I read the news today, oh boy
About a lucky man who made the grade
And though the news was rather sad
Well, I just had to laugh
I saw the photograph

He blew his mind out in a car
He didn't notice that the lights had changed
A crowd of people stood and stared
They'd seen his face before
Nobody was really sure if he was from the House of Lords

I saw a film today, oh boy
The English Army had just won the war
A crowd of people turned away
But I just had to look
Having read the book
I'd love to turn you on

Woke up, fell out of bed
Dragged a comb across my head
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup
And looking up, I noticed I was late
Found my coat and grabbed my hat
Made the bus in seconds flat
Found my way upstairs and had a smoke
And somebody spoke and I went into a dream

I read the news today, oh boy
Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire
And though the holes were rather small
They had to count them all
Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall
I'd love to turn you on


Lyrics submitted by Ice, edited by PTCGAZ, GeoJoe1000, Werbert

A Day In The Life Lyrics as written by Paul Mccartney John Lennon

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

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A Day in the Life song meanings
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  • +2
    General Comment

    This is very much Johns swan song. And although it could make more sense starting from the end & going backwards, the point he makes is quite clear.

    Yes, he is talking about Potholes, but makes an omission because he believes that the upper class in the House of Lords consider the people who live in a shit-hole lesser than a Grade A Politician. And further then refers to people as "holes" by jesting that somehow poor people aren't good enough to understand music; the Albert Hall had a capacity of about 4,000 seats back then.

    He also expresses his disdain for War, for people who turn their backs & bury their heads in the sand whilst keeping the typical English pride in winning wars, as well as hinting "I'd Read the Book" - as in Manifesto, which subsumes his initial remark "Nobody was really sure if he was from the House of Lords" the very people or person who start wars, most potentially could have been distracted by one of the Potholes & got killed on the road."

    "I Had to Laugh" merely reassures the listeners that if the Rich don't care about the poor, the poor aren't about to care about them. Even from a human perspective.

    "I'd love to turn you on" is a play on words once again. At first, it would appear that John is being cheeky as usual! But he is also saying very covertly to those who introspect "I'd love to turn you on to these issues".

    It's the only line he repeats & is a metaphor for the whole song. The Orchestral [orgasm] Crescendo is a clandestine statement that we can either make love, or war. [With the end of the song representing a Nuclear Explosion]

    Paul's section is merely there to play out as a philistine; a servile Joe worker who just daydreams his life's journey away with all the other passengers travelling in the same direction; "being taken for a ride".

    In a nut shell, John is unhappy with all the things that segregate us & wishes everyone would stop long enough to come out of the dream. He had a point back then, & it is fundamentally quintessentially relevant now more than ever.

    If only he had know about The Venus Project back then. I think he would have supported it :) No Poverty, Greed, Politics, or War? Who wouldn't want that?

    caldera115on April 22, 2017   Link

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