- Album This song officially appears on the Tug Of War Official album.
- Timeline This song has been written (or started being written) in 1977 (Paul McCartney was 35 years old)
Related sessions
This song has been recorded during the following studio sessions
August 1980
Recording "Take It Away", "Average Person"
February 16-18, 1981
Mixing "Dress Me Up As A Robber"
Aug 14, 1981
March 2-30, 2015
Related interviews
Tug Of War - Paul McCartney talks to Andy Mackay
Aug 01, 1982 • From Club Sandwich
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Song facts
“Dress Me Up As A Robber” is a song from 1982 album “Tug Of War“. Like “The Pound Of Sinking” on the same album, it was written in 1977.
From an interview with Club Sandwich, 1982:
Andy Mackay – “Dress Me Up as a Robber” – is that the one you were talking about that sounds Steve Gaddish?
Paul – Yes, I think that does sound Steve Gaddish in its rhythm, but it’s a kinda Latin thing that Steve would do anyway. We did it in Montserrat where we had different people at different times, you know. Dave Mattacks was there drumming on certain tracks and then we was returned to England and nearly overlapping him was Steve Gadd, to kinda take over. And I think for me, I always say today, I can hear him sort of anticipating Steve’s arrival and sort of thinking about this. He plays a bit Steve Gadd-y style, which is nice actually, it makes a nice change for us. It sort of keeps a bit of a continuity rather than it just being everyone’s very different, they kind of assimilated a bit to each other, sort of thing.
Andy – Are the words anything of great significance?
Paul – Dressed up as a robber — the words are just kinda words, they just came about. You can do whatever you like to me, you can call me what you like. but I’ll still be what I am; you can dress me up as a sailor, a robber, a soldier, but it really won’t matter, I will still be me. If you dress me up as a soldier I will be the little fellow who goes to Northern Ireland and writes a book about the horrors of it — I won’t be a soldier really, or you know what I mean, that kind of thought.
Last updated on May 9, 2020
The book "The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present", published in 2021, covers Paul McCartney's early Liverpool days, the Beatles, Wings, and solo careers, by pairing the lyrics of 154 of his songs with first-person commentaries of the circumstances in which they were written, the people and places that inspired them, and what he thinks of them now.
"Dress Me Up As A Robber" is one of the 154 songs covered.
Lyrics
Well you can dress me up as a robber
But I won't be in disguise
Only love is a robber
And he lives within your eyes
Ooh, ooh eee ooh
You can dress me up as a sailor
But I'll never run to sea
As long as your love is available to me
What do I do with a sea of blue?
Ooh, eee ooh
Dressing me up
It doesn't make a difference
What you want to do
Whichever way you look at it
I'm still in love with you
If we go on forever
I may never make a change
Dressing me up
And if I don't convince you
You needn't look too far
To see that I'm not lying
‘cos I love you the way you are
And what's the point of changing
When I'm happy as I am?
Well you can dress me up as a soldier
But I wouldn't know what for
I was the one that told you he loved you
Don't wanna go to another war
No, no, no
Officially appears on
Official album • Released in 1982
2:43 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Arrangement, Backing vocals, Bass, Guitars, Vocal
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Electric guitar, Synthesizer
- Eric Stewart :
- Backing vocals
- George Martin :
- Arrangement, Electric piano, Producer
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Dave Mattacks :
- Drums, Percussion
- Jon Jacobs :
- Assistant mixing engineer, Assistant recording engineer
- Mike Stavrou :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- Feb 04, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, Montserrat
- Session Overdubs:
- Mar 23, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Aug 14, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
12" Single • Released in 1982
2:40 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Arrangement, Backing vocals, Bass, Guitars, Vocal
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Electric guitar, Synthesizer
- Eric Stewart :
- Backing vocals
- George Martin :
- Arrangement, Electric piano, Producer
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Dave Mattacks :
- Drums, Percussion
- Jon Jacobs :
- Assistant mixing engineer, Assistant recording engineer
- Mike Stavrou :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- Feb 04, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, Montserrat
- Session Overdubs:
- Mar 23, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Aug 14, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Official album • Released in 1993
2:43 • Studio version • A1993 • 1993 remaster
- Paul McCartney :
- Arrangement, Backing vocals, Bass, Guitars, Vocal
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Electric guitar, Synthesizer
- Eric Stewart :
- Backing vocals
- George Martin :
- Arrangement, Electric piano, Producer
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Dave Mattacks :
- Drums, Percussion
- Jon Jacobs :
- Assistant mixing engineer, Assistant recording engineer
- Mike Stavrou :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- Feb 04, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, Montserrat
- Session Overdubs:
- Mar 23, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Aug 14, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Tug Of War - Archive Collection
Official album • Released in 2015
2:42 • Studio version • B • 2015 remix
- Paul McCartney :
- Arrangement, Backing vocals, Bass, Guitars, Remixing, Vocal
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Electric guitar, Synthesizer
- Eric Stewart :
- Backing vocals
- George Martin :
- Arrangement, Electric piano, Producer
- Geoff Emerick :
- Recording engineer
- Dave Mattacks :
- Drums, Percussion
- Jon Jacobs :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Mike Stavrou :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Alex Wharton :
- Mastering
- Steve Orchard :
- Remixing
- Session Recording:
- Feb 04, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, Montserrat
- Session Overdubs:
- Mar 23, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- March 2-30, 2015
- Studio :
- Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
Tug Of War - Archive Collection
Official album • Released in 2015
Tug Of War - Archive Collection
Official album • Released in 2015
Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Arrangement, Backing vocals, Bass, Guitars, Vocal
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Electric guitar, Synthesizer
- Eric Stewart :
- Backing vocals
- George Martin :
- Arrangement, Electric piano, Producer
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Dave Mattacks :
- Drums, Percussion
- Jon Jacobs :
- Assistant mixing engineer, Assistant recording engineer
- Mike Stavrou :
- Assistant recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- Feb 04, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, Montserrat
- Session Overdubs:
- Mar 23, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Aug 14, 1981
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Bootlegs
Unofficial album
1:07 • Demo • D1 • Indicated as Summer '77 demo on the liner notes
- Session Recording:
- August 1980
- Studio :
- Rude Studio, Campbeltown, Scotland
Unofficial album
1:56 • Demo • D2 • Indicated as Summer '77 demo on the liner notes
- Session Recording:
- August 1980
- Studio :
- Rude Studio, Campbeltown, Scotland
Unofficial album
0:36 • Demo • D3 • Indicated as Summer '77 demo on the liner notes
- Session Recording:
- August 1980
- Studio :
- Rude Studio, Campbeltown, Scotland
Live performances
Paul McCartney has never played this song in concert.
Going further
Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989
With 25 albums of pop music, 5 of classical – a total of around 500 songs – released over the course of more than half a century, Paul McCartney's career, on his own and with Wings, boasts an incredible catalogue that's always striving to free itself from the shadow of The Beatles. The stories behind the songs, demos and studio recordings, unreleased tracks, recording dates, musicians, live performances and tours, covers, events: Music Is Ideas Volume 1 traces McCartney's post-Beatles output from 1970 to 1989 in the form of 346 song sheets, filled with details of the recordings and stories behind the sessions. Accompanied by photos, and drawing on interviews and contemporary reviews, this reference book draws the portrait of a musical craftsman who has elevated popular song to an art-form.
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