The Beatles – Nowhere Man

"Nowhere Man" is a song by The Beatles, from their album Rubber Soul. The song was written by John Lennon (credited to Lennon - McCartney)....
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He's a real nowhere man
Sitting in his nowhere land
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody

Doesn't have a point of view
Knows not where he's going to
Isn't he a bit like you and me?
Nowhere man please listen
You don't know what you're missing
Nowhere man, The world is at your command

He's as blind as he can be
Just sees what he wants to see
Nowhere man, can you see me at all
Nowhere man don't worry
Take your time, don't hurry
Leave it all till somebody else
Lends you a hand
Ah, la, la, la, la

Doesn't have a point of view
Knows not where he's going to
Isn't he a bit like you and me?
Nowhere man please listen
You don't know what you're missing
Nowhere man, The world is at your command
Ah, la, la, la, la

He's a real nowhere man
Sitting in his nowhere land
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody

Send "Nowhere Man" Ringtone to Cell


Lyrics submitted by Ice

Track duration: 02:43

"Nowhere Man" as written by John Winston Lennon, Paul James Mccartney

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group

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Nowhere Man song meanings
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  • 0
    Song Meaning:There is an anecdote in Albert Grossman's "The Lives of John Lennon" (please forgive me for not footnoting this recollection is mostly from memory). It was during Lennon's Lost Weekend period and he was engaged in a night of Bacchanalian decadence. Late during the night (on their way home possibly) he broke down and began to swoon "Why doesn't anybody love me!"

    Thus is the burden of incredibly artistic souls (very rare) with an immense sensibility that breeds a (somewhat indulgent and fanciful) dichotomy of self worth and self loathing.

    This rare, unique, delicate and hard to achieve sensibility is what created the beauty that is "Nowhere Man".
    Flag iBuddhaon October 08, 2012   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:John wrote the song about Paul, whom he considered a complete airhead, just as Ringo is the Fool on the Hill, or the idiot on the drum stand. John had a wry sense of humor and didn't suffer fools easily. That's why he finally quit the whole damned rat race, which did indeed end up killing him in the end when he dared venture out again.
    Flagged ByrdSongon May 16, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Beautiful melody. Along with Norwegian Wood (and others), I would sing this song to my children as lullabyes. The descending melodies strike me as great tunes to relax you and fall asleep to.
    My daughter Julia loved how "the world is at your command" contrasts with "Till somebody else lends you a hand."
    Needless to say, at 9 and 15, both daughters love the Beatles.
    Flag MamboManon April 13, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The song is about Lyndon Johnson, who was President when this song came out. This is an anti-war song. Johnson is not so cryptically referred to the line, "The world is at your command." He is "sitting in his nowhere land," the White House at his desk, and doesn't have a point of view. He just listens to advisors and is a puppet for the military Industrial complex.
    Flag TRASKIESon October 31, 2011   Link
  • +2
    My Opinion:The Nowhere Man is a lot like the Fool On The Hill. He is making all of these plans for no one, has no opinion or point of view, but that is what makes him free. It is what separates him from everyone, and at the same time, makes him like everyone else. The fact that Nowhere Man can be anyone is what makes the song take on a dynamic property in the story-telling of the song. The listener thinks this guy is a loser, but John is basically saying that because the Nowhere Man has cleared his head, he can become anyone. He is truly free. John revisits the theme of melancholy so many times in his songs, and later in his solo work. The same theme of Nowhere Man can be heard in the Free As A Bird demo. You can almost hear the sadness in the chords. But listen carefully to the VOX chimes, the purity of the singing, and the vibrancy of the band as a whole. In this moment, they are redefining the history of rock and roll forever. Right on this recording. The Beatles, musically, spiritually, and culturally, transcend the barriers of pop and rock music with this song. After this, every single album they make doesn't become exponentially better, it exponentially changes the landscape of pop, rock, country, and r&b music forever. They are basically letting go of the "silly love songs" that confined them. Here is where The Beatles go from being pop-friendly young kids ala ("A Hard Day's Night") to the four greatest revolutionary artists of the 20th century. Music changes after this song. After the break-up in 1969, there are movements in rock and roll that involve desperately trying to imitate this band's sound and desperately trying to repudiate them (punk rock, etc). Following this song, countless bands emerge where their entire record sounds like *this one song*. The Beatles basically drop an atomic bomb on music with the release of Rubber Soul.
    Flag muzacon July 04, 2011   Link
    • 1 Reply
  • 0
    Memory:I listened to this song recently when I was tripping on mushrooms and it had an incredibly powerful effect on me. And not a completely positive one. At the point the song came on I was just lying on my freinds sofa, and as the song went on it just spoke to me. I felt like I was the nowhere man wasting my time in some sort of half-baked drug culture and I was just making "nowhere plans", just bull shitting with my freinds. The duration of the song felt like an eternity and I really can't describe where it took me. After that I was totally out of it and I spent the next 3 hours rolling around, confused, unsure of anything in my life.
    Flag zanebranton October 02, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:^ Lennon
    Flag originlon November 06, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I know who the Nowhere Man was....
    Flag The Great Wokon September 17, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Could it be that the nowhere men is someone before they first sin? Doesn't have a point of view: he looks at things with out a "influenced oppinion,". knows not where he's going to: he doesn't plan out his entire day of things he want to do but rather lets life guide him. Isn't he a bit like you and me?: he is exactly like us just without sin, so you will be fine if you sin. You don't know what you're missing: describing sin as so much fun that your missing out on. Nowhere man, The world is at your command : We can have more power if we do just this one thing thats wrong.
    Flag BoneJamonon August 11, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:have you seen yellow submarine film
    the part with jeremy hillary boob PhD
    makes me want to cry every time!
    Flag teffie123on April 27, 2009   Link

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