Lyrics for Across the Universe as interpreted by Ice

Across the Universe Lyrics
Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup
They slither while they pass, they slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my opened mind
Possessing and caressing me

Jai guru deva om
Nothing's going to change my world
Nothing's going to change my world
Nothing's going to change my world
Nothing's going to change my world

Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes
That call me on and on across the universe
Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letterbox
They tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe

Jai guru deva om
Nothing's going to change my world
Nothing's going to change my world
Nothing's going to change my world
Nothing's going to change my world

Sounds of laughter, shades of earth are ringing through my open mind
Inciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns
It calls me on and on across the universe

Jai guru deva om
Nothing's going to change my world
Nothing's going to change my world
Nothing's going to change my world
Nothing's going to change my world

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IndieSen
11-27-2007

Rated 0 
Cried to this song many, many times. Always been there for me. Easily my all time favorite by the beatles.

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sadistic
11-28-2007

Rated 0 
When I listen to this song, I really believe that nothing will change my world, I mean- yeah, unfavorable events may occur, but my "world" will essentially be the same. There will always be some kind of happiness in me. This song makes me both happy and sad,lol. Bottomline, it's amazing.

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MindsTheatrre
12-01-2007

Rated 0 
Ok, it's not about drugs. But nn10000 I'm gonna have to disagree with you on a few points.
For starters, there's no way you can conflate "pools of sorrow" and "waves of joy" into one lump understanding that both are about emotion overwhelming him. I think that the "pools of sorrow" are possessing and the "waves of joy" are caressing, and it's a fundamental shift in thinking. The pool is stagnant, its permanent, but it's also weak. The wave is quick, powerful, but fleeting. The wave simply cannot possess, because it isn't around long enough to. Rather, when a wave buffets against the rocks, it caresses and then quickly steps aside.

John is possessed with sorrow in this movie, and the waves of joy that come against his shore quickly retreat, unable to solve the main problem of futility that runs throughout the song.

I don't think 'nothing's gonna change my world' is an arrogant statement of defiance against the world. But I don't think it's a statement of oneness with the universe either. He repeats it too much, he needs convincing - and John knows what the 'refrain' of a song really means. It means it 'refrains' the music and meaning from going any further, it's a restriction and boundary that he's meeting up against.

"Nothing's gonna change my world" means that despite his best efforts, he can't change his course. He's not in control of the situation. He's trying to catch words in paper cups but they just slip by. He's being called "on and on across the universe" because it's so far away.

What I love the most about this song is the sense of space. The notes on "rain into a paper cup" or "wind inside a letter box" sound like twinkling stars, just two notes alternating between them create this wonderful vacuum for John to play in. Even the opening glissando - from low to high - it's conveying space. And when we're dragged across this space, across the universe, with no end in sight and unable to control it, it's frustrating as hell.

- "restless wind inside a letter box" is an anxiety about being trapped
- "sounds of laughter, shades of earth" are suggestions of beauty that ring through him, but they *aren't the things themselves.* He can never get laughter, or earth, just mere hints of those wonderful things. They call him on, and he goes on an endless search for them.

In the end, "nothing's gonna change my world" is a resignation that no matter what we do in our own world, we can't fix the problem. We can't reconcile.

I think this song is darker and more desperate than people have been giving it credit for.

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crych
12-26-2007

Rated 0 
This song is written by John Lennon and about the actual process of writing.

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blackbirdthump
01-03-2008

Rated 0 
the Jai guru deva om part is actually meant to mean,
gracious heavenly guru.and the omm is the vibration of the univerese.as we al know and love and are polluting.but,the song was written when they were in Rakikikesh and that's where they got the line Jai guru deva om.but it is very heavenly and melodic song.i strongly recommend listening to it when falling in love.

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lindsayms14
01-13-2008

Rated 0 
Obviously about some hallucinogin. If you've ever done drugs you would know... pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my opened mind? That's what happens on shrooms (not sure about LSD but I think it's about the same)...

Just look at every lyric definitely points towards how one feels on hallucinogins... amazing how it is so well captured and described... oh and for whoever said the song is like a drug, it only really takes you off if you have seriously experienced the trip because you can't imagin the enormity of these words and the universe until it is experienced.

Take shrooms and you will understand this song.

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manumoka
01-14-2008

Rated 0 
John wrote this song during his long rounding (series of yoga asanas, pranayama, transcendental meditation) in India. Without this context it makes no sense.

It desribes the process of meditating: "words are flowing out like endless rain..." John is at once thinking, and detached from his thoughts. He is evidently deeply into his program, as he describes his experiences of feeling his thoughts and impulses eminating from him, outward, across the universe.

This is a very accurate description of the experience of practicing TM, and hearing sounds coming in through a window, and feeling the inner bliss bubbling up: "Sounds of laughter, shades of earth, are ringing through my open mind, inciting and inviting me. Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns, it calls me on and on across the universe."

Even with the eyes closed, "images of broken light" come in through the eyelids, and the light is also part of his inner light, emanating and reaching everywhere in creation (an important part of Maharishi's vedic teaching, how everything affects everything else in creation, which is one of the important principles of TM and vedic knowledge).

Jai Guru Deva is the traditional sanscrit reminder of thanks to the guru of the holy tradition. In this case, it refers to Maharishi's master, Swami Brahmananda Saraswati, generally called "Guru Dev." Maharishi ends virtually every talk with "Jai Guru Dev," loosely translated as "thanks to the master," more precisely translated as "All glory to the master of the gods."

"Om" is a traditional vedic mantra used by recluses and not householders, and therefore was not used or recommended by Maharishi duringthis course, but usually gets asked about it by course participants. My guess is the John thought it fit the end of the sanscrit phrase as a tag on like "oh." Also, he was always a bit of a bad boy even around Maharishi, and probably fancied using it in spite of Maharishi's advice.

The "nothing's gonna change my world" line has to do with the Wildlife Foundation, to whom John donated the song, and seems to be a declaration wanting to protect the natural environment. But it may also be a description of the eternal nature of John's inner life. My guess is that after rounding for a few weeks he was identifying with his inner immortal consciousness.

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freeform
01-23-2008

Rated 0 
i love the richness of the verses and their meanings, but...

"nothing's gonna change my world".

this, to me, changes the song so much. my experience with transcendental meditation is using it as a tool to, indeed, change your world. to better yourself. to open yourself up to more possibilities.

i can't really reconcile the dichotomy...

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day tripper
01-30-2008

Rated 0 
hands down my favorite song of all time. interesting how john lennon wasn't happy with the way ti turned out, i think it's brilliant and perfect as it is.

in my opinion (and sorry to all of you with super long posts on the topic) the meaning of this song isn't as deep as some people try to make it. i think john lennon was trying to emphasis the sort of cosmic feel of the song and not some deep philisophical meaning.

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LindaRonstadt
03-06-2008

Rated 0 
this song is a moment of clarity. sunshine though the trees, re birth, a wave of happiness, the realisation of nature taking care of you, realisation of God. When Lennon wrote this he was a mess. His sanity was fragile due to excessive LSD use, his marrige was collapsing, the beatles lacked direction as Epstein had just died, and he had just met yoko who turned his world upside down. This song is a moment of peace amid the turmoil. Ultimately Lennon was a peacefull soul. But what has produced this moment of peace? Is it the teachings of eastern religion that Lennon was experimenting with at the time? Is it simply an artificial drug rush. My feelings are that for a song to be this great, Lennon must have had a spiritual realisation, an awareness that all would be ok so long as he dosnt let anything change his world

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WALRUS*
03-07-2008

Rated 0 
Firstly although the words Guru Diva are the name of Maharishis teacher. Gurus names are often aspects of God almost without exception. This phrase is not so much a homage to Maharishi teacher, its more of praise to God. Remember that Guru also translates as God / Brahma and not just any human teacher. Your thinking of humans, think more broader of the deeper spiritual message. During his immersion in eastern thought his lyrics would have reflected the deeper spiritual sentiment and not just ode to the teachers teacher.
All said here is a better translation.

Jai Guru Deva OM
Victory to God Devine OM

Om cannot easily be translated as a single English word. It is used as the most sacred word in Indian thought. It represents the birth growth and death of the Cosmos. It is also the Vibration / sound of the Cosmos literaly.If you could step outside the Universe and listen to it that is what you would hear. The Yogis hear this in deep meditation. One way of thinking of OM would be Alpha-Omega. From OM all the English words like Omniscience, Omnipresence are derived from. Deva means Divine , this is where the English word divinity comes from.

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MellowGirl
03-14-2008

Rated 0 
This is my ultimate happy song. It's that state of euphoria in which pretty much nothing can get you down. Any unfortunate event just "slip[s] away across the universe."

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kamarya
03-16-2008

Rated 0 
i like this song better than IMAGINE it is more mysterious than "i love peace and i hate war" statements and it has a much stronger message of love. you hear it and you just can imagine yourself effected by a kind gesture from someone ACROSS THE UNIVERSE and it had its way all the wat back to you. a feeling of humanity that overwhelms you

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a voice
03-22-2008

Rated 0 
maybe the magazine meant george wrote the music for the song...which is possible?

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SK8B0R3D_4_LIFE
04-11-2008

Rated 0 
great song

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DeadheadTim
04-17-2008

Rated 0 
I'm not sure if anyone has already said this, but I'm pretty certain that this song is about tripping. It's hard to imagine if you haven't done it, but this song captures the feeling to a T.
Waves of emotion, images of broken light, etc. etc. No one can deny the influence of psychedelics on the Beatles (Thank you Bob Dylan), but this actually is a song about tripping, whose subject IS tripping.

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roxmysox4
04-17-2008

Rated 0 
i luv this song.its from accross the universe,my fav movie.i also luv the beatles

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Gang
05-18-2008

Rated 0 
This song is actually about the divorce John Lennon was going through with Cynthia. He began writing it while on the phone with her and she was just babbling on and on...kinda like "Words are flowing out like endless rain..."
Yea, true story. Its basically about how the divorce wasn't going to affect him because he was so in love with yoko.

Such an amazing song.

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petetheelite
06-06-2008

Rated 0 
Whether this song was a influenced by LSD or meditation towards spiritual enlightenment, It's incredible.

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Anwylyd
06-21-2008

Rated 0 
This is pretty obviously about an acid trip. Just thought I'd throw that out there :]

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m2bow+de
06-22-2008

Rated 0 
F.Y.I : Jai Guru Davi means: praise your spiritual teacher.

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GrungeRock1991
06-23-2008

Rated +1 
This is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. I think it is about John Lennon's dream of Peace and Love throughout, well, the universe. The "nothing's gonna change my world" line is saying no matter what the world says about this, it's his dream and it cannot be changed by anyone else but him. It's an incredible song.

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cristeal
07-10-2008

Rated 0 
I have alwats seen this as a love song purely.
I think the first part up to the first chorus perfectly describe me when I am in love: Way too much talking, and extremes in emotions. The chorus "nothing's gonna change my world" is just that wanting to hold onto that great feeling

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mgoogbeat33
07-16-2008

Rated 0 
My favorite Beatle/Lennon song. The song itself meanders throughout the soul while listening! I know that Lennon liked wordplay. I don't think he had a specific subject in mind other than very nice and beautiful word play. The song speaks to each listener on his/her own terms allowing us to interpret it as we please to help us through the night. Crazy huh!

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hamilton23
07-26-2008

Rated 0 
i think that many people blow the meaning of this song way out of proportion. An artist like John Lennon, while I love every song he has written, enjoys creating very complex metaphors to describe very simple idealisms, as shown in Strawberry Fields Forever and Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds. I feel that this song is the embodiment of his feelings for music. The lyrics explain how his lyrics are the only cure for his spectrum of feelings. The metaphor "Across the Universe" simply means that his words and expressions are endless and they they can never really be conveyed directly through words or lyrics.

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