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I Am the Walrus Lyrics
I am he as you are he as you are me
And we are all together
See how they run like pigs from a gun
See how they fly
I'm crying
Sitting on a cornflake
Waiting for the van to come
Corporation T-shirt, stupid bloody Tuesday
Man you've been a naughty boy
You let your face grow long
I am the eggman
They are the eggmen
I am the walrus
Goo goo g' joob
Mr. City policeman sitting
Pretty little policemen in a row
See how they fly like Lucy in the sky
See how they run
I'm crying
I'm crying, I'm crying, I'm crying
Yellow matter custard
Dripping from a dead dog's eye
Crabalocker fishwife
Pornographic priestess
Boy, you've been a naughty girl
You let your knickers down
I am the eggman
They are the eggmen
I am the walrus
Goo goo g' joob
Sitting in an English garden
Waiting for the sun
If the sun don't come you get a tan
From standing in the English rain
I am the eggman
("How do you do sir")
They are the eggmen
("The man maintains a fortune")
I am the walrus
Goo goo g' joob Goo Goo Goo g' joob
Expert, texpert choking smokers
Don't you think the joker laughs at you
(Ho ho ho hee hee hee hah hah hah)
See how they smile like pigs in a sty
See how they snide
I'm crying
Semolina Pilchard
Climbing up the Eiffel tower
Elementary penguin singing Hare Krishna
Man, you should have seen them kicking
Edgar Allan Poe
I am the eggman
They are the eggmen
I am the walrus
Goo goo g' joob
Goo goo goo g' joob
Goo goo g' joob
Goo goo goo g' joob
Goo goo
Juba juba juba
Juba juba juba
Juba juba juba
Juba juba
(Oh I'm tired, servicible villain
Set you down father, rest you)
Song Info
Submitted by
ice On Apr 01, 2001
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I wish John were alive to see this site.
This song is freaking amazing!!! The lyrics always blow my mind, no matter how many times I listen to it!!!
This song is freaking amazing!!! The lyrics always blow my mind, no matter how many times I listen to it!!!
@MetaLuna Anybody notice all the "Mister City Policeman sitting pretty little policemen in a row" telling us how we must interpret the meaning of the song—that it's just a joke—and who knows" Maybe it is. But their ain't nothin' funny about penguins and people kickin' Edgar Allan Poe..
@MetaLuna Anybody notice all the "Mister City Policeman sitting pretty little policemen in a row" telling us how we must interpret the meaning of the song—that it's just a joke—and who knows" Maybe it is. But their ain't nothin' funny about penguins and people kickin' Edgar Allan Poe..
And it really is good pity....
And it really is good pity....
And I am the egg man (now good sir, what are you?) They are the egg men (a poor man, made to tame fortune's blows) I am the walrus, goo goo g'joob (good pity)
And I am the egg man (now good sir, what are you?) They are the egg men (a poor man, made to tame fortune's blows) I am the walrus, goo goo g'joob (good pity)
The artist must be willing relinquish some...
The artist must be willing relinquish some control over the intended meaning to some extent once they unleash their magnificence upon the world, how can anybody understand something by someone else perfectly?
The song was written after the Beatles were going through fan mail, and they picked one out at random, which turned out to be from a school John had attended when he was young. And, the letter said that they were analyzing the lyrics of his songs in class. So, John wrote the nonsensical I Am The Walrus, largely based on The Walrus & The Carpenter by Lewis Carroll. It has been said that some of the lines were written by John under the influence of LSD, but Paul had nothing to do with it. It was John scribbling on scrap paper (I believe some of the handwritten lyrics to this song were auctioned off a couple years back). Semolina Pilchard, by the way, was a combination of two names of nasty foods John remembers eating as a child.
Never knew that. I guess it takes knowledge to gain it.
Never knew that. I guess it takes knowledge to gain it.
Well its funny you say that, cause it sounds like in the last two lines that's what he's talking about, elementary kid just tearing poetry apart to find meaning, and before that, Expert texpert choking smokers Don't you think the joker laughs at you? Ha, ha, ha! All the smart people trying to take meaning out of nonsense that was written when the writers were just high, well we're laughing at you know this in response to the nonsense earlier in the song.
Well its funny you say that, cause it sounds like in the last two lines that's what he's talking about, elementary kid just tearing poetry apart to find meaning, and before that, Expert texpert choking smokers Don't you think the joker laughs at you? Ha, ha, ha! All the smart people trying to take meaning out of nonsense that was written when the writers were just high, well we're laughing at you know this in response to the nonsense earlier in the song.
I read in a book once that this song was John's answer to all the people interpreting his songs because "it doesn't mean anything".
School teachers would have there students try to find the meaning of there songs and send them to John Lennon and he got tired of people miss interpreting the songs so he wrote this song so there was no meaning
School teachers would have there students try to find the meaning of there songs and send them to John Lennon and he got tired of people miss interpreting the songs so he wrote this song so there was no meaning
i was told that also, but that doesn't mean you can't find a meaning, it just means he didn't have one in mind when he wrote it and wasn't trying to put a message in the song.
i was told that also, but that doesn't mean you can't find a meaning, it just means he didn't have one in mind when he wrote it and wasn't trying to put a message in the song.
Spot on my friend!
Spot on my friend!
George Harrison is on record as saying "the song was a joke". To me, it has bits of meaning here and there, but George's take is certainly believable.
George Harrison is on record as saying "the song was a joke". To me, it has bits of meaning here and there, but George's take is certainly believable.
John Lennon was quite a character, to say the least. Sometimes I think his ability to be brutally honest was only slightly better than his ability to "fib". Either way, he could be absolutely brilliant in his biting, sarcastic lyrics, or he could just "record crap, if Bob Dylan can do it". He also had a real knack to utilize "artistic license" at times. such as in "Dear Prudence", when...
John Lennon was quite a character, to say the least. Sometimes I think his ability to be brutally honest was only slightly better than his ability to "fib". Either way, he could be absolutely brilliant in his biting, sarcastic lyrics, or he could just "record crap, if Bob Dylan can do it". He also had a real knack to utilize "artistic license" at times. such as in "Dear Prudence", when he sings "the wind is blow. The birds are sing. .."
John wrote this song and said," If Bob Dylan can write this crap, so can I." Just if anyone was wondering.
Classic John.
Classic John.
@song4julia Yea he also sang Strawberry Fields...nothing is real. We can dig it.
@song4julia Yea he also sang Strawberry Fields...nothing is real. We can dig it.
it is true that the Beatles deliberately put hidden messages and meanings in their album covers and lyrics and recordings just to keep their fans frothing at the mouth.
the Beatles never took themselves seriously. their music may have taken a serious tone by the time Sgt Pepper was done, but the Beatles never took themselves seriously as a band.
John, for one, resented all the hype and worked feverishly toward the end of the Beatles' career (along with Yoko) to destroy any little box the media and the fans tried to put them in.
"I Am the Walrus" was based on Carroll's "The Walrus & The Carpenter" as Jabbatut pointed out, but was more along the lines of Carroll's "Jabberwocky" in terms of nonsense.
the lyrics all have some foundation in Lennon's childhood and early adult life pre-Beatles.
the lyric about the Eggman is supposedly about Eric Burdon, of fellow Brit band the Animals (House of the Rising Sun). Eric Burdon apparently liked to involve eggs in the bedroom, and John was taking the piss out of him. the Eggmen would be the rest of the Animals.
and yes, tho debatable, it does sound as if there is a crowd chanting "Smoke pot, Smoke Pot, Everybody Smoke pot" in the background.
also amidst the flurry of voices in the end of the song you can hear the Beatles singing the lyrics from their past hits, which is something they did quite often!
John actually wrote the song after he found out a class at an English University was started for the sole purpose of deciphering the Beatles' lyrics.
reportedly, after recording the song, Lennon smiled to producer George Martin and said, "There, let those buggers figure that one out."
Alice in Wonderland also had the character Humpty Dumpty who was an egg, and who said his words mean (paraphrased) "precisely what he meant by them, neither more nor less." I think Lewis Carrol was enquiring as to whether that is even possible.
Alice in Wonderland also had the character Humpty Dumpty who was an egg, and who said his words mean (paraphrased) "precisely what he meant by them, neither more nor less." I think Lewis Carrol was enquiring as to whether that is even possible.
That may well be the 'eggman' reference. The singer's both the Walrus and the Egg/Man. Not the Walrus and the Carpenter.
That may well be the 'eggman' reference. The singer's both the Walrus and the Egg/Man. Not the Walrus and the Carpenter.
Incidentally, the chant at the end is "everybody's got one", and I presume it refers to genitalia - everybody has genitalia, that of which it is impolite to speak in public (was, in the 60s, at least.) It's the kind of thing a parent in the 60s might say to reassure their child.
Incidentally, the chant at the end is "everybody's got one", and I presume it refers to genitalia - everybody has genitalia, that of which it is impolite to speak in public (was, in the 60s, at least.) It's the kind of thing a parent in the 60s might say to reassure their child.
all this ridiculous nonsense about the chant at the end of the song being "Smoke pot, Smoke pot, Everybody smoke pot" is complete rubbish
all this ridiculous nonsense about the chant at the end of the song being "Smoke pot, Smoke pot, Everybody smoke pot" is complete rubbish
my mum revealed to me what it was by singing along with it randomly one day its an old childrens chant the first two sounds are meaningless noises that if i remember correctly are "oompa loompa" which has no connection to roal dahl's little characters the chant is "oompa loompa, stick it up your jumper" you're a bunch of idiots
my mum revealed to me what it was by singing along with it randomly one day its an old childrens chant the first two sounds are meaningless noises that if i remember correctly are "oompa loompa" which has no connection to roal dahl's little characters the chant is "oompa loompa, stick it up your jumper" you're a bunch of idiots
The guy with the low voice is definitely singing "oompa loompa, stick it up your jumper", but the woman or whatever the high voice is doesn't sound like that at all.
The guy with the low voice is definitely singing "oompa loompa, stick it up your jumper", but the woman or whatever the high voice is doesn't sound like that at all.
Maybe they're sing multiple lyrics at once just to confuse everyone?
Maybe they're sing multiple lyrics at once just to confuse everyone?
The guy with the low voice is definitely singing "oompa loompa, stick it up your jumper", but the woman or whatever the high voice is doesn't sound like that at all.
The guy with the low voice is definitely singing "oompa loompa, stick it up your jumper", but the woman or whatever the high voice is doesn't sound like that at all.
Maybe they're sing multiple lyrics at once just to confuse everyone?
Maybe they're sing multiple lyrics at once just to confuse everyone?
reminds me of when thom yorke responded to an interviewer about so many bands copying their style, and what they have to say about it, after kid a came out and he simply responded with "well good luck with kid a"
reminds me of when thom yorke responded to an interviewer about so many bands copying their style, and what they have to say about it, after kid a came out and he simply responded with "well good luck with kid a"
Roger, I was with you all the way until the Eric Burden reference. "The Walrus and the Carpenter" was a Lewis Carroll poem, written in his jabberwocky style. John's interpretation of the poem was that is was a criticism of capitalism, but he incorrectly remembered the poem, thinking the Walrus was the good guy. When it was pointed out to him later, he realized that "I Am The Carpenter" would never have worked as a title. As for comments from other posts, there is some truth to John making fun of people finding meaning in his songs that weren't there....
Roger, I was with you all the way until the Eric Burden reference. "The Walrus and the Carpenter" was a Lewis Carroll poem, written in his jabberwocky style. John's interpretation of the poem was that is was a criticism of capitalism, but he incorrectly remembered the poem, thinking the Walrus was the good guy. When it was pointed out to him later, he realized that "I Am The Carpenter" would never have worked as a title. As for comments from other posts, there is some truth to John making fun of people finding meaning in his songs that weren't there. He did once say something about, "If Dylan can do it, so can I." Anyone who read either of Lennon's first two books, knows that he loved to write nonsense and make fun of the Queen's English every chance he got.
@roger wilco @3rdUncle, Humpty Dumpty was no egg, but many, including Alice in the Russian film, assumed Him to be an egg.
@roger wilco @3rdUncle, Humpty Dumpty was no egg, but many, including Alice in the Russian film, assumed Him to be an egg.
john wrote the two first lines on two separate acid trips the rest of it was a bunch of random stuff just to piss off people trying to find meaning in his songs including part of a nursery rime he got from a friend (Pete Shotton)"yellow matter custard" etc.
a philosophy for life: everyone in their lifetime is at one point the walrus, the eggman, and even.. the goo goo goo joob. so i suppose the walrus is the leader, the eggman is the follower, and the goo goo goo joob is just undecided. this song holds all the answers.
goid interpretation for this song!
goid interpretation for this song!
The Eggman refers to Eric Burdon of The Animals who had a thing for breaking raw eggs on naked women.
The Eggman refers to Eric Burdon of The Animals who had a thing for breaking raw eggs on naked women.
The song is intentionally confusing. John wrote it to keep the people who held such deep meaning on lyrics to all their songs. He thought that was funny because often he would just make up nonsensical words and phrases because they sounded good.
The song is intentionally confusing. John wrote it to keep the people who held such deep meaning on lyrics to all their songs. He thought that was funny because often he would just make up nonsensical words and phrases because they sounded good.
The song does not contain any meaning, it was meant to be confusing to the analysts, especially the school children who wrote fan letters to him, one letter in particular.
The song does not contain any meaning, it was meant to be confusing to the analysts, especially the school children who wrote fan letters to him, one letter in particular.
See the Beatles biography by Bob Spitz.
See the Beatles biography by Bob Spitz.
@magicnudiesuit
@magicnudiesuit
It DOES hold all the answers.
It DOES hold all the answers.
. . . for about 7 hours after you eat that little piece of paper ☺
. . . for about 7 hours after you eat that little piece of paper ☺
True, John Lennon said the song was "Tongue and Cheek," and had no meaning. But then again, the meaning could have come out of his subconscious. If you watch the video and listen to the words, you hear a lot of tongue and cheek, but then again, there's the persistent theme of trying to understand a complicated society. In the end, you could hear what sounds like John saying, "I educate myself." John said similar comments about another Beatle song, but watching him sing, he's clearly trying to convey a message. So in a nutshell, I believe the song is about a brilliant mind trying to grasp meaning to a complicated society; his spirit very active amidst the confusion. Perhaps Mr. Lennon might agree to that one? John.
I think it was totally a spoof and as I recall it was inspired by some college professor who taught a course about Lennon's songs. In Glass Onion Lennon says" Here's another clue for you all, the Walrus was Paul." I think that Glass Onion was another way of Lennon breaking balls.
I think it was totally a spoof and as I recall it was inspired by some college professor who taught a course about Lennon's songs. In Glass Onion Lennon says" Here's another clue for you all, the Walrus was Paul." I think that Glass Onion was another way of Lennon breaking balls.
I don't know if he was influenced by Marc Bolan who wrote mostly nonsense songs.
I don't know if he was influenced by Marc Bolan who wrote mostly nonsense songs.
I think the lyrics refer to feelings and thoughts of dissociation, a detachment from reality as the singer observes apparent paradoxes and contradictions. Pigs that fly, pornographic priestesses, running policemen. Interwoven throughout is a plethora of tragedy, as the singer admits that over all this, "I am crying".
I think the lyrics refer to feelings and thoughts of dissociation, a detachment from reality as the singer observes apparent paradoxes and contradictions. Pigs that fly, pornographic priestesses, running policemen. Interwoven throughout is a plethora of tragedy, as the singer admits that over all this, "I am crying".
Is this the same John that saw the sadness of the world in later songs like "Woman is the nigger of the world"?
Is this the same John that saw the sadness of the world in later songs like "Woman is the nigger of the world"?
Ok, and Paul was supposedly dead because he wasn't wearing shoes on the cover of an album, and Come Together was supposed to mean at his funeral. MAybe people should stop trying so hard to find 'hidden meanings' and stop playing their music backwards looking for little things that really aren't there. I realize they were heavy into drugs, but I really don't think they tried to push them on anyone, and their music was too important to them to do that.
Sorry to disappoint you but (according to George Martin's original hand-written score) the voices are actually singing "Got one, got one, ev'rybody's got one!" and "Oompah, oompah, stick it up yer jumpah!" They were professional singers hired in for the session, and also did the "wooooh!"s and the various "hee-hee-hee, ha-ha-ha, ho-ho-ho" bits. Also, the lines from Shakespeare's "King Lear" were mixed in live from a BBC radio broadcast - it was just a coincidence that it was on air at the time.
Ok, as for the whole "Smoke pot, smoke pot, everybody smoke pot" and "Got one, got one, everybody's got one" is a major arguement (or so i've noticed). I listened to my iPod (on my speaker dock) at maximum volume and replayed the last minute of I am the Walrus. After all of the goo-goo-g'joobs, you begin to hear voices. They start out as, "smoke pot, smoke pot, everybody smoke pot," then it repeats again in deep voices. Then the voices pick up and you hear simultaneously "Smoke pot, smoke pot, everybody smoke pot" and "Got one, got one, everybody's...
Ok, as for the whole "Smoke pot, smoke pot, everybody smoke pot" and "Got one, got one, everybody's got one" is a major arguement (or so i've noticed). I listened to my iPod (on my speaker dock) at maximum volume and replayed the last minute of I am the Walrus. After all of the goo-goo-g'joobs, you begin to hear voices. They start out as, "smoke pot, smoke pot, everybody smoke pot," then it repeats again in deep voices. Then the voices pick up and you hear simultaneously "Smoke pot, smoke pot, everybody smoke pot" and "Got one, got one, everybody's got one." Do not focus on anything but the lyrics. The two phrases are so closely blended together, you can hear both. Focus on the pot phrase, you will only hear the pot phrase. Focus on the got one phrase, and you will only hear that phrase.
Look for yourself. They are both there.
@ ^^ Wrong. Not according to the biographies, many of which were written by people that were with the Beatles at the time, including George Martin, Producer. No pot smoking references in there no matter how you try to hear them. They're singing "got one, got one, everybody's got one" and "oompah, oompah, stick it up your jumper".
@ ^^ Wrong. Not according to the biographies, many of which were written by people that were with the Beatles at the time, including George Martin, Producer. No pot smoking references in there no matter how you try to hear them. They're singing "got one, got one, everybody's got one" and "oompah, oompah, stick it up your jumper".
@butterfingersbeck I'll never forget that while in a rehearsal for "King Lear," I heard those words. Wow, very cool.
@butterfingersbeck I'll never forget that while in a rehearsal for "King Lear," I heard those words. Wow, very cool.