You Are Still A Mystery lyrics

[Cristian Kiper]

I got a new pair of headphones today, and since every pair sounds different, I've been listening to all my favorite songs to see if I can spot things I haven't heard before, sounds buried in the mix and stuff like that. Anyway, after rewinding and playing around with different EQ settings for about 30 minutes, I think I can finally tell what the background vocals in the chorus of You Are Still A Mystery are singing:

Tell me your secrets... Don't try to hide...
Give it to me straight, now... What you keep inside...
Need a little hand, now... Don't play with me...
Gotta find the key, now...
You are still a mystery.

The first part has been confirmed by Andy Paley in this interview: http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/2013/09/04/beach-boys-collaborators-stephen-kalinich-andy-paley-interview/

The rest, I'm pretty sure that's what they are singing. Like, 95% sure

[Aomdiddlywalla]

'Don't try to hide '  ... !!!!!!
That's it, that's it!
Thank you Sir .

[SloopJohnB]

I had always heard "Need a little hand now" as "Give a little hint now", which made sense given the other lyrics, but I agree it does actually sound more like "Need a little hand".

[HeyJude]

As someone who is known to my music savvy friends as occasionally not paying super close enough attention to lyrics all the time, I've nonetheless been trying to figure out those backing vocals for 18 years or however long it has been since the Paley tracks started circulating.

The only bit in the buried second portions of each line that I ever thought I might have was the word right before "need a little hand now", which kind of sounded like "'cause I", which sounds similar enough to "inside" that that sounds totally plausible. I also always conceded that there was little that would have made sense logically/grammatically in the scant two or three syllables before "'cause I."

Funny that I was listening to the MIC mix of this song yesterday and once again thinking about those lyrics. It also always strikes me how wonderfully idiosyncratic the song is, especially in the context of what the group was doing musically at that time otherwise.

[Wrightfan]

Think I got it:
1A: It's happening again
1B: Tell me your secrets
1C: Don't try to hide
1A: I thought you were my friend
2B: Give me to me straight now
2C: What you keep inside
3A: Help me through this please
3B: Need a little hand now
3C: Don't Play with Me
4A: Help me find the key
4B: Gotta find the key now
All: You're still a mystery