| John Lennon – God Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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“God is a concept by which we measure our pain. I'll say it again: God is a concept by which we measure our pain. I don't believe in magic. I don't believe in I-Ching. I don't believe in Bible. I don't believe in tarot. I don't believe in Hitler. I don't believe in Jesus. I don't believe in Kennedy. I don't believe in Buddha. I don't believe in Mantra. I don't believe in Gita. I don't believe in Yoga. I don't believe in Kings. I don't believe in Elvis. I don't believe in Zimmerman. I don't believe in Beatles. I just believe in me. Yoko and me, and that's reality. The dream is over. What can I say? The dream is over — Yesterday. I was the dream weaver, but now I'm reborn. I was the Walrus, but now I'm John. And so dear friends, you'll just have to carry on. The dream is over.” John opens the song with the declaration that God is only an idea created by man, and the more pain we feel, the more we produce the legend of God for our own superficial comfort and hopes. A clever device devised by man to avoid the work of dealing with our internal personal psychological and emotional battles, which too often seems too painful to acknowledge. I don't believe in magic. I don't believe in I-Ching. I don't believe in Bible. I don't believe in tarot. Then Lennon emphasizes his non-belief in things associated with magic and superstition. Illusions that contribute to an already heavily disillusioned world. I don't believe in Hitler. I don't believe in Jesus. I don't believe in Kennedy. I don't believe in Buddha. John stresses the point that no human, especially political and/or spiritual leaders, can pave the way for others. Each person has got to realize their own inner truths through self awareness. John knew that praying for a savior is a waste of time and avoids the personal issues within that we each must look at and deal with if we expect individual peace and love, which could then blossom and flower worldwide. He had become “one” with himself, and thus had a more meaningful, purposeful, and fulfilling relationship with his fans and Yoko. I don't believe in Mantra. I don't believe in Gita. I don't believe in Yoga. John continues with his disbelief's. Such things as chants, scriptures, and physical exercises, which are supposed to enlighten us, actually do not. Again, John understands the importance of inner reflection above all else. I don't believe in Kings. I don't believe in Elvis. I don't believe in Zimmerman. I don't believe in Beatles. Lennon returns to humans as his source and outlet for disapproval. At the very end of the “I don't believe” chants, John echoes the syllables, “Bea-tles” with clarity and might. John accents his disfavor of the Beatle myth. John felt that the Beatles were nothing more than a vehicle of illusion just as Christ, Hitler, the I-Ching, Elvis, and the rest of man's fanaticisms, which John no longer wished to be a part of or involved in. He acknowledges that too much power in a few hands (Kings) over the masses is rarely good, Elvis had lost himself trying to live up to the legend the populace had created of him with his over-indulgence of drugs, Zimmerman (Bob Dylan) was really nothing more than a poet - far from being worthy of leading people to inner peace, and the Beatles were guilty of creating the illusion 'We can save you,' just as the Bible, Christ, and all of the other names and practices he denounces in the song. At this time John despised the Beatles as a mere “magic act,” who gained in popularity, but didn't do much more good than the other cult heroes of ancient and modern times. John went from, “We are more popular than Jesus,” during his time with the Beatles, to “I don't believe in Jesus” or “Beatles” while with Yoko. John, at this time, had become one with himself, and was writing his songs truthfully. personally, and less commercially without care of public scrutiny. I just believe in me. Yoko and me, and that's reality. John again alerts us to his awakening. He sees that putting faith in others for one's own salvation is an invalid approach to intrinsic treatment. Only we know what we are up to when we check our ulterior motives. No President, priest, performer, or card-reader can sort out our hallucinations and misconceptions for us. We must honestly and willingly seek our own salvation through internal observation and actions. This is the reality! The dream is over. What can I say? The dream is over — Yesterday. I think these two lines are amazing! John states how the “dream” he, Paul, George, and Ringo had created was finally behind him, and now he was going to reveal a more self-reliant Lennon to the world in the hopes to rid himself of the burden of “savior” once and for all. Also, the word “Yesterday” was a song Paul had written with the Beatles, which John did not think much of, and here he uses it the way he feels it fits best. John didn't believe in the notion of yesterday the way Paul did. John didn't like the idea of wishing for or living in the past, so for him yesterday was as good as gone - just as the Beatles were gone. “Today” was always a natural new beginning to John. I was the dream weaver, but now I'm reborn. I was the Walrus, but now I'm John. John feels a sense of guilt that he added to the illusions of the world — a world so bent on looking to “Redeemers” for their own personal guidance. “I was the dream weaver, but now I'm reborn,” defines a critical time in John's life. He can now concentrate on being a creative songwriter and activist, as opposed to wasting his remaining years being a guru to a Beatle cult audience who interpreted every Beatle word literally, much like the Bible and Gita. His songwriting had matured away from the whimsical style of the fab four. And so dear friends, you'll just have to carry on. The dream is over. John let's us know it is time for all of us “to carry on “ with our lives, and to stop looking up to the Beatles, Christ, Buddha, Kennedy and others for guidance. Lennon's message is uncomplicated. LOOK WITHIN — NOT OUTWARD! ...The dream is over folks! |
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| The Beatles – Don't Let Me Down Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Don't let me down. Don't let me down. Don't let me down. Don't let me down. John Lennon echos a plea to Yoko that she must not “let him down.” John's love for her is so intense that he knows he'd be shattered if she left him. He is ready to give up the Beatles and move forward with her in love, as artist, and activist. Nobody ever loved me like she does. Ooo, she does. Yeah, she does. And if somebody loved me like she do me. Ooo, she do me. Yes, she does. Yoko's love for John is also deep. John acknowledges “Nobody ever loved me like she does.” It's the love he had longed for, and now that he had it, was afraid to lose it. “And if somebody loved me like she do me,” was probably a sudden thought John had. A sort of “What if” somebody had loved him like Yoko did? Maybe John was referring to his mother. Perhaps he mused for a moment that if his mother had loved him like Yoko did, maybe his fears and perspective on love would have been different. Don't let me down. Don't let me down. Don't let me down. Don't let me down. His pleas to Yoko continue. I'm in love for the first time. Don't you know it's going to last. It's a love that lasts forever. It's a love that had no past. John is experiencing his first true love with a woman, and wonders, “Don't you know it's going to last.” He is immersing himself in this love, and realizes he will do all he can on his end to make it last. He just needs to know if Yoko is just as eager for this “forever” love — a love that has “no past.” Don't let me down. Don't let me down. Don't let me down. Don't let me down. And from the first time that she really done me, Ooo, she done me. She done me good. I guess nobody ever really done me, Ooo, she done me. She done me good. “She really done me,” and “ She done me good,” appear to be completely sexual, but knowing John's penchant for deeper lyrical meanings, I'm sure he is citing that Yoko has done him good in all aspects of their relationship. He is pleased to have met his other half — his soul mate. Don't let me down. Don't let me down. Please - Don't let me down. The word please here fortifies John's appeal that Yoko not let him down. |
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| The Beatles – Across the Universe Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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"Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup, they slither while they pass, they slip away across the universe." Here, John is simply saying that at this point in his life he had come to realize his words were so enamored and interpreted by some of the greatest of minds of his time, that expressing himself through words was becoming a "breeze" for him. He also understood that he had become a spokesperson for the world. His confidence and belief in himself had become completely reassuring. "Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my opened mind Possessing and caressing me." John allows us inside his mind, while surrendering his vulnerabilities to us. Although he expresses "waves of joy which caress him," to his delight - he also delivers voluntarily a "possessing sorrow," which most humans rarely admit to because they fear societal ridicule, which in turn, naturally leaves those, who are too afraid to look within, in spiritual darkness. "Jai guru deva om..." Jai guru deva simply means, Praise to the victorious one, or to the one on high. John praises the natural forces of energy which provides for us our feelings and needs of love and peace. As for "om", it is the "hum" monks verbalize while in a state of meditative consciousness. While in such a state, monks claim to hear the earth's wobble, thus the reason for their hum (om). They simply attempt to replicate the "wobble" they feel so completely in-tune with. I gather John attributed such unworldly vocalizations to his own spiritual consciousness, using music and poetry as his tools to communicate such enlightenment. "Nothing's going to change my world..." John knew at that point in his life there was no turning back. He had become enlightened through life's lessons, and had achieved a sort of nirvana by simply practicing the principals of love in his every day world. "Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes that call me on and on across the universe." In the sentence above, John asserts that something greater than himself is calling him on to relay his poetry to a greater universal audience. "Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letterbox..." Here, John's telling us that his thoughts are rambling fluently without even trying. In a way that suggest he is an involuntary poetic messenger for some greater force which dominates him. "...They tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe." John recognizes that words, much like life itself, can never be, nor should be, harnessed or controlled. John knew that such controls are to be avoided if one wishes to acheive the height of their awareness. "Sounds of laughter, shades of earth are ringing through my open mind inciting and inviting me." John is expressing that he has reached his personal spiritual plateau and is propelled by it's enormous possibilities. "Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns, it calls me on and on across the universe." In the end John realizes that it is a "limitless undying love" which "shines" and "calls him on" to verbalize his poetry "across the universe" to all races. |
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| The Beatles – Strawberry Fields Forever Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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The song opens with the chorus, "Let me take you down cos I'm going to, Strawberry Fields, nothing is real, and nothing to get hung-about. Strawberry Fields forever." It was written during the time of the Beatles, and has both figurative and metaphorical representations. One, it is an actual place John went to visit often - Strawberry Fields being an orphanage near John's home in Liverpool where he went as a young boy to escape his troubles — And two, this song is also using Strawberry Fields symbolically - a place he mentally wanders to forget his stress - yearning for simpler times. He also is frustrated and disillusioned with those who go through life blind to things going on around them, and too there are indications of Lennon's own insecurities about his genius. John invites us to come on "down" and join him into a world where there is no fussing, fighting, or killing. "Living is easy with eyes closed. Misunderstanding all you see. This is so true when you deliberate about how easy life is when you accept things superficially and don't utilize research. However, John knew that living life shallowly is not really living at all. "It's getting hard to be someone, but it all works out." John finds seeing things as they really are is no easy task, but he trust that in the end it will all work out. "It doesn't matter much to me." And John figures if things don't work out "it doesn't matter much..." because there is no way he is turning back and giving up on the road less traveled. The next verse begins, "No one I think is in my tree, I mean it must be high or low." It's apparent John is struggling with the notion that maybe he is not a genius after all. There's a saying, "There's a fine line between genius and insanity," and John may, at that point in time, have questioned his sanity even for a brief time. "That is you can't you know, tune in, but it's all right. That is I think it's not too bad." John lets us know that the mental state he is in is not a place where many minds "tune in," "but it's alright." John's okay with knowing his psychic state is not for everyone, but hopes that there are enough intelligent and well-informed people to acknowledge brilliance and a greater message. Lennon tapped into primal emotions that never left his consciousness. "Always, know sometimes, think it's me, but you know I know when it's a dream." I don't have the facts here in front of me, but I'm guessing John's confused about who he is at times. He reassures us though that even when he may be in doubt and "thinks it's him," he is quite certain he "...know when it's a dream." Before repeating the chorus one last time, John ends with, "I think I know I mean a yes, but it's all wrong. That is I think I disagree." Again, the fine line of genius and insanity is gripping. John want's to agree with society, but he knows society is "all wrong," forcing him to disagree with it's direction and conditions. John felt mankind could build reality from it's dreams. |
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| John Lennon – Imagine Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Any man that could express poetic words with such musical grace and warmth as John Lennon did, was, for me, a very personal and instinctive awakening! Thank You John!!! One of the simplest songs John ever wrote, yet it's about a rather complex issue. The idea of world peace and racial tolerance, which most everyone claims to want, will never be realized John feels, because each race wants it on their terms — a very unrealistic notion. The first thing we notice is the child-like title of the song. The unsophisticated heading, IMAGINE, immediately warns us not to be so serious, and to just relax and think dreamily for a moment about the enormous possibilities man has if we were to sincerely apply ourselves and not think selfishly or fearfully. It may also indicate a bit of sarcasm that man is already in a child-like state with it's fantasies of heaven and hell, and it would take added "imagination" to extract ones self away from those illusions in order for us to see the necessary reality of what it takes to achieve our goals. For example: If a child believed there were monsters under the bed, a parent may help the child to "imagine" that the monsters were eaten by friendly protective Casper-like ghost, and thus no more monsters and nothing to fear. John tells us to imagine other possibilities that are actually more real and believable than the world as it is now. The song begins: "Imagine there's no heaven. It's easy if you try. No hell below us. Above us only sky." John informs us, that in his view, the first order of business is that mankind needs to do away with the silly notions of religion — especially Christian religion. He notes that man has got to dispel the concepts of heaven and hell before one can think clearly about how to achieve peace, racial acceptance, and putting a stop to world hunger. John felt heaven and hell were infantile ideas man put upon himself, burdening our ability to see clearly. "Imagine all the people. Living for today." John ask that we imagine everyone "living for today," and not wallow in the past or future. The very idea that heaven awaits us leaves too many folks in the continuing dream of a "promised and better" life after death, thus they miss out on the ideals of the one and only real life they will ever know. For most of us, changing the world is too much work, so it's easier to fantasize about a nicer, pleasanter, place after death, where the work has already been done for us. "Imagine there's no countries. It isn't hard to do. Nothing to kill or die for. And no religion too." Here is where John makes the point that the ideal of world peace and racial tolerance will never be realized because each race demands it on their conditions. John's saying the borders that define each counties territory would need to be abolished if humans ever wish to realize their dreams of brotherhood. I am quite sure John knew that ridding man's boundaries was an impossible task, but he let's us know anyway that that's what it would take to achieve a world union. Personally, I have problems with converting my thoughts from quarts and pounds, to kilos and liters, let alone accepting a world without borders. Humans are naturally protective of their cultures and race, thus borderlines are drawn whether for the right reasons or not. "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will be as one." In the chorus John knows he is laughed at and ridiculed by many for being a dreamer, but instead of being upset by it, he instead reminds us that we are all dreamers to some degree, whether it be our beliefs in ghost, Gods, prophets, UFO's etc. And nearly every kid, when asked what they wish to see less of in the world, will usually reply, "I wish there were no hungry people." Or "I wish there weren't any wars." Are they dreamers, or are they the realist? "Imagine no possessions. I wonder if you can. No need for greed or hunger. A brotherhood of man." No possessions? It is incredibly hard to consider such a world when our whole life we've known only one way, like money, those pieces of paper that everyone goes Ga Ga over, which controls our thoughts more than any item in the world. We will spend hours shopping, looking at the quality of the products and their cost, in determining whether it's a good buy or not. We will drive by gas stations because the station down the road is selling their gas for a nickel a gallon less. We plan and save to purchase homes, cars, and businesses. We may pursue yard sales, auctions, and antique shops looking for those items that were well worth the price. We'll spend money we don't have on lotteries in the hopes of gaining a fortune. We'll work long hours each day for bigger pay checks while our lives tick the days away without ever truly living. We'll balance our budgets and check books with care, knowing a careless transaction will have consequences, and so on. I recently observed, for about 15 minutes, a lady attempt to extract a quarter with a fork from a cafe floor. She was relentless! I had crazy-glued it, and sat back to watch in amusement the human behaviors and reactions at those who tried to get the quarter. I never realized how much effort others will put in, in the hopes of acquiring even a small profit. Our lust for more of everything is evident everywhere. "Imagine all the people, sharing all the world." Yes, I can imagine it John, but the system that has been devised by man is here to stay I think. The class divisions, money, drugs, possessions, political and corporate criminals, etc. have numbed us into disillusionment. "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will live as one." One thing I think most people will agree with, is although John Lennon knew realistically that the world would never imagine what he imagined, he was however always hopeful. |
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