anonymous 2008-03-22 17:00:17    

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There is only one true interpretation to the lyrics to "Come Together", CRAP!
The lyrics have never meant anything unless you are a drugged out jerk like John Lennon was. John Lennon could write catchy tunes, but could not write lyrics to save his soul because he had fried his brain with drugs for years.

All this crap about it meaning this and that, he was full of crap and nothing meant anything, that is the way that his mind worked, or I should say DID NOT WORK! that IS THE END OF THE DEBATE....

anonymous 2008-03-25 20:31:21    

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That was crap.

It is so obvious since I have read all of the reviews. I believe the three most believable interpretations was the wrong death of paul. The four verses and four Beatles interpretation was amazing as well. I also like the drug reference of course it was the 60s and it was the Beatles. Like "Muddy Waters" and "Mojo Filter" definitely could be referring to a bong as well as the most obvious drug reference using the words coca cola in form of cocaine.

Good job and maybe one day someone will get deep into this and find the whole exact meaning..

anonymous 2008-04-24 21:17:20    

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We acctuly discussed this in class today, so heres what I think,
The song is about A man on drugs, very homley, Long hair("he got hair down to his knee"), likes to gamble ("He one holy roller"),is poor(no mony because he spent it on drugs, can't afford a shoe shine), is a druggie("He shoot coca-cola") & ("He got muddy water he one mojo milter" maybe refering to a bong) , sloppy("He got walrus gumboot"), pack rat(he bag production"), has a disease(mist likely a drug addiction), has ups and downs(He roller-coaster he got early warning"), is good looking on the inside but people often don't look that far in to him("got to be good looking 'cause he's so hard so see"), and everyone is telling him he's got to be free(from the drugs), And the "Come together right now over me" is either him or someone else saying no matter who/what you are everybody should come together.
So that's just what I think.

anonymous 2008-05-01 00:09:04    

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Come together was written by John Lennon for Dr. Timothy Leary in the late 1960s as his campaign song when he wanted to run for governor, but he ended up dropping out of the race so the song opened up Abbey Road.

niftymacaroons 2008-06-08 18:59:59    

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It's about the four members of the Beatles.

The first verse is about George. The whole grooving up slowly referring to his groovy guitar play and hair down to his knees is about his long hair.

The second verse is about Paul.He wear know shoe shine refers to how you see picture( Abbey Road) cover with Paul having no shoes on. Monkey Finger is a common reference to a bass player.

The third verse is about John. He got WALRUS gumboot, John wrote "I am the Walrus". He got Ono sideboard. Yoko Ono was the wife of John.

The last verse is about Ringo. One and One and One is three meaning the three symbols he used, and got to be good looking cause he's so hard to see means that it is hard to see him behind his drum set.

JNT1513 2008-06-12 16:57:43    

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The song you're talking about is I am the Walrus.

anonymous 2008-06-18 06:45:53    

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Maybe its like one of Salvador Dali's paintings, with multiple meanings.

It might just depend on what way you look at it. It might be about everything debated here, Timothy Leary, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the 4 different Beatles, etc.

Personally, the four Beatles theory makes most sense to me, and it annoys me that some people take the easy way out by saying "meaningless drug-induced lyrics". back to Dali, everyone thought he was weird and that was the end of it, but the guy was a genius. crazy genius, true, totally mad, but genius, nonetheless.

The meanings of some Beatles songs could be debated for all eternity, and they'd still be the only ones that knew what was going through their head at the time.

anonymous 2008-07-02 08:01:48    

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John Lennon was quite interested in James Joyce and very fond of the use of multivalent puns, ambiguous metaphors and arbitrary free-association in his books and lyrics. "Come Together" is a series of such allusions that vaguely refer to aspects a personality being characterized or parodied in each verse. He basically beats around the bush, making allusions to the sort of person he's lampooning or warning about. The verses are capricious and arbitrary, but not random, and they're ambiguous, but not meaningless. It's not unusual for The Beatles in general and Lennon in particular to sing a different word on the recording than is given in the printed lyrics in the liner
notes. They tone of voice used in the recordings is required to interpret Beatles lyrics, as it contains substantial information about the attitude, emphasis and intended sentence structure of the lyrics.


Here come old flattop he come grooving up slowly
(this line occurs verbatim in an early R&B or rockabilly song, as well as in a Rolling Stones song.)
He got joo-joo eyeball he one holy roller
(Juju is a form of African magic. A JuJu Eyeball may a reference to "the evil eye", or the phrase may have metamorphosed from "goo-goo eyes" a sort of ogling expression, which would be a reference to the sexual frustration of orthodox religiousness. For better or worse, John Lennon occasionally slips the word (or cognates for the word) "jew" into songs. If that's the case Jew-Jew may be a reference to judeo-christian religious attitudes, or the stereotype of obedient orthodoxy, which would re-enforce the meaning of "holy roller". Holy roller is a multivalent pun for someone who compulsively rolls marijuana joints, and for someone who is a religious fanatic, or profoundly superstitious and zealous)
He got hair down to his knee (a typical long-haired hippie. The song was written before reggae/bob marley happened, otherwise this would refer to dreadlocks and the way fanatical rastafarians smoke pot constantly) Oddly the Eyeball/Knee combination are both singular, which tends to establish that Lennon is using a sort of pidgin english in this song. The syntax and grammar in each verse are consistently peculiar. Sort of the way you'd expect "Tarzan the Ape Man" to talk in an old movie.

Got to be a joker he just do what he please (this is a paraphrase of "Do your Own Thing" which was kind of a hippie motto of the 1960s. a joker is a wild card, doesn't take anything seriously, also a jester, a clown. These meanings of "joker" are mutually re-enforcing. Lennon's basically calling religious fanatics a
bunch of clowns here.) (the use of "do" instead of the grammatically correct "does" reenforces the pidgin english style.)

He wear no shoeshine he got toe-jam football (both of these allusions are to feet and footwear. Toe-Jam is a double meaning: it can refer to the gunk that builds up between the toes in people that seldom bathe, or to a foot injury from playing rugby or soccer. Football refers ambiguously to the sports soccer/rugby/football.)
He got monkey finger he shoot coca-cola (monkey finger is a double entendre referring to "having a monkey" or "having a monkey on one's back" which is a euphemism for being a narcotics addict. "He shoot coca-cola" is a reference to cocaine. Note the singular form of the word referring to a normally plural body part. Monkey Finger may also be an oblique phallic reference. Drug addicts are often notoriously impotent or sexually frustrated.)
He say "I know you, you know me" One thing I can tell you is you got to be free
('i know you, you know me' may be a reference to people casually calling each other 'brother' or bonding on the most superficial things they have in common. This phrase is mostly just a trivially friendly conundrum. It's also the kind of line used to hit ip a vague acquaintance for a
favor - something that happened frequently to Lennon. This character's lip service to freedom is an ironic one, since drug addicts are usually perceived as enslaved by habit.)
Come together right now over me

He bag production he got walrus gumboot
(bag production may be an allusion to "Bagism" an odd art concept invented by Yoko Ono. If the line is actually "He back production" the line is an allusion to a well-heeled, wealthy record producer.) (Walrus, is probably a recurrence of the "walrus" allusion in "I am the Walrus" and may be a way for Lennon to sign this verse as being
cryptically autobiographical. Gumboot may be an allusion to "Gumshoe" a type of detective or investigator. It may also be a reference to a leg cast for a broken bone.)
He got Ono sideboard he one spinal cracker
(supposedly this is an allusion to Lennon relying on Yoko Ono for support while he was in the hospital. Spinal cracker may refer to back injuries or chiropractics. I always heard this line as "he want spinal cracker")

He got feet down below his knee
(A humorous tautology, and a recapitulation of the earlier "hair down to his knee" line. There's something banal, mundane or almost sarcastically trivial about this observation. May refer to/be based on this anecdote about Abraham Lincoln. Supposedly Lincoln was asked how long a man's legs should be and Lincoln replied "just long enough to reach the ground".)
Hold you in his armchair you can feel his disease
(this is a linking together of two phrases, using what James Joyce called a "Portamanteu word" Such sentences seem to make sense but rely on fairly forced metaphors for meaning. The notion of "disease" recapitulates the medical connotations of 'spinal cracker') (This line also kind of sends chills down my spine. If this verse refers to an effete, controlling, wealthy chair-bound record executive, the image evoked is rather creepy.)
Come together right now over me

He roller-coaster he got early warning
(here the word "roller" occurs again. Roller-coaster may be both a mode of locomotion, an attitude, or an ideology. Roller coasters are also a form of self-amusement, or a thrill ride. "early warning" is possibly a reference to mystical precognition, or a reference to the Cold War "Early Warning Systems" used to detect incoming nuclear missiles.)
He got muddy water he one mojo filter
("Muddy Waters" is a famous blues singer. Mojo is a term used in the Southern United States to refer to magic, particularly New Orleans voodoo magic practiced by african-americans. "Filter" may actually be "Philter" which is a kind of magical charm or potion. This line may actually be "He want Mojo Philter" Mojo Filter can also be interpreted as an amusing brand-name for filter cigarettes.)
He say "One and one and one is three"
(this is a trivial tautology, again. But it's also a reference to "Third Times a Charm" and the superstitious aura around the number 3. Again the "say" is pidgin grammar.)
Got to be good-looking 'cause he's so hard to see
(this is just plain funny. It's about overcompensating for low self-esteem, or imagined/real low social standing by contriving things to attract attention to oneself.)
Come together right now over me
(oddly, this line coming after "early warning" evokes the image of the uranium slugs in a atomic bomb smashing together overhead. Global nuclear war may be a threat uniting all of humanity. There's a somewhat notorious and funny novelty song that was fairly well known in the 1960s by Tom Lehrer called "We'll all go together when we go" with that theme. It's unlikely this meaning was intended by Lennon, but somewhat fits the ominous feeling tone of the song.)

-MolokoVelocet/MolokoBot

Insight 2008-07-02 15:58:32    

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You all underestimate the Beatles. They wanted to change the world. The 60's mantra was turn on, tune in and drop out. Drop out of the rat race and "Come together" to form a new society based on love. This song was no less than a call to create this new world, the world of "Imagine"
The words that make no sense were thrown in to divert attention from the real message. The government feared rock groups like the Beatles who challenged the status quo and had a very real influence on the youth who were in rebellion and also wanted to change the world to stop war, hate and destruction. John Lennon was targeted for his peace
initiatives. Little did they know what he wanted to start with songs like "Come Together". Nothing less than a complete upheaval of society.

anonymous 2008-07-08 17:15:41    

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"He got monkey finger he shoot coca-cola"

monkey finger = marijuana rolled up into a cigar/ brown wrap

shoot coca-cola = pretty obvious here guys, shoot some cocaine

song clearly has meanings of drugs in it, what else is new

Insight 2008-07-13 02:10:28    

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It's really sad that anyone would think so little of John Lennon to suppose that this song is about nothing but drugs.
We all know he used drugs and in many ways was a tormented soul, but at his core he wanted nothing more than to bring peace and love to the world. This song was one of many he wrote with that purpose in mind.

anonymous 2008-08-13 15:30:46    

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This song was written for an audience like us who want to interpret everything. Although, it was just complete catchy nonsense. John appreciated keeping his fans guessing. So there you have it. Continue to send in interpretations for Johns sake.