Actually, what really happened (see "she said") is that John Lennon, George Harrison, and Peter Fonda were all "tripping their faces off" (as chaosmind so nicely put it) at Peter's house. George was tripping pretty bad, and, like you sometimes do when you're on acid, felt like he was going to die. Peter comforted George, saying "It's ok, George, it's ok, I know what it's like to be dead..." referring to a near-death experience he had had recently.

John got pissed off, and said to Peter: "Shut the hell up. Who put all that shit in your head? You're making me feel like I've never been born." Then, according to Fonda, John's "eyes widened...he knew he had something.." Anyway, John (and George) wrote a song about it, but Lennon/McCartney were only credited for some reason or another. Lennon had the melody, and George wrote the countermelody that goes "She said you don't understand what I said...." and "when I was a boy...."

Lyrics:
She said I know what it's like to be dead
I know what it is to be sad
And she's making me feel like I've never been born.

I said "Who put all those things in your head?
Things that make me feel that I'm mad
And you're making me feel like I've never been born."

She said "you don't understand what I said"
I said "No, no, no, you're wrong"
When I was a boy everything was right
Everything was right

I said "Even though you know what you know
I know that I'm ready to leave
'Cause you're making me feel like I've never been born."

She said "you don't understand what I said"
I said "No, no, no, you're wrong"
When I was a boy everything was right
Everything was right

I said "Even though you know what you know
I know that I'm ready to leave
'Cause you're making me feel like I've never been born."

She said I know what it's like to be dead
I know what it is to be sad...
she said...
she said...

CST Approved