The title "Yesterday and Today" symbolizes the controversy that was
        to start "Yesterday" and still be un-resolved even "Today".
        All of the doll parts are resting on Paul except the one doll head
        that George is holding up. [ Actually, both dolls' bodies are
        resting on two Beatles - one on John/Paul, the other on
        Ringo/Paul.].  This is two clues in one -
        a) George was the 'head' of the plot (it was his idea).
        b) The doll head is right next to Paul's head symbolizing his
           decapitation.
REALITY: No evidence for either of the above.
        The false teeth on Paul's right forearm indicate that his teeth were
        knocked out in the crash and dental identification was impossible.
        And, of course, the previously mentioned symbolic 'coffin' on
        the 'Trunk' cover.
Lyrics:
        Nowhere Man: "He's a real nowhere man.." "..doesn't
        have a point of view, knows not where he's going to.." "..you
        don't know what you're missing, nowhere man can you see me at
        all?.."
REALITY: How could "Nowhere Man" have been part of the plot if it preceded
Paul's alleged "death"?
        Dr. Robert: "..you're a new and better man.." "..he
        does everything he can, Dr. Robert.."  (William is the new
        man.  Nothing Dr. Robert can do will bring Paul back)
REALITY: "Dr. Robert" was actually written about a New York physician
who supplied famous people with pills to get high.
        Yesterday: .."oh I believe in yesterday, suddenly, I'm not
        half the man I used to be, there's a shadow hanging over me.
        Yesterday came suddenly.."
REALITY: "Yesterday" was *also* written before Paul's alleged "death".
        And Your Bird Can Sing: "..you can't see me, you can't see
        me.." "..you can't hear me, you can't hear me.."
REALITY: All of "Yesterday and Today" was recorded before the Nov. '66
alleged "death" of Paul, so all clues on this album are obviously false.
CLUE:
(movie) Hard Day's Night: aerial sequence of the "Can't Buy Me Love"
        romp, director Richard Lester runs around instead of Paul.
REALITY: In fact, Paul was filmed in most sequences; he missed one
because of a hangover, and Lester used his own legs and feet (wearing
Beatle boots!) as a substitute for the temporarily incapacitated Paul.
John is missing from the final scene ("Sorry we hurt your field, mister")
because he had to attend a literary luncheon at the Dorchester Hotel in
Islington, celebrating the publication of his first book "In His Own
Write".
        Also, there was a major scene between Paul and an actress cut
        from the movie (presumably Paul was unavailable).
REALITY: The scene was cut because Paul's acting was very self-conscious.
And anyway, "A Hard Day's Night" was filmed in 1964. How could the Beatles
have planned "clues" that early???
(movie) There was a third movie in the works for the Beatles in late
        1966 after AHDN and Help, but it was canceled when Paul died
        and Billy Campbell was unready to appear before the searching
        eye of the camera.  John spent the time appearing in Richard
        Lester's "How I Won the War", while 'Paul' composed music for
        the film "The Family Way" (performed by George Martin and a
        BBC orchestra).
REALITY: The third film was "A Talent For Loving", set for filming in
1966 but abandoned when the Beatles lost interest. Playwright Joe Orton
wrote a play which he offered to Paul as a vehicle for the Beatles, but
"Up Against It" never appealed to Paul and it was never seriously
considered.
CLUES:
Rubber Soul
REALITY: Remember, "Rubber Soul" was recorded and released in late 1965.
It preceded the hoax and even Paul's alleged "death". Its clues are thus
entirely bogus.
        The Soul is in the shape of a heart, indicating a "false soul"
        amongst them.  The Beatles are peering downwards (in/at a grave?!).
Lyrics:
        I've Just Seen A Face: "..had it been another day I
        might've looked the other way, and I'd have never been
        aware.."
        Girl: "..that a man must break his back to earn his
        day of leisure/will she still believe it when he's dead.."
        I'm Looking through You: "..I'm looking through you, where did
        you go?  I thought I knew you, what did I know.  You don't
        look different but you have changed, I'm looking through you,
        you're not the same.." "..your lips are moving I can not hear,
        you don't sound different I've learned the game.." "..you were
        above me but not today, the only difference is you're
        down there.."
REALITY: Paul actually wrote this about a fight he had with Jane Asher.
        In My Life: "..all these places have their
        moments ... some are dead and some are living, in my life I
        love you more."
REALITY: John had written the lyrics to "IML" some time before he
        and Paul worked to finish the melody... all long before the
        Paul Is Dead hoax came about.
CLUES:
Revolver
REALITY: "Revolver" precedes Paul's alleged "death"; clues are bogus.
        On the cover, Paul's name is sideways, as if it didn't fit in
        with the other Beatles any more.
Lyrics:
        Taxman: "..if you drive a car Paul.." "..if you get
        too cold Paul.." "..my advice to those who die, taxman!"
REALITY: Actually the lyric is: "If you drive a car... *ohhhhh*"....
        Eleanor Rigby: "..father McKenzie (McCartney?) writing the
        words of a sermon that no one will hear.." "..was buried.."
        "..father McKenzie wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks
        from the grave, no one was saved.."
REALITY: Paul has said he originally wrote it as "Father McCartney"
but thought his dad Jim Mac would be embarrassed or offended.
        Yellow Submarine: "..in the land of submarines.." "..sky of
        blue, sea of green in our yellow submarines.."  (nice term for
        a casket that's underneath a sea of green grass)
REALITY: Interpretive and unsubstantiated.
        She Said She Said: "..she said I know what it's like to be dead.."
REALITY: John admits he took this phrase from Peter Fonda, who was tripping
on LSD when he said it; it has nothing to do with Paul.
        For No One: "..she says her love is dead.." "..she says that
        long ago she knew someone but now he's gone.."
        Got To Get You Into My Life: "..I was alone I took a ride I
        didn't know what I would find there.." "..and then suddenly I
        see you.."
        Tomorrow Never Knows: "..laid down all thoughts surrendered to
        the void.." "..Paul played the game existence to the end.."
REALITY: Actual lyrics are "*all* play the game...."
CLUES:
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
        The Sgt. Pepper cover depicts a funeral for "The Beatles" (written
        in flowers over the grave). There is also a bass guitar made
        up of flowers. Closer inspection of this "bass guitar" shows
        that the flowers that make it up actually spell "PAUL?"
        indicating his questioned existence.
REALITY: Everyone involved with the cover says that the guitar idea
was a spur-of-the-moment thing by the florist Apple hired to
arrange the flowers, and that the hyacinths are not any sort of clue.
        There are three strings on the guitar, to symbolize
        the three remaining 'real' Beatles.
REALITY: Coincidence; unintended by album cover designer.
        There is also a raised hand behind Paul's head, the
        the Indian sign for death as well as the four
        armed "Shiva" in the lower portion of the photo who is
        pointing its left back hand at Paul.
REALITY: The hand is just waving; it is no Indian sign for death
(none exists). In alternate shots of the cover photo, in fact, Paul
*isn't* placed under this hand and the Shiva doesn't point at him.
If it were an intentional clue, all photos would have been arranged
the same.
        A doll sits off to the side (Jane Asher?!) with red lines
        (blood) running down her dress.
REALITY: No identifiable association with Jane Asher. Red lines are
stripes in the dress material.
        A small car sits on her lap, a model of the car PM was
        driving.
REALITY: Paul didn't die in a car crash or anywhere else.
        Paul wears a patch that reads "OPD" (officially pronounced
        dead in Canada) on his left arm in the center spread.
REALITY: Actual patch says OPP, for Ontario (Canada) Provincial
Police. Paul and all the Fabs got similar patches during their
1965 tour of North America.
        On the back cover of the "Sgt. Pepper" album, George Harrison
        is pointing at the lyric "Wednesday morning at five o'clock",
        indicating the time of Paul's death.  Paul's head just touches
        the title of "Within you *Without you" George is pointing a
        "sixth" finger at him, a sign of ill omen.
REALITY: No such sign of ill omen exists.
        On back cover, from left to right, you can find all sorts of
        clues.  Starting with "Somebody calls you, you answer quite
        slowly" (from Lucy), continue reading across "Wednesday
        Morning at five o'clock as the day begins", "life flows on
        within you and without you", "you're on your own you're in the
        street".
REALITY: All non sequiturs, all meaningless in proving Paul's "death".
Lyrics:
        Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band: "..so let me
        introduce to you the one and only Billy Shears and Sgt.
        Pepper's lonely heart's club band.."  (Sgt. Pepper's Band is
        actually an idea taken from history (somewhere) where a man
        was able to take the place of another man without anyone
        catching on).
REALITY: This is not attested in the Beatles literature, or anywhere else,
*at all*.
        Fixing A Hole: "..and it really doesn't matter if I'm wrong
        I'm right where I belong.  See the Beatles standing there,
        they disagree.." "..silly Beatle run around.."  (William is
        adjusting to his new role as PM)
REALITY: Lyric is actually "Silly *people*..."]
        She's Leaving Home: "..Wednesday morning at five o'clock as
        the day begins.."  (the time of the supposedly fatal accident)
        Lovely Rita: "..standing by a parking meter when I caught a
        glimpse of Rita.." (he took his eyes off the road!)
        Good Morning, good Morning: "..nothing to do to save his
        life.." "..and you're on your own you're in the street.."
        "..people running around it's 5 o'clock.." "..watching the
        skirts you start to flirt, now you're in gear.."
        A Day In The Life: "..I saw the photograph.  He blew his mind
        out in a car, he didn't notice that the lights had changed.  A
        crowd of people stood and stared they'd seen his face before,
        nobody was really sure if he was from the house of Paul.."
REALITY: The album lyrics say 'House of Lords'. The man who died in the
car crash was Tara Browne, heir to the Guinness beer family fortune,
and a well respected man about swinging London at the time. He was
just 21 at the time of his death.
        Inner Groove - on side 2, on the British release, an
        infinitely repeating groove (i.e. the needle never went to the
        inside of the record) contains gibberish that, played
        backwards, said "Will Paul come back as Superman?" (or
        alternately, "We'll fuck you like Supermen!")
REALITY: Backwards it sounds like the latter to most people, which has
limited relevance to the hoax. :-)
Magical Mystery Tour
        Paul is dressed as a [black] "Walrus" on the MMT album which,
        according to the Lewis Carroll story, ate oysters and died.
REALITY: In the Lewis Carroll poem "Walrus and the Carpenter", it's the
oysters who die, having been eaten by the protagonists.
        The walrus is a sign of death in certain cultures.
REALITY: No traceable legends support this assertion. In fact, this "clue"
         can be traced to Fred LaBour's article in the Michigan Daily.
        On page three of the booklet, Paul is shown sitting behind a desk
        with placard [closer examination shows its a bumper sticker]
        in front of him that reads "I WAS" [or "I You Was", or "I was
        you", depending on how you read it]. On page 15 in the MMT book,
        there's a cartoon of Paul playing with a car on his desk.  On page 18
        and on the last page of the booklet there's that open palm
        again above PM's head.  Paul is shown in several of the shots
        without any shoes on [but wearing socks, which is why its not
        so noticeable] and in one picture it actually looks like there
        is blood on his shoes (Page 13 - he's not wearing them in the
        picture - they are sitting off to the side). There are several
        shots of him with a raised hand behind his head. Towards the
        end of the booklet, Paul can be seen wearing a black carnation
        while the other Beatles are wearing red ones. [Like most of
        the pictures from this booklet, it comes from the movie - the
        "Your Mother Should Know" production number.  Paul later
        explained this was due to a shortage of red carnations, and
        Paul had to take a black one because that's all they had.]
        John sings [says] "I buried Paul" on "Strawberry Fields
        Forever".  The phrase 'I buried Paul' occurs at the end of
        Strawberry Fields Forever.  It appears to have been slowed
        down, but it is quite clear.
REALITY: Working versions available on Ultra Rare Tracks and the like
make it *very clear* that the words are "cranberry sauce."
        The word "Beatles" when held to a mirror is actually a phone
        number!  The number is: 2317438.
REALITY: Try it. It's really 23L (backwards) TA38. That's as close as
it comes to a real phone number! Some people report having tried to
call the number, however, or variants on the number, and have
reported different effects. A Rolling Stone article of 29 November
1969, by John Burks, has more information about the numbers; also
see Andru Reeve's book "Turn Me On, Dead Man".
Lyrics:
        Fool On The Hill: "..day after day, alone on a hill,
        the man with the foolish grin is perfectly still.." "..but
        nobody ever hears him and the sound he appears to make.."
        [In the booklet on page 9, there's a cartoon of Paul labeled
        'The Fool on the Hill', where the last bit of 'hill' runs down
        the side Paul's head.]
        I Am The Walrus:
        "..I am the eggman, they are the eggmen, I am the walrus.."  (eggmen
        represent "life", walrus represents death.  Since PM is the walrus
        the meaning implied is that I have life, they have life, I am dead).
REALITY: It's pretty hard to make sense out of this! As previously noted,
the walrus is *not* a sign of death.

        Hello Goodbye: "..you say goodbye, I say hello.."  (exit PM,
        enter William Campbell).
REALITY: The song is thematically in keeping with Paul's many lyrics
which talk about romantic conflicts and difference of opinion (viz.,
"I'm Looking Through You", "We Can Work It Out").
        Strawberry Fields Forever: "..I buried Paul.."  (this infamous
        ending line by JL) [Except it's really "cran-berry sauce..."]
        All You Need Is Love: "..No one you can save that can't be
        saved.." "..nothing you can see that isn't shown.." "..yes he's
        dead.." [actually "yes, he is"], "..we loved you yeah, yeah, yeah.."
        [actually "she loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah...].
Yellow Submarine:
Lyrics:
        Only A Northern Song:
        "..when you're listening late at night you may think the band is
        not quite right.." "..you may think the band's a little dark and
        out of key, you're correct, there's nobody there.."
        ['Northern' was the Beatles publishing company.]

        Hey Bulldog: "..you think you know me but you haven't got a clue.."

        Yellow Submarine: (see Revolver)
        All You Need Is Love: (see Magical Mystery Tour)

White Album
        When "Revolution #9" is played backwards, the "number 9... number 9
        ...number 9" at the beginning translates to "turn me on, dead man..
        ..turn me on, dead man".
REALITY: Not everyone hears this phrase, especially those who don't know
what to listen for. :-)

        At the end of the "I'm So Tired" track, a bunch of seemingly
        meaningless syllables are uttered.  When you do the 'ol
        classic backwards playback, you hear "Paul is dead now, miss
        him, miss him."
REALITY: Forwards this is a real phrase: John says "Monsieur, monsieur,
let's have another one". To most people it sounds like gibberish when
played backward. Best transcription: "re re nu va nes devna esne
missile missim". Not very close! :-)
Lyrics:
         Glass Onion: "..I told you about Strawberry Fields.." "..well
        here's another place you can go.." "..to see how the other
        half live, looking through a glass onion.." "..I told you
        about the walrus and me.." "..well here's another clue for you
        all, the walrus WAS Paul.." "..I told you about the fool on
        the hill.." "..listen to me, fixing a hole in the ocean.."
        "..looking through a glass onion.."
REALITY: None of these phrases have anything to do with the PID hoax.
They were written by John in response to critics whom he felt over-
analyzed "I Am The Walrus", and whom he wanted to confound.
One "clue" alleged that centuries old definition of a "glass
onion" referred to a glass coffin handle used in Britain in
the past (Russ Gibb seems to have come up with this one) but
a scrupulous search of the OED shows no such meaning.
        I'm So Tired: "..Paul's dead man, miss him miss him.."  (what
        you hear when you play the very end of the song and the
        beginning of "Blackbird" backwards).
REALITY: Answered above; actually unintelligible gibberish backwards.
        "Revolution No. 9": 9 letters in McCartney!
REALITY:
        John claimed the the engineer from EMI would say at the
        beginning of each take of a song, "This EMI Recording Studio
        Number 9" (or perhaps "EMI Test Tape Number 9") and John liked
        the sound of it and added it in).
        While My Guitar Gently Weeps: George calls out to Paul at the
        end of the song.
REALITY: generic moaning: "Oh, oh, oh...", no indication that it was
intended for Paul.
        Don't Pass me By: "...you were in a car crash...."
Abbey Road
        This album cover was the clincher. The front shows a funeral
        procession and depicts John as the preacher (in white), Ringo
        as a mourner (in black), George as the gravedigger (in work
        clothes) with Paul as the deceased.
REALITY: No basis for this interpretation; preachers, gravediggers and
mourners do not wear typologically identifiable clothing in all situations.
        Paul is in bare feet, is out of step with the others, has his
        eyes closed, and is the only one shown smoking, holding a
        cigarette in his right hand when he is a left hander.
REALITY: Alternate takes of this album cover photo show Paul with
sandals on and in step with the others, eyes open. Many candid photos
exist showing that Paul, although a lefty, holds the ciggie in his right.
        VW license says "28 IF" (Paul's age, had he lived. Actually, he'd
        be 27 at the time of the cover, but this is covered by
        pointing out that in many Indian religions, one is considered
        1 year old at the date of birth, and so he would in fact have
        been "28 IF").
REALITY: Indian religions date from actual birth of child. Some Chinese
traditions are said to date this way, but there's no indication that
the Beatles knew of this or believed in it.
        On the back, a crack runs through "The Beatles",
        indicating a split in the group.
REALITY: "Abbey Road" was actually a revival for the group, after the
disastrous experience with the "Let It Be" project. But the group was
destined to break up anyway, and ironically it was the real live Paul
who tried to hold it together!
Lyrics:
        Come Together: "..he say I know you, you know me.."
        "he got early warning.." "..he say one and one and one is
        three.  Got to be good looking cause he's so hard to see.."
        (only 3 remaining Beatles).  "here come old flattop" (no hair)
        "He got Joo-Joo eyeballs" (replaced by the undertaker) "... he
        one holy roller..." (in heaven) "... he got hair down below
        his knees..."  (hair growing after death)
        You Never Give Me Your Money: "..one, two, three, four, five,
        six, seven, all good children go to heaven.."
Hey Jude
        The picture above the Beatles on top of the doorway they are
        standing in front of is a picture of where Paul is supposed to
        be buried.
Lyrics:
        Lady Madonna: "..Wednesday morning papers didn't
        come.."
        Revolution: "..don't you know it's gonna be -all right, Paul
        died, all right.." (a couple of those "all rights" sound just
        like "Paul died", also a background vocal occasionally dubs in
        Paul died)