He reuses the verse melody from the previous album's "Dirty Little Religion", the topics of the verses are all over the place, and he packs too many words into one line (goes to show...) and too few in another (it's pretty hard to find), and rhymes "Henley Regatta" with "Persona non grata", but gets away with it all as only he could.
How does it feel to be
One of the beautiful people
Now that you know who you are
What do you want to be
And have you traveled very far?
Far as the eye can see
How does it feel to be
One of the beautiful people
How often have you been there
Often enough to know
What did you see when you were there
Nothing that doesn't show
Baby you're a rich man
Baby you're a rich man
Baby you're a rich man, too
You keep all your money in a big brown bag inside a zoo
What a thing to do
Baby you're a rich man
Baby you're a rich man
Baby you're a rich man, too
How does it feel to be
One of the beautiful people
Tuned to a natural E
Happy to be that way
Now that you've found another key
What are you going to play
Baby you're a rich man
Baby you're a rich man
Baby you're a rich man, too
You keep all your money in a big brown bag inside a zoo
What a thing to do
Baby, baby, you're a rich man
Baby you're a rich man
Baby you're a rich man, too (oh)
Baby you're a rich man
Baby you're a rich man (baby)
Baby you're a rich man, too
Baby you're a rich man
Baby you're a rich man
Baby you're a rich man, too
One of the beautiful people
Now that you know who you are
What do you want to be
And have you traveled very far?
Far as the eye can see
How does it feel to be
One of the beautiful people
How often have you been there
Often enough to know
What did you see when you were there
Nothing that doesn't show
Baby you're a rich man
Baby you're a rich man
Baby you're a rich man, too
You keep all your money in a big brown bag inside a zoo
What a thing to do
Baby you're a rich man
Baby you're a rich man
Baby you're a rich man, too
How does it feel to be
One of the beautiful people
Tuned to a natural E
Happy to be that way
Now that you've found another key
What are you going to play
Baby you're a rich man
Baby you're a rich man
Baby you're a rich man, too
You keep all your money in a big brown bag inside a zoo
What a thing to do
Baby, baby, you're a rich man
Baby you're a rich man
Baby you're a rich man, too (oh)
Baby you're a rich man
Baby you're a rich man (baby)
Baby you're a rich man, too
Baby you're a rich man
Baby you're a rich man
Baby you're a rich man, too
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More Featured Meanings
Corpse I Fell In Love With
Gadjits, The
Gadjits, The
The Spy
Doors, The
Doors, The
Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
LindaRonstadt, in her post above, grasps some of the meaning of this song but Lennon bares his all in his lyrics with often, just a few words speaking volumes. This song, and "All You Need Is Love", the flip of the "double A sided" release and really a continuation of BYARM, is full of despair, vitriol, disappointment and fear. The intelligence, acid wit and burning sarcasm used to deliver this baring of emotions only go a little way to disguisde that.
Enlightenment and karma was giving way to a world of terrorism, violence and hatred. The hippy dream that the kaftan wearing, VW Camper driving thrill seekers had been thwarted by those who believed that they were it's biggest proponents, was a complete sham.
McCartney, who never really did understand this "love is all" nonsense anyway, was now destroying their marriage in his craving for the material world where Pounds Sterling and Dollar bills are the divine leaders. His open infidelity with the multi million dollar heiress to the Kodak empire, Linda Eastman was a very painful torment to Lennon. As a child, when like all of us, his very being was exposed to the world, he suddenly found himself all alone - Those who supposedly loved him left him naked, alone and afraid. Release came with the "marriage" to McCartney and once more, he could open up and expose his fears and thoughts. The kids were good kids (Harrison, Starkey etc) and helped make the marriage a place where he once again felt wanted and loved. McCartney was destroying that for a brown bag of filthy lucre and a cage in the zoo where all those who embarked on the journey to Utopia when it was fashionable, but didn't even begin to understand are no more than caged sheep.
You'll see references to McCartney, Eastman et al throughout these two halfs of the same song if you look. "Tuned to a natural e", "Now you've found another key" etc etc. The Cowboy scream and the mainly spoken lead out to AYNIL confirms this.
There is so much more that I want to imprt but I've bored you all long enough for now!
Wow, I don't even know where to begin with your theory, Johnny. BYARM was recorded on May 11, 1967. Paul met Linda on May 15, 1967, four days later. He would not see her again until almost a year later. John would not meet Linda until she took the pictures of the Beatles that were included in the "White Album" in 1968.<br /> <br /> Time travel perhaps?