All Things Must Pass

Most Beatles fans remember December 8, 1980, as the day John was murdered outside his New York apartment. “All Things Must Pass” is the perfect song to mark this tragic event. During the Abbey Road sessions, George presented the song to his bandmates, hoping to earn another spot on the album. John and Paul rejected it, deciding that George’s contribution to the album (“Something” and “Here Comes the Sun”) was enough.  

Interestingly, John offered George one crucial suggestion before passing on the song: change the lyric from "the wind can blow those clouds away" to "a mind can blow those clouds away." This shifted the focus from external circumstances to internal power – a prevalent theme in John’s lyrics. He frequently encourages his listeners not to be a victim, but to seize power through perspective.

Nothing lasts forever, whether joy or sorrow, success or rejection. George's gentle slide guitar and the song's meditative rhythm create an atmosphere of peaceful acceptance. The song acknowledges both sunrise and sunset as impermanent: a grand metaphor that “all things must pass”.

Despite the song’s rejection as a Beatles song by his bandmates, “All Things Must Pass” became the title song to George’s triple album which went on to top the charts. On this anniversary of losing John, we honor him and the wisdom he and George imparted about the impermanence of the material world.

Today, I will remember that my current circumstances, whether challenging or delightful, are temporary passages rather than permanent destinations.

What difficult situation have you been treating as permanent that might benefit from remembering it will pass? How could accepting impermanence bring peace to your present moment?