Hey Jude lyrics up for auction

Hey Jude was The Beatles' biggest-selling single

The hand-written lyrics to Hey Jude, bought for a few pounds in 1971, are set to fetch £80,000 at a London auction on 30 April.

Sir Paul McCartney's original lyrics to the Beatles song - a number one hit in the UK and USA in 1968 - were found by a fan in London's Portobello market 31 years ago.

McCartney wrote the song for Lennon's son Julian

The buyer has kept them in a drawer for the last three decades, only taking them out occasionally to show friends.

Two of the hand-written lines differ from the final version of the song, and the last few lines are missing.

Another early version of the song's lyrics, jotted in a notebook kept by Beatles aide Mal Evans, fetched £110,000 at a Sotheby's auction.

The single, released on the Beatles' own record label Apple with John Lennon's song Revolution on the B-side, was their best selling single worldwide.

Like many Beatles compositions, Hey Jude was written entirely by one of the famous Lennon-McCartney songwriting team.

The lyrics differ from the final version

Sir Paul said he wrote the song for Julian Lennon, Lennon's son by his then wife Cynthia.

McCartney has said since: "John and Cynthia were splitting up and I felt particularly sorry for Julian.

"I thought as a friend of the family I would motor out to Weybridge and tell them that everything was all right - to try to cheer them up.

"I had about an hour's drive. I would always turn the radio off and try and make up songs.

"I started singing 'Hey Jools - don't make it bad, take a sad song and make it better'.

"It was optimistic, a hopeful message for Julian."

Lennon later said it was his favourite of McCartney's compositions.