John Lennon: Imagine Meaning
Song Released: 1971
Imagine Lyrics
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the...
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1TOP RATED
CavGuy Aug 4th 2006, 10:27 report
The meaning of this song is very simple. Just think of what our world would be like without governments, religion and posessions. He then lends his idea of what would happen. No war, hate nor poverty only peace. I think human nature would never allow this to happen. Too many powerful people would lose said power. It's a nice thought, though.
This song was written during the height of the war in viet nam, the first nixon administration and the peace movement. Much of the popular culture of the time was centered around these factors. Notice how prevalent the song is today...The war against terrorism, the second bush administration and the peace movement...Coincidence? -
2TOP RATED
anonymous Sep 5th 2009, 03:08 report
"Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today"
Heaven and hell, like all other opposites in this world, occur only in the human mind. God is oneness, and when your mind is free of attachment to this world, and you experience oneness with everything, you are in true Heaven, and there is no hell. To reach this oneness, you must also live in the moment. Time is an illusion. When we see things in this world change from one appearance to another, and use our memory to notice this change, we believe that time has passed. But when we are one with the Universe, time does not exist. Eternity is not endless time, it is no time. Oneness with everything means the constant state of bliss, nirvana.
"Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
This is much easier to interpret and come to grips with. again it deals with separation. Humans suffer because they feel alone or separated. Having enemies makes them feel better about themselves, but this comes from fear. Feeling oneness with all God's creatures, with the Universe itself, is the only true happiness, and peace.
"You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one"
If everyone joined John in the dream of this song, the world would truly be as one. We may be evolving to this state. Humans became aware of themselves, their individuality, which also brought about their fear and suffering, but once they realize their oneness with the Universe, while they are still aware of their own being, a special spiritual race will evolve.
"Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world"
This is such a beautiful phrase and gives you a view of what life could be like if all people truly loved each other as one.
"You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one"
John was a dreamer, and was able to put one of the greatest, most mysterious spritiual truths into a wonderful song that will be enjoyed forever -
3TOP RATED
anonymous Jul 18th 2009, 18:37 report
Why does my heart keep telling me this is not an athiest song? How come every time I hear a good sermon about the huge problem in our world, HYPOCRICY (especially people who call themselves christians but really are just big hypocrites), I want to stand up and sing this song? Why do I hear the ideas in this songs when I hear some readings in the bible (SOME readings, religion has been messed up by tradition and imperfect humans, so when a pastor preaches he doesn't always explain things that Jesus taught - humans are just incredibly stubborn)
John Lennon wasn't an athiest. He even said so,
"I'd always suspected that there was a God, even when I thought I was an atheist. Just in case. I Believe it, so I am full of compassion, but you can still dislike things. I just hate things less strenuously than I did. I haven't got as big a chip about it because maybe I've escaped it a bit. I think all our society is run by insane people for insane objectives..."
Imagine there's no heaven etc.
this line I hear all the time, and I say this idea to people all the time. There's a verse I heard a few weeks ago. I think its in Luke, but it says something about not doing things so that YOU can get rewarded, so that YOU can get something out of it (Imagine there's no heaven), and also says not to Not do something because you're afraid of whait society will think or that you'll be punished for it and not to build your mind off of what other people who think they are better than you tell you to believe or think (No hell below us; above us only sky). I was sitting there as I heard this and I'm thinking "that's in 'Imagine', that's what it means!"
And that's happened with other parts of the song. On Easter he was talking about living for today and that same idea. I had that same excitement "that's in the song!" This old man came as a guest pastor or something to our church once and started talking on the same idea as John Lennon does in this quote,
"I don't need to go to church. I respect churches because of the sacredness that's been put on them over the years by people who do believe. But I think a lot of bad things have happened in the name of the church and in the name of Christ," - by some of the hypocrites who go to them and end up getting us stereotyped like Islam is by the few radicals who love to blow stuff up - "Therefore, I shy away from church, and as Donovan once said, 'I go to my own church in my own temple once a day.' And I think people who need a church should go. And the others who know the church is in your own head should visit that temple because that's where the source is. We're all God. Christ said, 'The Kingdom of Heaven is within you.' And the Indians say that and the Zen people say that. We're all God. I'm not a god or the God, but we're all God and we're all potentially divine - and potentially evil. We all have everything within us and the Kingdom of Heaven is nigh and within us, and if you look hard enough you'll see it."
Religion complicates things with tradition. It'll make you think Christ or God meant something when he said this, when he really meant that. You've got to free your mind and Imagine, what does it all truly mean? (No religion too)
A lot of people say they don't want to go to church because they're all hypocrites there. And that's what I hear in the first part of the song. They're people who celebrate Christmas and Easter and may even go to church every sunday but don't really listen to the sermon. These people have the nerve to pick on a song like this, but don't even look in the mirror at themselves and realize they're the ones who are wrong here.
Yoko Ono once said something like "If half the room doesn't walk out angry, I haven't done it right." That's what I think about when I hear this song. A lot of people, the first time they hear it (including me), just want to punch him in the face. Imagine there's no heaven? Why would you want to do that? But (in my opinion) it's more deep than that. It's not saying let's Imagine they're no God, Imagine he's no reward, then who would you be? Would you still do something good even though YOU wouldn't get anything out of it? That's what God truly wants us to be like, and obviously what John Lennon wants us to be like, completely unselfish and generous.
And yeah, the first time I heard this I was kind of upset. But I remember I heard the line "living life in peace" and I thought how Jesus preached about peace. Something about it made me want to listen to over and over (It's the most listened to song on my iPod, about 4 times more than the 2nd most listened to song on my iPod). Then I started hearing these ideas in church and I started to realize what it truly meant. I read some guy saying something about this song has a simple meaning and you can't really go in depth with it. I though, "what song are you hearing?" I could sit and talk about this song for hours. To me it's really deep and it a song meant to be analyzed more than one time. That's why its my favorite song, because it carrying out the wisdom I hear from God in a way that you've never heard before. It makes you second guess things and then you start to get upset because as you think about what it means, you want everyone in the world to see it that way too. You hear songs in church all the time saying "Jesus loves you, he died for you..." yeah, I've been hearing that over and over again my whole life and I'm very very thankful, but they're more than just believing in what he did for us, it's listening to what he was saying. And I hear that in this song.
Maybe I just look too much into things, but that's what art is, you're supposed to come up with you own meaning, and you shouldn't criticize the artist on what you get out of it. -
williamskisha Yesterday, 00:42 report
This song is all about a one world communistic government! NO possession, countries, Heaven or Hell.
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anonymous Mar 29th, 23:01 report
This song is obvioulsy about Communism. I'm not saying that John Lennon was a communist, but thats how it sounds to me.
^ -
anonymous Dec 19th 2012, 23:33 report
In John 13:34,35 Jesus stated that people would know you my disciples because you will have love amongst yourselves. It sounds like Lennon really understood this scripture when he speaks of no war! How can anyone any so called Christian show love towards their brother if they are wiling to take up arms against one another in war??? Epheasians 4:5 speaks of one faith one baptism. Again Lennon understood their should be no religion.
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anonymous Dec 19th 2012, 23:12 report
Psalms 37:29 actually tells us that the meek will inherit the "earth" and live forever upon it. It says nothing about heaven. Isaiah 45:18 says God did not create the earth simply for nothing. Isaiah 65:21-25 speaks of this world Lennon was speaking about.
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anonymous Dec 10th 2012, 04:32 report
"Imagine" is a song about the marxist utopia Marx and Engels are speaking about in the Communist Manifesto. The marxist utopia has no nations, government, religion, war, posessions, etc., just like what he's singing about.
The thought of this song being atheist isn't completely right, nor completely wrong. While common belief suggests that communists are against all forms of religion, marxism simply states that organised religion is an abomination, not faith itself. Lennon is a good example of this. -
anonymous Dec 10th 2012, 04:32 report
"Imagine" is a song about the marxist utopia Marx and Engels are speaking about in the Communist Manifesto. The marxist utopia has no nations, government, religion, war, posessions, etc., just like what he's singing about.
The thought of this song being atheist isn't completely right, nor completely wrong. While common belief suggests that communists are against all forms of religion, marxism simply states that organised religion is an abomination, not faith itself. Lennon is a good example of this. -
anonymous Nov 13th 2012, 23:27 report
I'm doing a personal response on this song, all the comments were really helpful.
Thanks
Anonymous -
anonymous Oct 3rd 2012, 23:13 report
Your all wrong,he wrote this song for God ,displaying a dream that would never come true.
May God bless John Lennon -
anonymous Aug 21st 2012, 23:49 report
what john is imagining is the NEW WORLD ORDER and the coming of the anti-christ. EG, forget about Christ, one government to rule the world, no possesions.
I would suggest that people look into what the new world order's agenda is and then do yourself a favor and read the book of revelation especially the part about the four horsemen and see the similarities. -
anonymous Jun 1st 2012, 01:16 report
imagine there's no heaven, then it doesnt matter if I divorced and abandoned my wife and kid for some woman who cant sing?
let's go get some heroin!
protect our brothers like pol pot who are satelittes to the beast
give up american! give up! communism equals no religion or you die!
the whole world will serve the bear or die!
all that you own will be distributed to the workers!
there is no point in working!
possesions are an illusion!
where can I find more heroin?
yoko ono is a great singer, mark david chapman please shoot me!!! shoot me!!! -
anonymous Mar 17th 2012, 23:39 report
See why some guys can't understand what's Lennon trying to say why some people trying to convert this to communism or other bull shits.
Simply he's only imagine world without war and selfishness.and world with full of love, sharing and unity.
All the great wars in the world happened because of lands, religions, races,desire to bieng wealthy and resources. That's why lennon is imagine how if there is no countries and religions too. That's why he's imagine people only living for today.
What about heaven and hell he's talking about. Some people are don't do any thing for the world or for others they are only going church and praying instead. They think they would go to heaven. But if u share all the happiness and love with each others u can create all the heaven on the earth.
But after all he knows those are mostly impossible to do. But he imagine it. But there are so many people dreaming about world like that. He's not asking to change the world like that he just asking us to imagine the world in that way and imagine how much it would be beautiful, peacefull and harmony -
anonymous Mar 14th 2012, 23:36 report
I don't want to imagine there's no heaven because heaven is my only hope in this life so yes I am offended as a Christian. Although this song is obviously speaking out for peace, there is no true peace without heaven and never will be. I think it is totally disrespectful to our military and our country when we sing this song at prayer gatherings or funeral. HEAVEN IS MY HOME! This is all just temporary. That is how I feel! GOD BLESS YOU ALL!
Kim Meyer -
anonymous Mar 2nd 2012, 22:59 report
About the world being peaceful and all people getting treated the same, No wars, poverty, crimes.
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anonymous Feb 28th 2012, 14:31 report
I am Christian and I do not get offended by this song. John Lennon himself had religon. He just singing about forgetting it for a moment and realizing how wonderful Earth this, and to take in all the beauty and peace. If you think about it, the world would be a better place if everybody wasn't fighting over religon. I get persecuted because people think that being a mormon is some sort of cult, but if you think about it most people that persecute have not acual looked into that religon and they know little no nothing about it that wasn't heard by someone who makes up all this crap about it. If you want to say bad things about a religonget your information from someone that knows about it, not something that thinks they know everything about it, don't listen to the haters that have nothing good to say about it. Make your opinion from listening to people that have good and bad things to say about it. If one person did that they world would be a better place. Just imagine how good this world would be if everybody did it.
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anonymous Jan 29th 2012, 15:16 report
First off he's not an atheist so it's not an 'atheist anthem'.
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anonymous Jan 14th 2012, 01:08 report
This whole song describes the true qualities of communism. you may think of corruption when you hear the word "communism" but this song is about what REAL communism is truely all about.
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anonymous Nov 16th 2011, 19:25 report
I think the song is asking you to imagine a world without prejudice, a world made of peace and only peace, with no goverment, possesisions, or hate
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anonymous Sep 15th 2011, 20:21 report
This song will one day become reality. That is all there is to it.
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anonymous Sep 7th 2011, 20:52 report
It's about marxism. The song is, word by word, a description of a marxist utopia, with no possessions or religion, without hunger and countries. By saying there are no countries he is implying that one unique and central government with unlimited power will rule us all (1984 much) under wich we're all equal, "a brotherhood of man". "Nothing to kill or die for" refers to the end of all different ideas, being that everyone agrees in marxism. John Lennon was part of a musical group with unlimited fame and money. He never suffered or even saw suffering, turning him into a filthy liberal that believes in some fairytale bullshit.
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anonymous Aug 20th 2011, 00:42 report
It's simple really. Imagine, living as one. No fights, no war. A anonymous said on the 24th June 2007, Religous beliefs are not the cause of war. But they can be. Religion is the cause of a lot of things, not all good, but I agree with the point on money. Imagine if there was no money, no possesions, no rich, no poor. What a wonderful world that would be. But it would never happen, greed is part of what makes us human. To me the world human means a faulted being, so what Lennon is suggesting is an alien breed. If only...
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Imagine is considered:
Songs with Political Overtones
Songs with Social Commentary
Songs about Hippies
Songs about Atheism
Songs about Peace
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