DAY TRIPPER
(words and music by Lennon/McCartney) 

Got a good reason
for taking the easy way out
Got a good reason
for taking the easy way out now
She was a day tripper
One way ticket, yeah
It took me so long to find out
and I found out

She's a big teaser
She took me half the way there
She's a big teaser
She took me half the way there, now
She was a day tripper
One way ticket, yeah
It took me so long to find out
and I found out
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah

Tried to please her
She only played one night stand
Tried to please her
She only played one night stand, now
She was a day tripper
One way ticket, yeah
It took me so long to find out
and I found out

Day tripper, day tripper, yeah

 

Documentation

 RECORDED
October 16 1965 in Studio 2 at Abbey Road; the master was Take 3.  John Lennon sings lead.

RELEASED AS A SINGLE
In the UK on December 3 1965 - Parlophone R5389
In the USA on December 6 1965 - Capitol 5555

ON THE CHARTS
on all the UK charts, with five weeks as the Record Retailer 1 (December 16 1965-January 13 1966) and 12 weeks in the Top 50

PERFORMED LIVE
December 1965 to August 1966, spanning The Beatles' last UK tour to their last anywhere, the August 1966 North American visit.


'
Day Tripper' was a double A-sided single with 'We Can Work It Out', although in the UK 'Day Tripper' received more airplay

Owing to the odd way in which the Billboard charts were then calculated, 'Day Tripper' peaked at 5 in the USA during its ten-week run in the Hot 100, even though the other side of the same record reached 1

John Lennon's lyrics were his first overt reference to LSD in a Beatles song. The Beatles were squeaky clean before coming to America, but quickly discovered acid and marijuana. 
In 2004, Paul McCartney did an interview with the Daily Mirror newspaper where he explained that drugs influenced many of The Beatles' songs. He singled this one out as being about acid (LSD), but also said that people often overestimate the influence of drugs on their music. 
The line "She's a big teaser" was written as "She's a prick teaser." 



Rick  performed this song in concert in Mt. Pleasant, MI - Soaring Eagle Casino on 11/17/00 at the show known as "the last show".

 

Footnote - the background picture was taken in Mt. Pleasant, MI on 11/17/00 by Renata Hearn (but not necessarily during the performance of the song)