I don’t know if this song is really about peace. The way I know John’s character, he wrote his songs in a very simple- not so simple way and he would be laughing either way we interpret it (direct reference to I am the Walrus). To me:
This song is really about non-conformity. We usually are so used to believing that imagining is to construct something but here he challenges us to imagine by destructing in the sense- imagine there’s NO heaven.
He’s also quite sarcastic, John Lennon hated conformity (“A couple of teachers would notice me, encourage me to be something or other, to draw or to paint– express myself. But most of the time they were trying to beat me into being a fuckin’ dentist or a teacher. And then the fuckin’ fans tried to beat me into being a fuckin’ Beatle or an Engelbert Humperdinck, and the critics tried to beat me into being Paul McCartney. “) and here is literally mocking conformity (which i hate too, hence this interpretation). People are so used to believe that heaven,religion,countries, are necessary for man to exist (Go and tell someone to think of a world without any countries or borders, 99% you get a flat out refusal that “it’s not possible”).
“You may say I’m a dreamer”...was a bit harder to interpret (did it on acid though). It seems like he’s rallying for peace, but he’s not. What John is basically saying is how people are so ready to label the different and uniques ones in the world as “crazy” and is saying he’s not the only dreamer, the only who’s calling him a dreamer is also a dreamer.
Sorry If I couldn’t explain properly but those were my thoughts.
Ah, the genius of John....
I don’t know if this song is really about peace. The way I know John’s character, he wrote his songs in a very simple- not so simple way and he would be laughing either way we interpret it (direct reference to I am the Walrus). To me: This song is really about non-conformity. We usually are so used to believing that imagining is to construct something but here he challenges us to imagine by destructing in the sense- imagine there’s NO heaven. He’s also quite sarcastic, John Lennon hated conformity (“A couple of teachers would notice me, encourage me to be something or other, to draw or to paint– express myself. But most of the time they were trying to beat me into being a fuckin’ dentist or a teacher. And then the fuckin’ fans tried to beat me into being a fuckin’ Beatle or an Engelbert Humperdinck, and the critics tried to beat me into being Paul McCartney. “) and here is literally mocking conformity (which i hate too, hence this interpretation). People are so used to believe that heaven,religion,countries, are necessary for man to exist (Go and tell someone to think of a world without any countries or borders, 99% you get a flat out refusal that “it’s not possible”). “You may say I’m a dreamer”...was a bit harder to interpret (did it on acid though). It seems like he’s rallying for peace, but he’s not. What John is basically saying is how people are so ready to label the different and uniques ones in the world as “crazy” and is saying he’s not the only dreamer, the only who’s calling him a dreamer is also a dreamer. Sorry If I couldn’t explain properly but those were my thoughts. Ah, the genius of John....
thank you so much
thank you so much
Good interpretation. Also see Lennon's "God".
Good interpretation. Also see Lennon's "God".