - Genius

2025, In ReviewFeaturedChartsVideosPromote Your MusicSign Up12Maxwell’s Silver HammerThe BeatlesProducerGeorge MartinTrack 178 onThe Beatles (The Original Studio Recordings) Sep. 26, 19691 viewer410.8K views88 ContributorsTranslations

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Maxwell’s Silver Hammer Lyrics

The third track from Abbey Road tells the story of a student who commits a spontaneous and gruesome murder. Written primarily by Paul McCartney (but, as usual, credited under the Lennon-McCartney moniker)… Read More [Verse 1]Joan was quizzical, studied pataphysicalScience in the homeLate nights all alone with a test tube, oh, oh, oh, ohMaxwell Edison, majoring in medicineCalls her on the phone"Can I take you out to the pictures, Joa-oa-oa-oan?"But as she's getting ready to goA knock comes on the door[Chorus]Bang! Bang! Maxwell's silver hammerCame down upon her headClang! Clang! Maxwell's silver hammerMade sure that she was dead[Verse 2]Back in school again, Maxwell plays the fool againTeacher gets annoyedWishing to avoid an unpleasant sce-e-e-eneShe tells Max to stay when the class has gone awaySo he waits behindWriting fifty times "I must not be so, o, o, o"But when she turns her back on the boyHe creeps up from behindYou might also like[Chorus]Bang! Bang! Maxwell's silver hammerCame down upon her head (Do-do-do-do-do)Clang! Clang! Maxwell's silver hammerMade sure that she was dead (Do-do-do-do-do)[Verse 3]P. C. 31 said, "We caught a dirty one"Maxwell stands alonePainting testimonial pictures, oh, oh, oh, ohRose and Valerie, screaming from the gallerySay he must go free (Maxwell must go free)The judge does not agree and he tells them so-o-o-oBut as the words are leaving his lipsA noise comes from behind[Chorus]Bang! Bang! Maxwell's silver hammerCame down upon his head (Do-do-do-do-do)Clang! Clang! Maxwell's silver hammerMade sure that he was dead[Outro]Whoa, whoa, whoa-oa(Do-do-do-do-do)(Silver hammer man)12EmbedCancel

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The third track from Abbey Road tells the story of a student who commits a spontaneous and gruesome murder. Written primarily by Paul McCartney (but, as usual, credited under the Lennon-McCartney moniker), the song is one of many Paul wrote which showed the influence of music hall songs his father performed when Paul was young, along with tracks like “When I’m Sixty Four,” “Your Mother Should Know,” and “Honey Pie.”

The song became infamous in later years after the other Beatles spoke out about the song’s stressful and lengthy recording process, with John Lennon declaring “I hate it” in an interview, and Ringo calling it “the worst session ever”.

Other noteworthy aspects of the song include the use of a Moog synthesizer by Paul, and the repeated two-strike of an anvil. It still isn’t known for certain whether the anvil strikes were performed by Ringo, or Malcolm ‘Mal’ Evans, a roadie and technician for the band.

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+2What did The Beatles say about "Maxwell's Silver Hammer"?Genius Answer2 contributors

McCartney describes the song as follows:

‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’ was my analogy for when something goes wrong out of the blue, as it so often does, as I was beginning to find out at that time in my life. I wanted something symbolic of that, so to me it was some fictitious character called Maxwell with a silver hammer. I don’t know why it was silver, it just sounded better than Maxwell’s hammer. It was needed for scanning. We still use that expression even now when something unexpected happens.

The other Beatles, meanwhile, felt negatively about the track, complaining about how long it took to record it:

That’s Paul’s. I hate it. ‘Cause all I remember is the track – he made us do it a hundred million times. He did everything to make it into a single and it never was and it never could’ve been, but he put guitar licks on it and he had somebody hitting iron pieces and we spent more money on that song than any of them in the whole album. I think.

– John Lennon

Sometimes Paul would make us do these really fruity songs. I mean, my god, ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’ was so fruity. After a while we did a good job on it, but when Paul got an idea or an arrangement in his head…

– George Harrison

The worst session ever was ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’. It was the worst track we ever had to record. It went on for fucking weeks. I thought it was mad.

– Ringo Starr

They got annoyed because ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’ took three days to record. Big deal.

– Paul McCartney

+95Who produced “Maxwell's Silver Hammer” by The Beatles?When did The Beatles release “Maxwell's Silver Hammer”?Who wrote “Maxwell's Silver Hammer” by The Beatles?The Beatles (The Original Studio Recordings) (2009)The Beatles

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Abbey Road (1969)The BeatlesThe Beatles Alpha Omega Vol. 2 (1973)Audio Tape Inc.Expand CreditsReleased onSeptember 26, 1969ProducerGeorge MartinWriterLennon-McCartneyPianoPaul McCartneyAcoustic GuitarGeorge HarrisonDrumsRingo StarrHammond OrganGeorge MartinMoog SynthesizerPaul McCartneyLead VocalsPaul McCartneyBackground VocalsRingo Starr, George Harrison & Paul McCartneyEngineerJohn Kurlander, Tony Clark & Phil McDonaldBassGeorge HarrisonPublisherNorthern SongsElectric GuitarGeorge Harrison & Paul McCartneyLabelApple CorpsRecorded AtEMI (Abbey Road) Studios, London, UK (July 9-11, August 6, 1969)Songs That Sample Maxwell’s Silver Hammerカウントダウン (Countdown) by RAWINTHEVOID & The Fool on the Hill (LOVE Version) by The BeatlesSongs That Interpolate Maxwell’s Silver HammerJohn Lennon vs. Bill O'Reilly by Epic Rap Battles of History (Ft. EpicLLOYD & Nice Peter), ‎samson’s golden axe by Car Seat Headrest, Flying Out The Windshield by Lil rid (Ft. EVILrid) & spg reviws #1 - beetles abey road (episodio completo 2011) by SPGMaxwell’s Silver Hammer CoversPaulin taikakaulin by Popeda, Maxwell's Silver Hammer by MonaLisa Twins, Maxwell’s Silver Hammer by Frankie Laine, Maxwell's Silver Hammer by ‌The Bells, Maxwell's Silver Hammer by Steve Martin, Maxwell's silver hammer by Ian Cussick, Maxwell's Silver Hammer by John Bayless, Maxwell’s Silver Hammer by Maisie Lacey & Maxwell's Silver Hammer by Brad MehldauMaxwell’s Silver Hammer RemixesMaxwell's Silver Hammer (2019 Mix) by The Beatles & Maxwell's Silver Hammer (Take 12) by The BeatlesMaxwell’s Silver Hammer TranslationsPatish Hakesef Shel Maxwell - פטיש הכסף של מאקסוול by Israel Gurion - ישראל גוריון, The Beatles - Maxwell’s Silver Hammer (Traducción al Español) by Genius Traducciones al Español & The Beatles - Maxwell's Silver Hammer (Tradução em Português) by Genius Brasil TraduçõesView Maxwell’s Silver Hammer samplesTagsPopRockSinger-SongwriterEnglandSynth RockIn EnglishArt RockMurder BalladDark PopElectronic RockPiano RockUKPop RockExpand CommentsAdd a commentSign Up And Drop Knowledge 🤓Genius is the ultimate source of music knowledge, created by scholars like you who share facts and insight about the songs and artists they love.Sign Up