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Released in 2018

Despite Repeated Warnings

Written by Paul McCartney

Last updated on December 22, 2019

Album This song officially appears on the Egypt Station Official album.

Timeline This song was officially released in 2018

Master album

Related sessions

This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:

Related interviews

“Despite Repeated Warnings” is a track from 2018 album “Egypt Station“. From “Words Between The Tracks” YouTube series:

I was in Japan and I was reading a newspaper – I think it was like the Tokyo Times, Japan Times or something – and there was something about climate change and it’s typical, you know, the way people are kind of not doing anything about it.

“It’s all gonna be fine, don’t worry, oh yeah sure there’s icebergs melting but it doesn’t matter, it’s not melting in London so don’t worry about it, you know”

And the phrase was in this article, it started off “Despite repeated warnings, they’re not listening”. You know, it’s the idea. I like that phrase “Despite repeated warnings”. I thought, yeah, that sums up a lot of people’s feelings. And then thought, well, what I’ll do is I’ll do a kind of song where I used symbolism and so the person will be symbolic of certain politicians and people who argue that climate change is a hoax, and we know a few. So I’ll do it about that and I’ll get somebody to symbolize one of those people. So I thought, okay it’s a sea captain and he’s steering a boat and he’s gonna go towards the icebergs but he’s been warned, and he’s going because he thinks he’s right, and he thinks they’re all making too much of it. The usual arguments you know…

So that’s what it’s about. It’s a sort of story like the Titanic. If they’d been warned, hey, you’re gonna sink from icebergs, and if the captain said “it doesn’t matter, it’ll be fine”. So it’s that, using that kind of idea, so there’s a sort of mad daft captain, and then there’s all the people on the boat who know he’s got it wrong.

So it’s very symbolic for what’s going on in some areas of politics in my mind. So it’s one of those songs like Band On The Run or Live And Let Die that is kind of episodic and it’s kind of an epic production. That is it, and it is hopefully trying to remind people that climate change is not a hoax, and that we should avoid having a mad captain steering us towards the icebergs.

Paul McCartney

In some other interviews, Paul has been clearer regarding the “certain politicians” he refers to. For instance: 

Beatles legend Paul McCartney has written a song about Donald Trump on his new album. Macca was speaking to students at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) when he made the announcement. While McCartney, 75, didn’t imply whether the song was in favour of the US President or not, he did say that he felt he HAD to write it.

He told students at LIPA : “Sometimes the situation in the world is so crazy, that you’ve got to address it.”

From Liverpool Echo, July 28, 2017

Trump is in there. Not Brexit, it was written before Brexit. But Trump, definitely. It’s more about anyone who would deny climate change. Y’ know, I’m married to an American, I go to America a lot and I have a lot of American family, American friends… and we tend to be liberal. But there’s one or two that you don’t talk to if you’re out having dinner, ‘cos you know they’re gonna stick up for him. I don’t want to be an activist particularly, but if I feel there’s an injustice I want to make myself heard. Putting this guy Pruitt in charge of the environmental agency, a guy who fought against it when he was in the office – it’s so insane. I know who the captain is, I think most people get it.

From  Paul McCartney interview in MOJO October 2018

On a Twitter Q&A in September 2018, Paul explained his goal on making a song about bullying:

You talk about a lot of social issues on the album, such as bullying and global warming. What was your goal or your reasoning for these songs? They’re great.

Oh thanks! They’re subjects that interest me & the nice thing about being a songwriter is you can sometimes make a difference with a song. If you don’t lay it on too thick and become preachy then I think it can influence people’s thoughts in a good way. That’s what I hope anyway!

Paul McCartney

Here is what producer Greg Kurstin has to say about “Despite Repeated Warnings“:

I’ve read that “Despite Repeated Warnings” is a real epic.

It is. That’s in the style of some of Paul’s other epic, extended songs like “Band on the Run” and “Live and Let Die.” These are songs that are epic and orchestral and have many different sections and movements to them. This one was his concept. Lyrically, he could probably tell you what it’s about, but there’s definitely some political references there.

He took the band into the rehearsal room and worked out the structure of it and brought it to L.A. and I worked with them and we tweaked it and worked out the arrangement. It was a long evolution to get it to where it got in the end. A lot of orchestral musicians came in. We had brass players and the Muscle Shoals horn guys came in to do some brass stuff. It was quite the job of getting that together because it was like five or six songs in one. It’s about seven minutes long.

Interview with producer Greg Kurstin, from Rolling Stone, July 3, 2018:
Each track of “Egypt Station” has been given individual artwork that was first published on Twitter on August 14, 2018

Lyrics

Despite repeated warnings

Of dangers up ahead

The captain won’t be listening

To what’s been said

He feels that there’s a good chance

That we have been misled

And so the captain’s planning

To steam ahead

What can we do, what can we do

What can we do to stop this foolish plan going through

What can we do, what can we do

This man is bound to lose his ship and his crew

Despite repeated warnings

From those who ought to know

He’s got his own agenda and so he’ll go

Those who shout the loudest

May not always be the smartest

But they have their proudest moments

Right before they fall

Red sky in the morning

Doesn’t ever seem to phase him

But a sailor’s warning signal

Should concern us all

How can we stop him

Grab the keys and lock him up

If we can do it

We can save the day

The engineer lives with

His wife and daughter Janet

But he misses them so

Although he’s working with

The best crew on the planet

They never want him to go

He had a premonition

He senses something’s wrong

And by his own admission

He knew it all along

The captain’s crazy

But he doesn’t let them know it

He’ll take us with him

If we don’t do something

Soon to slow it

How can we stop him

Grab the keys and lock him up

If we can do it

We can save the day

Below decks the engineer cries

The captain’s gonna leave us when the temperatures rise

The needle’s going up

The engine’s gonna blow

And we’re gonna be left down below

Down below

Yes we can do it

Yes we can do it now

Yes we can do it

Yes we can do it

Yes we can do it now

Yes we can do it

Yes we can do it now

Yes we can do it

Yes we can do it now

If life would work out

The way you plan it

That’d be so fine

For the wife and Janet

Sometimes you might

Have to battle through it

But that’s the way you learn

How you’ve got to do it

Yes we can do it whoa, whoa

Yes we can do it whoa, whoa

Yes we can do it whoa, whoa

Yes we can do it whoa, whoa

Despite repeated warnings

Of dangers up ahead

Well the captain wasn’t listening

To what was said

So we went to the captain

And we told him to turn around

But he laughs in our faces

Says that we are mistaken

So we gather around him

Now the ropes that have bound him

Prove that he should have listened

To the will of the people

It’s the will of the people

It’s the will of the people

Variations

  • A Album version

Officially appears on

Live performances

Paul McCartney has never played this song in concert.

Going further

The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present

"Despite Repeated Warnings" is one of the songs featured in the book "The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present," published in 2021. The book explores Paul McCartney's early Liverpool days, his time with the Beatles, Wings, and his solo career. It pairs the lyrics of 154 of his songs with his first-person commentary on the circumstances of their creation, the inspirations behind them, and his current thoughts on them.

Buy on Amazon

Paul McCartney writing

Talk more talk, chat more chat

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Cami Lee • 6 years ago

Wow, these lyrics are really, really insipid. Makes "Jailer Man and Sailor Sam" seem like Goethe. Time for Paul to retire to Boca and concentrate on shuffleboard. Maybe cutting down on the weed would help too.

Shawn Fraley • 6 years ago

Never thought Paul would alianate half of the Country but he couldn't resist. Really liked him but he's just like the rest of the left. Sad!

Cassi • 6 years ago

I am absolutely in love with song. The way the music shows the danger and urgency, then brings back to a sense of calm that we can get control if we just work together is beautiful. Beatles aren't known for keeping their thoughts secret, and I'm glad and proud of Paul for continuing to speak his mind and fight for all of us.

Robert Spinello • 6 years ago

Yea, you tell him Paul!

Dan Bloom • 6 years ago

it's a cli-fi song with cli-fi lyrics and i love it. dan bloom editor at the Cli-Fi Report http://www.cli-fi.net

Juan Anthony • 6 years ago

@Cami Lee; He stopped smoking around 2015 so... Probably he should get back on it? jajaja

alan wheeler • 6 years ago

I think Paul is right on target! I don't know why people on the right consider climate change a partisan issue and whats more that Paul could alienate half the country by writing about REAl Science ! Ride on Mr. McCartney I love the new album and can't get enough of it!!!! As good as anything you've ever done!

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