mojofilterloco July 21st, 2005 04:54AM  
It could have something to do with anti-war (as according to duran fan), but could any song that validates ones existance not be interpreted this way?

"There is nothing you can do that can't be done"

Notice the double negative - becomes

"you can do anything"

The same is true throughout the rest of the lyrics.

then the chorus- all you need is love

Is it just me, or is the meaning to this song not glaringly obvious?
We, the (intelligent) human individuals that we are, need nothing over and above basic necessity. It is the seeking of more (greed) that leads us, the human race, into the tumultuous, hate ridden, ignorant, blind etc state of affairs we are in today.

If (that is a big IF) we can realise ourselves (which is what John is trying to get at) then we can begin to fix this situation. But then there have always been and always will be those who want more.

Greed is the root. All you need is love. (She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah!)

anonymous July 10th, 2008 04:36PM  
What everyone thinks is partly true and partly not. John Lennon is saying that there's nothing we can do that can't be done to but it's easy to do it with love. We all need love. This song isn't like all the others with all the double meanings its right there the meaning is right there "All you Need Is Love" That how John was he believed we all need love he believed he could change the world with love. John wanted to be loved.

anonymous November 14th, 2009 02:01PM  
Whenever I think of these lyrics I do not interpret them to imply "You can do anything" I hear them mostly as they literally say "There is nothing you can do that can't be done." Simply put, if something can't be done, you can't do it. It may sound grim but I think this is meant to mean you can't do anything "spectacular." Everything that you do immediately becomes "doable." For example, think of if someone said "that song can't be sung." Now you proceed to sing the song. That song no longer "can't be sung" as you have just proved. Seemingly you did the impossible but really it was their perspective that was off. The hope in all of this is that with love this all becomes alright. We may never be individually spectacular, but love will give us meaning.

Imogina December 15th, 2009 04:50PM  
I think it's not as simple as saying "there's nothing you can do that can't be done" = "you can do anything". Grammatically, they don't mean the same thing anyway. More literally - it just means you can do things that can't be done. Eg it's not possible to walk to the Moon, so you can't walk to the Moon. The point is, then, I think - he's saying "you can't do the impossible" - all you can do is things that can be done. But that's ok - the important thing is love - that's all you need. So I think it's meant to be about accepting yourself and loving yourself and everyone else. That loving people is the most important thing - he's saying don't worry about the rest. This makes more sense when you move beyond the early part of the lyrics and notice: "Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time - It's easy: and "Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be. It's easy." So he's ending the song saying just try to be you, just let yourself be where you are meant to be, and let it happen by letting love happen.

Imogina December 15th, 2009 04:59PM  
I think it's not as simple as saying "there's nothing you can do that can't be done" = "you can do anything". Grammatically, they don't mean the same thing anyway. More literally - it just means you can't do things that can't be done. Eg it's not possible to walk to the Moon, so you can't walk to the Moon. The point is, then, I think - he's saying "you can't do the impossible" - all you can do is things that can be done. But that's ok - the important thing is love - that's all you need. So I think it's meant to be about accepting yourself and loving yourself and everyone else. That loving people is the most important thing - he's saying don't worry about the rest. This makes more sense when you move beyond the early part of the lyrics and notice: "Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time - It's easy: and "Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be. It's easy." So he's ending the song saying just try to be you, just let yourself be where you are meant to be, and the main important thing is love. [edited for spelling mistake!]

anonymous August 25th, 2010 09:09PM  
How about this interpretation?
I think all they are trying to say is "All You Need Is Love"