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#9 Dream Lyrics
So long ago
Was it in a dream, was it just a dream?
I know, yes I know
Seemed so very real, it seemed so real to me
Took a walk down the street
Thru the heat whispered trees
I thought I could hear (hear, hear, hear)
Somebody call out my name as it started to rain
Two spirits dancing so strange
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Dream, dream away
Magic in the air, was magic in the air?
I believe, yes I believe
More I cannot say, what more can I say?
On a river of sound
Thru the mirror go round, round
I thought I could feel (feel, feel, feel)
Music touching my soul, something warm, sudden cold
The spirit dance was unfolding
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
I have always felt that this was a dream by Lennon. If you heard that facts that came out after his death it would appear that this song tells the story of his death. As in all dreams, not everything matches up.
Took a walk down the street (Lennon was walking on the street towards his apartment) Thru the heat whispered trees (Late at night-less noise in NYC. A mild night for December) I thought I could hear (hear, hear, hear) Somebody call out my name as it started to rain (Chapman calls out Lennon's' name)
On a river of sound (Four gunshots) Thru the mirror go round, round (I had read one time that as Lennon was hit he spun from the bullets) I thought I could feel (feel, feel, feel) Music touching my soul, something warm, sudden cold (As he passed the music touched his soul-his blood would have made him feel something warm and as he went into shock and passed he would have felt sudden cold) The spirit dance was unfolding (a dance was coming to an end that had started earlier in the day betwwen Chapman and Lennon)
Just my opinion but I have always felt that Lennon dream t his own passing and wrote it in this song.
I share your feelings about his song.
I share your feelings about his song.
John seems to be prophetically anticipate the events of the night of his death. In fact, sends a shiver down my spine when I hear the lyrics. The lyrics seem to match up so well with the events of that horrific night. ( ...and, coming from me, a non-religious materialist, is a tad surprising). I have often wondered if it was only me who noticed the parallels. Apparently not.
John seems to be prophetically anticipate the events of the night of his death. In fact, sends a shiver down my spine when I hear the lyrics. The lyrics seem to match up so well with the events of that horrific night. ( ...and, coming from me, a non-religious materialist, is a tad surprising). I have often wondered if it was only me who noticed the parallels. Apparently not.
The first set of lyrics seem to describe a reverse deja vu experience. He takes the perspective of being in the future, looking back at...
The first set of lyrics seem to describe a reverse deja vu experience. He takes the perspective of being in the future, looking back at the events of that night as if he was remembering them. And in a dream-like state, he is wondering if what he is remembering was all real or just a (very bad) dream.
"So long ago Was it in a dream, was it just a dream? I know, yes I know Seemed so very real, it seemed so real to me."
A couple of possible variants on the above poster's interpretations:
"Thru the heat whispered trees" -- "trees" possibly referring to the tall buildings of NY. "Heat" possibly referring that these "trees" (buildings) were heated (unlike the coldness of the actual trees).
"Thru the mirror go round, round (I had read one time that as Lennon was hit he spun from the bullets)"
Don't think he spun around. Rather, I have read that, despite being shot, Yoko commented that he just continued walking forward until he entered the inside guard kiosk where he collapsed.
Another interpretation of "Thru the mirror go round, round." Could refer to his recently released album "Double Fantasy" -- a mirror fantasy between him and his assassin Chapman of the events of that night.
"The spirit dance was unfolding" He was dying -- leaving his body -- thus the "spirit dance was unfolding."
And the verse before this:
"Dream, dream away Magic in the air, was magic in the air? I believe, yes I believe More I cannot say..."
He believes something (what? the afterlife? another dimension?), but, he cannot say more because he is no longer in this universe / dimension (?).
Again, I am a complete skeptic re psychic phenomena, an afterlife, etc. But, OTOH, quantum physics is damn weird, so who the heck knows?
The lyrics do seem prophetic, and every time I hear the song, I am taken through the dream-like sequence of events of that horrific night.
@LimeGreenSez
@LimeGreenSez
It does seem to be a dream of his future death "Something warm sudden cold" you are on to something there. I would also add "I believe, yes I believe. More I cannot say. What more can I say?" He is admitting his faith was solidified by the dream and the conundrum that creates if he says that directly. Spiritual experiences like this are usually buried and then you bury the shovel you buried them with, Romans 10:9
It does seem to be a dream of his future death "Something warm sudden cold" you are on to something there. I would also add "I believe, yes I believe. More I cannot say. What more can I say?" He is admitting his faith was solidified by the dream and the conundrum that creates if he says that directly. Spiritual experiences like this are usually buried and then you bury the shovel you buried them with, Romans 10:9
Mirror go round round to me refers to Revolution #9 from the white album when the song is manually played backwards, you hear John's voice say, "Sing, dead man!"
Mirror go round round to me refers to Revolution #9 from the white album when the song is manually played backwards, you hear John's voice say, "Sing, dead man!"
A dream or maybe a paranoid vision in his mind that someday he might be gunned down?
A dream or maybe a paranoid vision in his mind that someday he might be gunned down?
@LimeGreenSez
@LimeGreenSez
I think the song is about the Beatles and his modest childhood origins, reminiscing, like Strawberry Fields:
I think the song is about the Beatles and his modest childhood origins, reminiscing, like Strawberry Fields:
So long ago was it in a dream (looking back on his life and that amazing time) Was it just a dream? (again, so incomprehensively amazing, was is a dream?) I know, yes, I know, seemed so very real (it was real as it happened, but was incomprehensively unreal) It seemed so real to me (it was real to him)
So long ago was it in a dream (looking back on his life and that amazing time) Was it just a dream? (again, so incomprehensively amazing, was is a dream?) I know, yes, I know, seemed so very real (it was real as it happened, but was incomprehensively unreal) It seemed so real to me (it was real to him)
Took a walk down the street (251 Menlove Avenue, his childhood home) Through the heat whispered trees (Menlove Avenue is an avenue so...
Took a walk down the street (251 Menlove Avenue, his childhood home) Through the heat whispered trees (Menlove Avenue is an avenue so lined by trees) I thought I could hear Hear, hear, hear Somebody call out my name As it started to rain Two spirits dancing so strange (Lennon and McCartney)
Ah, bowakawa pousse, pousse (Ah, bowakawa pousse, pousse" - Lennon said it was nonsense lyrics as per the faux Spanish in Sun King. Curiously though: Bo = "staff/weapon" in Japanese; wa = "as for…" in Japanese (as a topic particle) or "harmony" on its own; kawa = "river" in Japanese; pousse = "push" in French, though allegedly "pussy" was Lennon's original lyric. So, "staff/weapon/phallus, pussy, river, harmony"...?)
Dream, dream away, magic in the air (The magic of the Beatles) Was magic in the air? I believe, yes, I believe, more I cannot say What more can I say?
On a river of sound (The Beatles' music) Through the mirror go 'round, 'round (I think this could be 'merry-go-round', as per "No longer riding on the merry-go-round' of Watching the Wheels. I thought I could feel Feel, feel, feel
Music touching my soul (The Beatles' music) Something warm, sudden cold (Happiness is a Warm Gun to Cold Turkey) The spirit dance was unfolding (The Beatles' legacy)
Ah, bowakawa pousse, pousse
@LimeGreenSez You are pretty spot on, here. You may want to read "The Lennon Prophecy", by Joseph Niezgoda, for a more pointed take. The whole book is about how John's death was foretold in this song, and in other ways. Just keep in mind that the book itself is unsettling in it's subject matter, it's not a 'light, easy read' by any means.
@LimeGreenSez You are pretty spot on, here. You may want to read "The Lennon Prophecy", by Joseph Niezgoda, for a more pointed take. The whole book is about how John's death was foretold in this song, and in other ways. Just keep in mind that the book itself is unsettling in it's subject matter, it's not a 'light, easy read' by any means.
bAwakawa means "situation" or "case" in Japanese
So Lennon is probably saying with "b'wakawa pousse" "the situation pushes." Which would be an indirect/clever way of saying "the plot thickens".
"Bakawa" is Japanese for "situation." Pousse' is French for "shoot." he is talking about a shooting incident.
"Bakawa" is Japanese for "situation." Pousse' is French for "shoot." he is talking about a shooting incident.
@AquariaTX "Ah, bowakawa pousse, pousse" - Lennon said it was nonsense lyrics as per the faux Spanish in Sun King. Curiously though: Bo = "staff/weapon" in Japanese; wa = "as for…" in Japanese (as a topic particle) or "harmony" on its own; kawa = "river" in Japanese; pousse = "push" in French, though allegedly "pussy" was Lennon's original lyric. So, "staff/weapon/phallus, pussy, river, harmony"...?)
@AquariaTX "Ah, bowakawa pousse, pousse" - Lennon said it was nonsense lyrics as per the faux Spanish in Sun King. Curiously though: Bo = "staff/weapon" in Japanese; wa = "as for…" in Japanese (as a topic particle) or "harmony" on its own; kawa = "river" in Japanese; pousse = "push" in French, though allegedly "pussy" was Lennon's original lyric. So, "staff/weapon/phallus, pussy, river, harmony"...?)
John sings the foreign-sounding phrase "Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé" in his song "#9 Dream." According to John, it doesn't mean anything...it is just a phrase that came to him in a dream and he decided to base a song around it. Artists are funny that way. from bagism.com/faq.html
"Bakawa" is Japanese for "situation." pousser is French for "to shoot." Put together, he is describing a shooting incedent.
"Bakawa" is Japanese for "situation." pousser is French for "to shoot." Put together, he is describing a shooting incedent.
@thebosslemur Were you a Bagist? I didn't go there for a while then got looked out booo
@thebosslemur Were you a Bagist? I didn't go there for a while then got looked out booo
wats with all these songs sounding so peaceful yet eerie. it puts u in a trance. i like the magical way it sounds thru
Two spirits dancing so strange
Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé
....odd but nice... any1 get me?
Yes, I get you. It's my favorite song. Odd but nice.
Yes, I get you. It's my favorite song. Odd but nice.
@JessicaJayne The tune is nice
@JessicaJayne The tune is nice
For me, the song is about some lingering memory, dream or feeling. Intangible, but present.
"Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé" is just syntax without sematics - nice sounding words without meaning.
Also, I checked the female whispering voice in the background during the line "Music touching my soul, something warm, sudden cold". It's the same voice as during "Somebody call out my name as it started to rain" saying the same thing, "John", but this time backwards. I assume it's Yoko.
It´s not Yoko. It's May Pang, Lennon's lover back in those days. This was during the separation called the lost weekend.
It´s not Yoko. It's May Pang, Lennon's lover back in those days. This was during the separation called the lost weekend.
That's not Yoko, it's May Pang.
That's not Yoko, it's May Pang.
@emilk not a great fan of all Yoko does, especially the avante garde, but she does very well on this song, "Happy Christmas" and even singing a verse by herself about the irish (pretty obscure 70s song)
@emilk not a great fan of all Yoko does, especially the avante garde, but she does very well on this song, "Happy Christmas" and even singing a verse by herself about the irish (pretty obscure 70s song)
"Bakawa" is Japanese for "situation." Pousse' is French for "to shoot." John is describing a shooting incident.
"Bakawa" is Japanese for "situation." Pousse' is French for "to shoot." John is describing a shooting incident.
@emilk '.......... lingering memory, dream or feeling. Intangible, but present.' Those feelings are interesting. It's like in Bruce Springstein's 'Secret Garden' - "You've gone a million miles How far'd you get To that place where You can't remember And you can't forget"
@emilk '.......... lingering memory, dream or feeling. Intangible, but present.' Those feelings are interesting. It's like in Bruce Springstein's 'Secret Garden' - "You've gone a million miles How far'd you get To that place where You can't remember And you can't forget"
I think this song is better than imagine.
@Shellsmashedxbox360 amen!!!
@Shellsmashedxbox360 amen!!!
Together with “Mind Games” on Shaved Fish, the dream is a celebration of the mystery rite of love.The poem describes a very mysterious and beautiful experience involving love and rain. The song is said to have come to Lennon in a dream. At first he says he knows, at least that it seemed so very real, but then he admits, that he believes, and what more can he say?
He was walking down the street in the heat, when he heard someone call out his name, and then they met as it started to rain, and their dance was like the spirits dance, as love brings the two to participate in what is like the dance of spirits, within the harmony of things lost from the beginning, in a conjunction of conscious and unconscious mind that is like walking in a waking dream. The harmony can apparently be entered briefly by two in love, and it is this brief contact that makes them both wish that the dance were permanent, and seek to recover the lost harmony in the end. But it is here that for a moment the divided human being can be as if whole, when the two participate in or incarnate the life of the soul which, if it were in one, would be the perfected soul. They are out of their minds, and at the same time more in them than they are likely to be again. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet dance like the two hands of a praying saint, and it is on this higher perfection that love depends for its magic. The two together and the singular soul are both in turn images of the Most High, or show what it means that the soul is an image of God, since here the overflow of the image allows indirect vision, by reflection. In love, the intelligible enters the visible, and so, some very strange things happen, as is commonly reported.
Here is a nice note from one called Linclink on Steve Hoffman's Music Forum:
I like that thought, Jessica. It's like a dream where something important is said to you, but you cannot remember who told you or what the message was. All you have is the event.
one of the most elusive, ethereal and ambiguous of John's songs.
According to Google Translator, "bö wakawa" is Swahili for "they live".
And "poussé" means pushed in french (I'm French, so you can trust me about this. The verb "pousser" does also mean "to grow" but "poussé" is never used as a way to say "grown", although it's not grammatically incorrect).
I still can't figure out the real meaning of this sentence, though.