Considering his interest in Indian spiritualism, devotion to Krishna and reputation as the mystic Beatle, the common assumption is that George Harrison wrote the song Mystical One about his own search for God, the titular mystical one referring either to himself or the Hindu deity Krishna. In his 2010 book The Words and Music of George Harrison, Ian Inglis states, for example, that The image of a man “sitting by a stream,” “dreaming of humming birds,” and gazing into “raincloud eyes” is the image of Harrison himself: he is the “mystical one” of the title, who may have been temporarily lost, but has now reappeared. The study of Harrison’s original manuscript, however, reveals another possible interpretation. Taking into account the provenance, the initials E.C. inscribed in Harrison’s hand on the reverse of the folded lyric sheet appear to indicate that George may have presented the original handwritten lyrics to his friend and sometime collaborator Eric Clapton after he recorded the song for his tenth solo studio album Gone Troppo between May and August 1982. A connection to Clapton would account for the curious reference to Shimmering Slow Hand in the third verse – ‘Slow Hand’ being the long established and well-known nickname for Eric Clapton.

In early 1982, Clapton emerged clean and sober from a stint at addiction treatment center Hazelden in Minneapolis, following a decade of serious addiction issues that saw him switch his early 1970s heroin addiction for alcoholism. No doubt Harrison would have spent time with Clapton on his return from Hazelden, and might perhaps have been inspired to write a song in celebration of his friend’s newfound serenity. By Clapton’s own account, he became obsessed with fishing around this time (see lot 103). As he explained in his 2007 autobiography: Fishing is an absorbing pastime and has a Zen quality to it. It’s an ideal pursuit for anyone who wants to think a lot and get things in perspective. If read as Clapton, the first verse takes on a new meaning: They say I’m not what I used to be, All the same – I’m happier than a willow tree, shine or rain – sitting there by a stream. By this reading, Harrison’s lyrics could appear to depict a man struggling with how others perceive his altered behaviour, yet nonetheless happier in his sobriety and finding joy in his riverside pursuits. Switching to the songwriter’s voice, the second half of the verse might demonstrate Harrison’s pleasure in his friend’s rehabilitation: There’s nothing I’d rather feel – in this world – you and you’re [sic] sweet serenity.

The second verse continues in a similar, though more obscure, vein: the Humming Birds a possible reference to Clapton’s first big band – the Yardbirds; while That Mystical one I knew – is returned, might represent Harrison’s delight in having his friend back from the brink. The bridge lyrics I am yes I am: I know what I feel could almost be read as a sobriety mantra, to embrace the full power of one's feelings and emotions without the numbing effects of alcohol. The third verse presents the most convincing argument for the Clapton interpretation, when viewed as a reference to the infamous love triangle that saw an infatuated Clapton pursue Harrison’s wife Pattie Boyd, even penning the rock standard Layla in her honour, until Boyd would eventually leave the former Beatle for his friend. The lyrics might reflect the enduring friendship between the two love rivals: I know whatever we may have been – in past time, has sorted the true out from the rest – win or lose, I always knew you’d be there; and could appear to express Harrison’s great joy in hearing the virtuoso guitarist, known as Slow Hand, play with a clear head once again: You answer my deepest prayer – in a song – shimmering slow hand flowing clear.