Having committed to writing, compiling and recording an extensive medley for the "Abbey Road" album, a suitable ending needed to be written.
With the "Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight" segment of the medley taking shape in the recording studio in early July, 1969, it was surmised that this would segue into the closing piece of the project. Paul thought this through and, by late July, he had enough of an idea to bring a conclusion to the medley into the studio for The Beatles to record.
In the advent of what was to become the “Hard Rock” genre of the 1970's, Paul decided that the medley's conclusion should have a heavy guitar sound. Following the late 60's trend, led by acts such as Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Mountain and Iron Butterfly, The Beatles laid down an intricate and well-rehearsed distorted electric guitar instrumental on July 23rd, 1969.
At first, this concluding segment of the medley, simply entitled “Ending” at this point, only lasted one minute and twenty seconds, concluding with a sudden stop. If you imagine the released recording dramatically ending just before Paul's subtle piano chords, this will give you an idea of what The Beatles originally had in mind to conclude the medley. Very quickly, though, Paul envisioned a more mature and thematic ending to the piece, which they tacked on to the end of the heavy-sounding recording they had made.
It wasn't until early August that Paul came up with one final lyrical idea to accompany the thematic conclusion to “The End.”
“Shakespeare ended his acts with a rhyming couplet so that the audience would know they were over,” said Paul.
“I wanted it to end with a little meaningful couplet, so I followed the Bard and wrote a couplet.”
“It had a nice line in it – 'The love you take is equal to the love you make.' It was a very cosmic, philosophical line,” said John.
“I was always fascinated by the couplet as a form in poetry,” said Paul.
“When you think about it, it's been the workhorse of poetry in English right the way through...I was particularly fascinated by how Shakespeare used the couplet to close out a scene, or an entire play. Just taking a swing through Macbeth, for example, you'll find a few humdingers, like 'Receive what cheer you may; The night is long that never finds the day" or "I go, and it it done; the bell invites me. Hear it not, Duncan; for it is a knell that summons thee to heaven or to hell.' This was Shakespeare's way of saying, 'That's it, folks,' and 'The End' was our way of saying the same...(ours) is one of those couplets that can keep you thinking for a long time. It may be about good karma. What goes around comes around, as they say in America."
It is apparent from this explanation that when Paul describes his "the love you make" couplet in the song "The End" that he wasn't indicating this as the conclusion of the Beatles' career (as some would assume), but as the conclusion of the long medley that ends the "Abbey Road" album.
This brings the time of writing to July and August of 1969. Since John, when interviewed, gave full composer credit for the song to Paul, “The End” can be claimed entirely as a McCartney composition, undoubtedly written at his St. John's Wood home in London.
Paul, however, left a good amount of breathing space in the song for individual artistic expression for the rest of his bandmates, resulting in inventive guitar and drum solos.
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