What does I am the Walrus mean?

Beatles: I am the Walrus Meaning

Album cover for I am the Walrus album cover

Song Released: 1967


Get "I am the Walrus" on MP3: Get MP3 from iTunes

I am the Walrus Lyrics

i am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together!
see how they run like pigs from a gun, see how they fly …
i'm cryin’

sittin on a corn flake, waitin on the van to come.
corporation tee-shirt,stupid bloody tuesday man you been a...

  1. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 5th 2009 !⃝

    The eggman is Eric Burdon, he told John Lennnon about something that happened to him where an egg did a lot,after that John called him the eggman.The walrus is the walrus from"The walrus and the carpenter

  2. why_hate_lennon
    click a star to vote
    Oct 8th 2009 !⃝

    What the crap?!?!? Why does everyone think it is about drugs? I mostly think it is about what ever you think it is but who cares if they where on drugs when they wrote there music? It was good so why knock it?

  3. thomasfly
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    Jun 9th 2009 !⃝

    "I Am the Walrus" is the most glaring / salient example of Lennon's compositions that may be characterized as "lyrical impressionism" - the first example being “Hey Bulldog.”

    From WikiPedia: the "musical impressionism (of the 19th century) focused on suggestion and atmosphere rather than strong emotion or the depiction of a story."

    It’s not clear that Lennon consciously set out to create a new "artistic movement" in popular/rock music – in other words, that one day he said to himself, “I think I’ll write some songs that superficially appear to be nonsensical and meaningless – which, in fact, (may) HAVE NO concrete meaning - but which, nonetheless, strongly suggest some kind of meaning … conveying an interpretation and / or feeling subliminally.”

    But, as if to acknowledge that he was “up to something,” "I Am the Walrus" itself refers to a previous example: "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds;" and the last example by Lennon (as a Beatle, at least), "Come Together," refers back to “Walrus” via the phrase, "he has walrus gumboot."

    Precisely why Lennon wrote such songs is open to speculation. Probably he wrote them because he could (and not many good songwriters can), but Lennon also seemed to enjoy being a bit inscrutable at times, as if his ability to mystify the masses were evidence of his intellectual superiority (which perhaps it was).

    Most interestingly (and hardly insignificantly, it seems) "I Am the Walrus" begins with a statement that is prima facie false: “I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together” - leading to an interpretation that (like "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds") is "hiding in plain sight" ...

    in truth, I am CLEARLY (by definition!) not he, and you CLEARLY are not me, and (by inference) we CLEARLY are not all together - the latter circumstance being the reason that “I’m crying.”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaWKjb0oRyo

    Sheryl Crow has written song lyrics that also may be described as impressionistic - "If It Makes You Happy" is one example.

  4. anonymous
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    May 14th 2009 !⃝

    This is a very random song by Lennon. The most logical explination for it is that they were high on drugs when singing or writing it yet it is still a good song. It is just basically an extreamly random and meaningless song and thats basically it.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  5. nikkinikki
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    Apr 5th 2009 !⃝

    ok, well since the main writer is dead, and no one really has any clue, why don't ya'll just kick back, turn the song on, and watch the clouds go by overhead? seriously, they'd most like you do that rather than arguing on whether or not this is a socialist or political matter.

    chiiiiilll out

  6. alvi
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    Feb 16th 2009 !⃝

    Since the first time I heard it I thought this is a great song.I don't know what Lennon refers to when he says "I am the walrus" but I'm absolutely shure that whatever it means he was talking abuot himself.I don't think that he wrote that kind of song just to make lyric interpreters try to work in vain.I think that they(us too)couldn't understand it.So he thought that telling them/us it doesn't has a meaning would make them/us look more foolish.As you all know,in the song "God" he says "I was the walrus but now I am John".You can see that he cares only about the fact of being John and he would do everything to make the others believe him.he says "Alright,i lied.I was the walrus but who cares.I am John now that is all what matters." In fact this is what we do in our everyday life.Tell the truth(because we have lied about something before)to make the others believe another thing we're saying(which we think is far more important).
    Just think about it.Thinking is good!

  7. anonymous
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    Feb 10th 2009 !⃝

    I am walrus and many Beatles songs wil probably never be fully interpretted. it might have had something to do with drugs but i think the writing of the Beatles is genuis. They are so ahead of their time that some people think these songs are weird and crazy when they are actually genuis.

  8. anonymous
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    Dec 30th 2008 !⃝

    From what ive heard the song was made because a boy at the school lennon used to go to told him the teacher there was making the children find the beatles meaning.lennon then wrote confusing things to mess with the childrens minds. he then said "let the lil fahqrs figure that one out" its wat i heard.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  9. Jojo215
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    Nov 20th 2008 !⃝

    Well, he wrote this song when he learned that researchers
    tried to find the meaning of his songs. LSD didn't help...

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  10. anonymous
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    Oct 24th 2008 !⃝

    THIS SONG WAS MADE TO SCREW WITH EVERYONES HEAD....

    SIMPLE AS THAT.!

    NO HIDDEN MEANINGS.....

    with anything....if you look for something hard enough your mind will find something..!!

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  11. jtg08
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    Oct 12th 2008 !⃝

    He was sticking it to the man guys it had little bits of references to everything and a lot of what the hell bits. Respect John Lennon you pansy.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  12. anonymous
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    Oct 10th 2008 !⃝

    Everyone is over thinking these lyrics too much. It is not about socialism or any political meanings or anything.
    The song was a result of acid. Paul was tripping out on acid something shocking and the others wrote down what he was muttering. "I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together."
    Don't believe me? Than explain how any sober minded person would just come up with "I am the eggman, I am the walrus, coo coo ca choo"

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  13. anonymous
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    Sep 9th 2008 !⃝

    It's an inside joke from the drug culture. The walrus is somebody snorting drugs with two straws up his nose, his eyes rolling backward from the high, and he's clapping his hands with glee --> "The Walrus" (Listen to the lyrics again for more clues.)

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  14. anonymous
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    Sep 4th 2008 !⃝

    This song isn't too hard to figure out.
    The first two lines are different acid trips.
    you must realize that almost every verse in this line is about events that have gone on in John's life or places that have been. Many from his childhood, and some from his adult life.
    Many of these thoughts were thought of during acid trips and he had flashbacks. The only idea that's "random" in this song is the chorus. He was just fooling around during the chorus.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  15. anonymous
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    Sep 4th 2008 !⃝

    John said the Walrus was from the Walrus and the carpenter. Then he said "Oh I picked the wrong one!"
    But you know I AM THE CARPENTER isn't very catchy.
    And screw you all Its
    KOO KOO KA CHU

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway



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