In the town where I was born
Lived a man who sailed to sea
And he told us of his life
In the land of submarines
So we sailed on to the sun
'Til we found a sea of green
And we lived beneath the waves
In our yellow submarine

We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine

And our friends are all aboard
Many more of them live next door
And the band begins to play

We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine

Full steam ahead, Mister Boatswain, full steam ahead
Full steam ahead it is, Sergeant
(Cut the cable, drop the cable)
Aye-aye, sir, aye-aye
Captain, captain

As we live a life of ease (a life of ease)
Every one of us (every one of us)
Has all we need (has all we need)
Sky of blue (sky of blue)
And sea of green (sea of green)
In our yellow (in our yellow)
Submarine (submarine, aha)

We all live in a yellow submarine
A yellow submarine, yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
A yellow submarine, yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine


Lyrics submitted by Ice

Yellow Submarine Lyrics as written by Paul Mccartney John Lennon

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

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Yellow Submarine song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

255 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +4
    General Comment

    I love the Beatles!!

    redcabooseon May 27, 2009   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    OK kids. This is a song simply about living on a tour bus. We in the biz refer to long bus rides as a "submarine ride." The first tour busses were the old school busses. The phrase "many more of them live next door."is a referal to the crew bus. Taken in this pretext it's simply a song about life on the road. Most songs like this are taken from real life situations and are written from the perspective of everyday occurances. Most musicians live in the moment and are not as introspective as one would assume. Look for the simplistic and you will find most of the meanings to songs are just that, simple.

    Ruralfreedon November 30, 2006   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I hate how everyone says its so simple, childish, and a bad song. it seems that way but it does have meanings,but no im not talking abnout how its about LCD and that its in the lyrics. that is totally wrong, (probably, you never know with the beatles.) because they did that in Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. so why would they do that in thius song too? that would be pretty wierd. but thats just my opinion.

    musiclover413on February 06, 2010   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    Okay, I apparently understand a very different meaning for this song than everyone else, so I'm going to point it out:

    In the town where I was born Lived a man who sailed to sea And he told us of his life In the land of submarines So we sailed up to the sun Till we found a sea of green And we lived beneath the waves In our yellow submarine -"Where I lived there was a man who sold drugs and he told us about it, so we tried them until we were really high."

    We all live in a yellow submarine Yellow submarine, yellow submarine We all live in a yellow submarine Yellow submarine, yellow submarine -"We are all really high."

    And our friends are all aboard Many more of them live next door And the band begins to play -"So, because we liked it we told our friends and they joined us and now we are all happy and addicted."

    As we live a life of ease Every one of us has all we need Sky of blue and sea of green In our yellow submarine -"And we are high, and everyone else is high too on the drug."

    brais11392on June 21, 2016   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    A lot of people are saying this song doesn't have a meaning... Well I think it does, actually. Its just you need some background information to understand it. But hey, I might be wrong.

    I heard somewhere that the military used to use yellow submarines for target practice, they painted it yellow because it was easier to see against the blue or green water. So the yellow submarines were just target practice that ended up getting hit and ruined all the time.

    If they DID base the song off that bit of information, then the song makes a lot more sense, to me... Its kinda a sad song, if its true... But it doesn't sound sad, so maybe the yellow submarine thing is just a coincidence.

    DreamGeniuson June 23, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    ''We all are really really high we are all really really high''

    Alec2234on June 13, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    thespacemanliveson October 21, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    this song is as hard as it is easy to understand.

    it is simply about life. were all riding it, and theres nothng more to do than to live it and enjoy it:)

    few people can mwrite a song so simple, but in the same time genious!

    GroveGon January 13, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    holy shit. what has become of the people that once favored true artistic brilliance. which by all practical means is applying the simplest of notions and disguising them as absurdities. Look deep into this song, only a fool would aloof from this interpetation ;)

    In the town where I was born

    Lived a man who sailed the sea/ the chances we take that offer risk and fulfillment, yet the reprecussions are still unknown to that moment

    And he told us of his life/ the glits, the glam, all those luxuries you once promised yourself would still be attainable after straying from the ranch

    In the land of submarines/ land of the unknown, all you know is the "submarine" your in

    So we sailed on to the sun/ taking the high road, which ever fancies your utopian primrose path

    Until we found the sea of green/ the promised land? the moment where it all makes sense And we lived beneath the waves/ accepting that reality and enjoying it In our yellow submarine

    ...idk what do you guys think

    sensiblyadjacenton October 16, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I cant believe almost you all think this is a childish song you ignorant douches. this song has so many meanings, besides the acid trip theory. when the beatles wrote this the social revolution was starting and all their songs had to do with capitalism and freedom. "sea of green" means money, "beneath the waves" means that they were sheltered from the rest of the world. the yellow submarine is a metaphor for the subarban life style many people were trying to get away from or trying to change. "As we live a life of ease Everyone of us has all we need Sky of blue and sea of green In our yellow submarine"

    the first line just says that everyone was content living that sheltered life where "everyone of us has all we need" , between the clean clear blue skies and lots of money, we life in our yellow submarines. Even teh line "and all our friends are all aboard, many more of them live next door." is explaining the same ideas of peaople that are just trapped in their lives... no beatles song was just to have fun.. because the only way they had fun was buy writting these fucking masterpeieces

    raprapon January 20, 2011   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere. In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Album art
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example: "'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Album art
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it. “I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.