A song's meaning, although generally the same, vary by person, no one is wrong in their meaning because we each see things in a different light. Allow me to break it down the way I see it.
"As soon as you're born they make you feel small
"By giving you no time instead of it all
"Till the pain is so big you feel nothing at all
"A working class hero is something to be
"A working class hero is something to be"
-This first verse is about childhood, well the first two verses are. However this is saying our parents start the cycle of being a "working class hero". They themselves must work, and we are left at home, their work takes away the time they should be spending with us, and by not giving us the time we need as a child they prepare us for this life of pain, which we will live oblivious of because our parents trained us to simply nto feel the pain, by no fault of their own.
"They hurt you at home and they hit you at school
"They hate you if you're clever and they despise a fool
"Till you're so fucking crazy you can't follow their rules
"A working class hero is something to be
"A working class hero is something to be"
-Verse two. Now we are old enough for school. Still at home our parents hurt us, we still do not get the time we need, maybe they punish us with words or maybe it is physical. At school we are treated badly, which is generally true, they punish little kids for doing small deeds that ought only be forgiven. They hit you, force you into submission with their rules. These rules drive us crazy, I think this is Lenon saying our freedom is smothered by these rules meant to make us safe and free. The smart kids are hated because they are smart, I have seen it, the teachers respect them and all, but they are loathed, you can see it in their eyes. I know students, actually a lot of students, and they are far smarter than the teachers, teachers are not allows smart, they recite from a book. The dumb kids are hated because they are dumb. Why? They are seen as a burden, hated for this, I was in a low level HS class and I watched how the teachers just didn't care about their kids.
"When they've tortured and scared you for twenty odd years
"Then they expect you to pick a career
"When you can't really function you're so full of fear
"A working class hero is something to be
"A working class hero is something to be"
-After twentey some years of school, if you go to college, and all the time we have been taught to obey these rules and we have been taught about the punishments, scared by them. Now these people, parents, teachers, the Government, Mr. President, Mr. Senator, they want us to pick a job that will only keep us down, 5x5 cubicle placed in effective rows, meant to maximize room. We don't function how we can or should, we do our job and what is meant, but there is so much more we could do, so much more potential.
"Keep you doped with religion and sex and TV
"And you think you're so clever and classless and free
"But you're still fucking peasants as far as I can see
"A working class hero is something to be
"A working class hero is something to be"
-This is from a very well known idea. Religion has been seen for thousands of years as a way to keep people down. It teaches them these rules they must obey or they will suffer in Hell. It requires them to worship images, to bow to men who are seen as higher than anyone else. TV, it slows our minds, that is known. Cartoons and sitcoms, and soaps weigh down our brains and keep us dumb, keep us content, but nto happy or fulfilled. These mediums, religion and TV, they show us that we are free and they make us feel smart and they make us feel equal and classless because they portray "normal" people. TV is about the middle class life and how great it is, we see this and assume it for truth when really it is a problem ridden class. Now Lenon is saying he sees this to be true, he knows we are chains and classed, he knows the truth and is striving for freedom.
"There's room at the top they are telling you still
"But first you must learn how to smile as you kill
"If you want to be like the folks on the hill
"A working class hero is something to be
"A working class hero is something to be"
-The greatest lie we are told is that we can all be President, we can all be Senators. It is a lie, most people will never do this, why? To be a politician requires the ability to sell yourself, sell your morals, and they know that and they train us to be moral, they train us to hate killing and to frown on backstabbing, and that is the truth these things ARE wrong, but the way to become a politician is by selling your morals, you need to kill, you need to backstab, and if we can do this, what we KNOW is wrong, than they will give us a job. To them it is a joke, they have no morals.
"If you want to be a hero well just follow me
"If you want to be a hero well just follow me"
Lenon is saying the way to be a hero, a real hero and not a politician is to work, to allow for this society they made for us, but DO NOT beleive the lies. We MUST work to live, but we can live free of mind, and that is what he is doing, he is living free of mind, he is speaking out against these injustices. To follow him we must throw down the lies, we must live on and work on, but we must live without the lies and we must speak the truth as we see it to be, share, and fight most important, fight the Man, the established power, because they are corrupt and have no morals.
Wow, Pard68, that is a very fine analysis! I wondered about the line 'If you want to be a hero, then just follow me' - I thought he must be being sarcastic there, as while he was a huge influence on many people's lives, I couldn't imagine he would come out and say literally 'follow me' - but, as you say, it may mean to do as he did and 'live free of mind'. Surely that's what everyone should do, for themselves - not literally 'following' anybody.
Good on you.
Wow, Pard68, that is a very fine analysis! I wondered about the line 'If you want to be a hero, then just follow me' - I thought he must be being sarcastic there, as while he was a huge influence on many people's lives, I couldn't imagine he would come out and say literally 'follow me' - but, as you say, it may mean to do as he did and 'live free of mind'. Surely that's what everyone should do, for themselves - not literally 'following' anybody.
Good on you.
A song's meaning, although generally the same, vary by person, no one is wrong in their meaning because we each see things in a different light. Allow me to break it down the way I see it.
"As soon as you're born they make you feel small "By giving you no time instead of it all "Till the pain is so big you feel nothing at all "A working class hero is something to be "A working class hero is something to be"
-This first verse is about childhood, well the first two verses are. However this is saying our parents start the cycle of being a "working class hero". They themselves must work, and we are left at home, their work takes away the time they should be spending with us, and by not giving us the time we need as a child they prepare us for this life of pain, which we will live oblivious of because our parents trained us to simply nto feel the pain, by no fault of their own.
"They hurt you at home and they hit you at school "They hate you if you're clever and they despise a fool "Till you're so fucking crazy you can't follow their rules "A working class hero is something to be "A working class hero is something to be"
-Verse two. Now we are old enough for school. Still at home our parents hurt us, we still do not get the time we need, maybe they punish us with words or maybe it is physical. At school we are treated badly, which is generally true, they punish little kids for doing small deeds that ought only be forgiven. They hit you, force you into submission with their rules. These rules drive us crazy, I think this is Lenon saying our freedom is smothered by these rules meant to make us safe and free. The smart kids are hated because they are smart, I have seen it, the teachers respect them and all, but they are loathed, you can see it in their eyes. I know students, actually a lot of students, and they are far smarter than the teachers, teachers are not allows smart, they recite from a book. The dumb kids are hated because they are dumb. Why? They are seen as a burden, hated for this, I was in a low level HS class and I watched how the teachers just didn't care about their kids.
"When they've tortured and scared you for twenty odd years "Then they expect you to pick a career "When you can't really function you're so full of fear "A working class hero is something to be "A working class hero is something to be"
-After twentey some years of school, if you go to college, and all the time we have been taught to obey these rules and we have been taught about the punishments, scared by them. Now these people, parents, teachers, the Government, Mr. President, Mr. Senator, they want us to pick a job that will only keep us down, 5x5 cubicle placed in effective rows, meant to maximize room. We don't function how we can or should, we do our job and what is meant, but there is so much more we could do, so much more potential.
"Keep you doped with religion and sex and TV "And you think you're so clever and classless and free "But you're still fucking peasants as far as I can see "A working class hero is something to be "A working class hero is something to be"
-This is from a very well known idea. Religion has been seen for thousands of years as a way to keep people down. It teaches them these rules they must obey or they will suffer in Hell. It requires them to worship images, to bow to men who are seen as higher than anyone else. TV, it slows our minds, that is known. Cartoons and sitcoms, and soaps weigh down our brains and keep us dumb, keep us content, but nto happy or fulfilled. These mediums, religion and TV, they show us that we are free and they make us feel smart and they make us feel equal and classless because they portray "normal" people. TV is about the middle class life and how great it is, we see this and assume it for truth when really it is a problem ridden class. Now Lenon is saying he sees this to be true, he knows we are chains and classed, he knows the truth and is striving for freedom.
"There's room at the top they are telling you still "But first you must learn how to smile as you kill "If you want to be like the folks on the hill "A working class hero is something to be "A working class hero is something to be"
-The greatest lie we are told is that we can all be President, we can all be Senators. It is a lie, most people will never do this, why? To be a politician requires the ability to sell yourself, sell your morals, and they know that and they train us to be moral, they train us to hate killing and to frown on backstabbing, and that is the truth these things ARE wrong, but the way to become a politician is by selling your morals, you need to kill, you need to backstab, and if we can do this, what we KNOW is wrong, than they will give us a job. To them it is a joke, they have no morals.
"If you want to be a hero well just follow me "If you want to be a hero well just follow me"
Very well written. See my less elequant similar statement of agreement below. Free Spirit 3
Very well written. See my less elequant similar statement of agreement below. Free Spirit 3
Wow, Pard68, that is a very fine analysis! I wondered about the line 'If you want to be a hero, then just follow me' - I thought he must be being sarcastic there, as while he was a huge influence on many people's lives, I couldn't imagine he would come out and say literally 'follow me' - but, as you say, it may mean to do as he did and 'live free of mind'. Surely that's what everyone should do, for themselves - not literally 'following' anybody. Good on you.
Wow, Pard68, that is a very fine analysis! I wondered about the line 'If you want to be a hero, then just follow me' - I thought he must be being sarcastic there, as while he was a huge influence on many people's lives, I couldn't imagine he would come out and say literally 'follow me' - but, as you say, it may mean to do as he did and 'live free of mind'. Surely that's what everyone should do, for themselves - not literally 'following' anybody. Good on you.
@Pard68 I couldn't agree more. Brilliantly put.
@Pard68 I couldn't agree more. Brilliantly put.
@Pard68
@Pard68
"If you want to be a hero well just follow me"
"If you want to be a hero well just follow me"
I don't agree with what that part means. I think it is intended as irony. In a way I see it as "Have you learned your lesson" in the end of the song.
I don't agree with what that part means. I think it is intended as irony. In a way I see it as "Have you learned your lesson" in the end of the song.