Beatles: Happiness is a Warm Gun Meaning

Song Released: 1968

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Happiness is a Warm Gun Lyrics

She's not a girl who misses much
Do do do do do do- oh yea!
She's well acquainted with the touch of the velvet hand
Like a lizard on a window pane

The man in the crowd with the multicolored mirrors
On his hobnail boots
Lying with his eyes...
↓ See the rest of these lyrics ↓

1. 1TOP RATED

   anonymous

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   Feb 27th 2008, 16:54 report

   
   

   Anyone arguing their opinion here notice a reoccurring theme in most of the interpretations? Heroin, Sex, Guns(Power) etc. are all seductive and addictive. Our "fixes", our "escapes" in effect, our vices.
   
   Happiness is a Warm gun
   =
   The gratification of fulfilling a desire/want/need/craving/addiction

   
   
   
   

2. 2TOP RATED

   anonymous

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   Jun 17th 2007, 02:32 report

   
   

   Indeed this particular song possessed riffs, melodies, and lyrical content created by Lennon at different times throughout the recording process of the white album. Lets at least assume the obscure cluster of material all derived from this particular time period...(but who the hell really knows?) Being a musician myself, I can speak with confidence for all musicians when I state this fact...Some songs are created to formulate a specific, straight forward meaning, message, or story in the listeners mind.
   
   The spectrum of emotional stimulation to the brain (or mood it creates) is intentionally put forth by the artist to convey something that even the most casual of listeners can groove to and understand. Simply put, ANYONE can relate to what it's about in the exact same way as the next person. This type of song, although boring or mundane to some, will often reach the greatest audience. Half of our music today incorporates songs such as these, and many of them are beautiful compositions evolving from the creative genius of simplicity. "HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN" IS NOT ONE OF THESE SONGS!!!! (What I described earlier could easily pertain to any of the earliest Beatles hits...) Several years after this "pop-like" phase, progressing musical talent, along with deeper more abstract lyrical writing evolved in the group. Lets get to the point! Any even semi-notorious musical group endures hours upon hours of studio time, constantly bringing all of their new ideas to te table, recording non-stop. We as the audience hear only a fraction of a bands recordings through their albums. There are countless songs out there like 'happiness" in regards to the fact that they exist as several different ideas/melodies construed at different times.
   
   Each individual part of the song is created at some point in time and recorded, but had NOTHING to do with the times, situations and basis for the other sections of the song that were recorded. Originaly they were all un-related to each other...perhaps bits and peices of entire songs that were already written, but not meant to be...I could never say what, but something in lennons mind compelled him to extract fragments of his ingenious verses and melodies,possibly even disregarding the other eighty percent of several song ideas in order to create the one that meant the most to him. And "happiness" is what resulted from hours of creative experimentation.
   
   OK...here are some themes and innuendos I have thought about and analyzed...(please remember these are only my opinions and interpretations. I really don't know crap about anything, but its fun to theorize!) First of all, something Ive already seen on this page numerous times is the drug references. IT IS THERE! if you disagree with me, I respect that, but PLEASE don't fool yourself into thinking that just because you admire the Beatles music, who they were, what they stood for etc...that they didn't use drugs heavily. Drugs of all kinds in fact! There should be no awkwardness or shame to this subject whatsoever. but nor shall we dwell on it. back to the lyrics...(when I hold you in my arms) refers to the relationship between the syringe and the arm. (And I feel my finger on your trigger)is the act of pushing the plunger down. (I know nobody can do me no harm) obviously the mindset of heroin euphoria (because...happiness is a warm gun) a "gun" could be symbolic or even slang for a syringe. The descriptive reference to it being a "warm" gun could be the fact that depending on the method of "cooking" the heroin, the liquid may feel warm or make the syringe warm when it is drawn up out of the hot spoon. What makes even more sense to me though is that all forms of OPIATE drugs, (codeine, morphine,) with HEROIN being the most potent, always give a sensation of false warmth all over the body. This is one of its desirable effects. BUT I HAVE ONE MORE THEORY about this particular part...could it be the peace-advocating Lennon simply mocking or in a sarcastic way speaking out the part of a guns/war supporter, and how obsessed THEY were with fighting, just as HE was obsessed with peace? If you listen closely to the tone of the singers voice during this part, it definitely possess a "cocky" kinda "in your face" type attitude. Well I'm only gonna write about the part of the song that I'm sure of...so see ya! I admit, there's no doubt to the colorful abstraction at the beginning of the song, and the verses that follow after are equally as ponderous and perplexing. I could not begin to start on those ones! I have to many theroes that are just as bizzarre as the lyrics!
   
   BUT IN THE END, IT REMAINS TRUE THAT ALL MUSIC IS TO BE INTERPRETED BY THE INDIVIDUAL LISTENER!!

   
   
   
   

3. 3TOP RATED

   anonymous

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   Aug 14th 2007, 15:32 report

   
   

   Nobody touched on the beginning. "...The man in the back with the multicolored mirrors on his hobnail boots/Is lying with his eyes while his hands are busy working over time/A soap impression of his wife which he ate and donated to the national trust" This is about the Maharishi in India and John's disenchantment upon seeing him flirting, touching and doing other naughty business with a female follower. Mirrors on boots are to look up women's skirts. Lying eyes about what John felt were hypocritical actions based on his teaching. His hands fondling a woman other than his wife. The soap impression line is a little unclear and might have just been John having some fun with words.
   
   The rest of the song is a clear drug reference. Lennon was addicted to heroin. Needing a hit is blatent heroin use lingo. Holding the heroin in his arms because junkies shoot into arm veins, thus "hold it", not like a hug, even though it creates a bit of clever metaphor that the Beatles, especially John, are so well-known for doing. Heroin is an opiate, the same stuff that is used in morphine to take away pain, thus "Nobody can do me no harm". Just because Lennon did some drugs doesn't mean he should be despised. And just because he wrote some songs doesn't make him a saint. It's rock n roll, and he helped invent it. It's got to be low down and dangerous at times. LET IT BE!

   
   
   
   

↓ More Happiness is a Warm Gun meanings below the jump ↓

4.  

   Lamarcus

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   Dec 24th 2005, 00:12 report

   
   

   This was written about the NRA, and based on a poster that one of the band members saw.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
   
   
   
   

5.  

   LennonLives

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   Jan 5th 2006, 22:08 report

   
   

   It was on the cover of a gun magazine. It said "Happiness is warm Gun"
   
   John stated that that statement was one of the most beautiful things he had ever read.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
   
   
   
   

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   anonymous

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   Jan 15th 2006, 21:16 report

   
   

   It's about masturbation.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
   
   
   
   

7.  

   anonymous

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   Jan 29th 2006, 15:09 report

   
   

   This song is an ode to heroin:
   
   "And I feel my finger on your trigger
   I know nobody can do me no harm
   Because happiness is a warm gun, momma "
   
   They are saying that when they inject themselves with heroin that everything is going to be okay.

   
   
   
   

8.  

   spiniton

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   Feb 2nd 2006, 01:27 report

   
   

   To me, it's an obvious sexual innuendo written with gun symbolism, probably inspired by the NRA. Some of the coolest time signature changes ever to be recorded in a Beatles song. 4/4 to 6/8 to 7/8!

   
   
   
   

9.  

   Anon

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   Feb 14th 2006, 19:17 report

   
   

   It's about drugs: heroin and other halucinogens.

   
   
   
   

10.  

    alex1

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    Feb 21st 2006, 05:19 report

    
    

    As someone said before John saw this in a magazine. but then he admitted in a press conference that this song had no meaning he just liked the meanings. So no NRA no maturbation no heroin just John proving his musical genius!

    
    
    
    

11.  

    CroftD1

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    Mar 14th 2006, 14:25 report

    
    

    Other than the guy talking a bout the press conferance and it having no meaning and the other guy about where he said John saw the "Happiness is a warm gun" line you all are completely wrong and are on drugs yourselves. It is three separate pieces of music that John couldn't do any thing else with so he put them together. They have no meaning other than John thought they were cool lines. The music is very different in each piece for that reason. "She's is well aquainted with the touch of the velvet hand like a lizard on a windo pane" Is one of my all time favorite lines in a song!

    
    
    
    

12.  

    anonymous

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    Jun 17th 2006, 09:13 report

    
    

    John was a pacifist, and it was a statement about the American gun culture. Some lyrics allude to John's passion for Yoko Ono.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
    
    
    
    

13.  

    capitalist

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    Aug 14th 2006, 16:45 report

    
    

    The "utter nonsense" interpretation is looking kind of tempting right about now. Very tempting. Someone please prove it wrong.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
    
    
    
    

14.  

    anonymous

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    Aug 24th 2006, 07:30 report

    
    

    Allrighty, look folks, the song is about heroin. I mean hello I definetly thought it was obvious...
    
    It's mixed ...Like some parts of the lyrics I guess were influeneced by yoko, nonetheless the sond is still pretty much about heroin!!
    
    And yes the title did come from a gun magazine that definitely caught Lennon's attention.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
    
    
    
    

15.  

    anonymous

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    Sep 11th 2006, 17:41 report

    
    

    You guys are all wrong, it has nothing to do with sex and definitely nothing to do with Yoko Ono.
    The song is about how Lennon felt when he never got to see his son and his deteriorating love for his first wife and how he wanted to overdose and die.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
    
    
    
    

16.  

    anonymous

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    Oct 28th 2006, 21:01 report

    
    

    This particular song is about being able to interpret it in your own way, that's why it's so ambiguous, and that's what makes it good (like a lot of songs, especially by the Beatles).

    
    
    
    

17.  

    anonymous

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    Nov 20th 2006, 13:52 report

    
    

    i have always felt that almost every song by the beatles had more than one meaning. I think it is a mixture of poking fun at american gun culture and maybe about heroin as well.

    
    
    
    

18.  

    nicki

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    Nov 25th 2006, 17:43 report

    
    

    I don't know exactly what it's about but definitely not about heroin or lennon wanting to overdose and die.
    But it's beautiful.
    It's just nonsensical like most Lennon songs...

    
    
    
    

19.  

    anonymous

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    Jan 30th 2007, 15:28 report

    
    

    The song's title was inspired by an NRA ad. The song's lyrics though are about sexual contact...

    
    
    
    

20.  

    anonymous

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    Apr 2nd 2007, 21:34 report

    
    

    If it's about anything it's about a schitzo killing people who he/she thinks is going to kill him/her.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
    
    
    
    

21.  

    anonymous

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    Apr 3rd 2007, 19:34 report

    
    

    Okay, I'm gonna keep this simple. It is a sexual innuendo. At least that what I think. Whatever you want to think it is about is okay. cause that is what all songs are about. To find a way you can link yourself or something you know to it and finding what hidden meaning you think is in there. well I guess I lied about the keeping it simple thing

    
    
    
    

22.  

    anonymous

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    Apr 16th 2007, 21:09 report

    
    

    I believe this isn't about drugs or anything of that sort, just a love a song, one about how happiness can only last for so long until it is suddenly something not so happy, such as his first marriage.

    
    
    
    

23.  

    anonymous

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    Apr 25th 2007, 10:53 report

    
    

    The title definitely spawned from an ad or something that Lennon red. But I think it has some kinda ideas about heroin and sexual activity entwined together... "I need a fix cause I'm going down..." - I'm depressed insert heroin here, that should be pretty clear to all? "when I hold you in my arms and I feel my finger on your trigger..." that's got to be about a girl I mean you can't hold a needle in your arms or a gun really, if it was either of those things he would have said hand instead of arms I think.