Picture yourself in a boat on a river
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies
Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes

Cellophane flowers of yellow and green
Towering over your head
Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes
And she's gone

Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Ah

Follow her down to a bridge by a fountain
Where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies
Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers
That grow so incredibly high

Newspaper taxis appear on the shore
Waiting to take you away
Climb in the back with your head in the clouds
And you're gone

Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Ah

Picture yourself on a train in a station
With plasticine porters with looking glass ties
Suddenly someone is there at the turnstile
The girl with the kaleidoscope eyes

Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Ah
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Ah
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds


Lyrics submitted by kevin

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds Lyrics as written by Paul Mccartney John Lennon

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

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

478 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +15
    General Comment

    "this song is not about LSD. it's about a picture john's son brought home that he drew of his school friend lucy. it was lucy, in the sky, with diamonds. john didn't realize it was an acronym for LSD until after he wrote it"

    Heh. Sure. I believe that. These guys were known for BSing... I've seen some videotaped interviews them where some of the comments they made were just hysterical. That line is typical of Lennon's creations. This song is all about drugs.

    rhinkon April 14, 2002   Link
  • +7
    My Interpretation

    If you've ever done LSD. You would know that this song, is not about drawing, or some girl named Lucy. Its about fucking acid.

    DMorleyon September 11, 2012   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    is it really that big of a deal if it is about drugs? still a good song. about lsd or not

    zombiesFTWon December 09, 2009   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    one thing about this song is maybe it is a painting that his son made, but jon did do lsd and this song is very LSD sounding its up there with tommorrow never knows, the picture didnt show girls with kaleidoscope eyes or tangerine trees and dripping past flowers so eiether hes got one hell of an imagination or he was trippin. And second who cares if he did write it on LSD, do you like the song? then it dosent matter he made it, its amazing and people loved it. so dont fret...

    Vast334on July 04, 2002   Link
  • +3
    Song Meaning

    Oh god there are so many either idiotic adults who grew up in the 70s/80s or really naive people who are in their 20s or younger (which I'm only 21).. Most here get it the meaning behind this song halfway, actually everyone here get's the full truth exactly halfway but the ones who say it is about LSD are the only ones who actually listen to it for themselves and interpert it correctly, rather than say its not about LSD (where did I see someone say defending the beatles by denying their drug use?) Listen to all their songs, from their first album listen to the lyrics hard, keep listening to the albums notice the progression of their music, or drop some acid or some type of psychedelic (no drug, psychedelic, big difference between an intoxicant and a psychedelic BIG DIFFERENCE) The Beatles dropped acid, all four of them, there wasn't denying it amongst them. 1965 began the entire explosion in musical creativity the beatles are well known to have made the first psychedelic rock album (mainstream among millions of fans, just as LSD was reaching millions of people).. They may not be saying outloud on their songs LSD LSD LSD, but take one damn listen to half their songs during that 5 year period. "Tomorrow Never Knows" prime example is probably the most obvious song about the psychedelic experience.

    And when I say your all HALF-RIGHT.

    John Lennon's story is true, that was what sparked the idea, however they spun it into a song purely about LSD from that picture since the picture was of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, that shoots out of the page from the combination of words. Lennon wasn't lying when he said that was how the song was made, and what it was about, because his son really did. However look at the damn lyrics..

    "NEWSPAPER TAXIS APPEAR ON THE SHORE WAITING TO TAKE YOU AWAY. CLIMB IN THE BACK WITH YOUR HEAD IN THE CLOUDS AND YOU'RE GONE."

    If you cannot realize the clear connection that that phrase is about taking a hit of lsd, than you i feel sorry for you all who really are missing out on the beatles, even mcartney and ringo stated the song was obviously about lsd publicly, this one is probably one of their most obviously about psychedelic use, not their only one there are subliminal's in so many of their songs.

    AlexFulkroadon January 02, 2010   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    well after tripping yesterday and having john sing this song directly to me, i can safely say its about a picture john drew in his head...while tripping on lsd.

    cleavesworthon July 20, 2011   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    I was told it's about drugs and being high LUCY in the SKY with DIAMONDS=LSD of course there's other interpretations, but drug use is just too obvious to not be one.

    EmilySophieRoseon February 19, 2012   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    It was a well known fact that Lennon was a user of LSD, and I think that the song was written about one of his trips. I also think the drawing theory was a way for them to say it wasn't about LSD because drugs were a bit more taboo at the time. In recent years, drugs have become more accepted, so McCartney probably felt that telling people it's about LSD wouldn't get as negative a reaction it might've gotten back in the '60s and '70s.

    nijichamaon September 01, 2012   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    and yeah the beatles always fucked around during interviews. they got a kick out of fucking with the media and their reactions.

    afeveramirroron November 14, 2007   Link
  • +2
    Song Meaning

    Steve Turner, author of the book “a Hard Day’s Night”, the song’s producer said that

    “The imagery in the song is partly a reflection of John’s drug experiences, and partly his love of `Alice in Wonderland,‘”

    maclay01on December 19, 2013   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
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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
No Surprises
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
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
Magical
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.