One After 909

'One After 909' could be well the oldest Lennon and McCartney song ever to be recorded by the Beatles. It was one of 'over a hundred songs' which they often talked about having written before recording 'Love Me Do' and goes back to that time together at Forthlin Road.

The Beatles first recorded 'One After 909' in March 1963 during the same session which produced 'From Me To You' but George Martin was so unimpressed with it that it had never been released. It was an attempt by John, in 1957, to write an American railroad song, after skiffle hits such as 'Last Train To San Fernando' by John Duncan, 'Cumberland Gap' and 'Rock Island Land' by the Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group.

"We used to sag play truant off school, go back to my house and the two of us would write," Paul recalled. "There are a lot of songs from back then that we've never reckoned on because they're all very unsophisticated songs... We hated the words to 'One After 909'."