What does Hey Jude mean?

Beatles: Hey Jude Meaning

Album cover for Hey Jude album cover

Song Released: 1968


Hey Jude Lyrics

Hey, Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

Hey, Jude, don't be afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your...

  1. anonymous
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    Aug 26th 2013 !⃝

    This song to me could go either way, jude is or was a widely used word for jews, the lyrics fit the healing. Also about Julian so you see,what we could possibly have is a song about two things, a nation of people who needed healing and a young man who loved his father but despised yoko for taking him away, either way....Great tune.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  2. anonymous
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    Jul 14th 2013 !⃝

    The song was for Bob Dylan as a request to go back to his old music/style of the time.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  3. anonymous
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    Jun 15th 2013 !⃝

    The song is to Cynthia Lennon when John left her for Yoko. In Liverpool a slang term for a girl was "Judy" as in "My Judy (girl) looks good." It is probably derived from the "Punch and Judy" childrens puppet show performed on the beaches in old victorian seaside resorts. Often in 1950/1960's you would hear a man in Liverpool refer to his wife as "Hey Jude..." The words appear to be telling Cynthia to accept Yoko but based on the character of Yoko that must have been difficult.

  4. tlgeer
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    May 11th 2013 !⃝

    Wow, some of these interpretations seem almost insane.

    John and Cynthia were going through a divorce, and John was with Yoko.

    Paul wrote this song for Julian "to make it better". That is the only interpretation of the song that Paul has ever given for it. Since Paul is the writer, it's what he says is the truth.

  5. anonymous
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    Apr 20th 2013 !⃝

    It was originally "hey Jules" but Jude rhymed better so he changed it to Jude.

    It is far more likely that heroin is named after the song, not the other way around. Lol

  6. anonymous
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    Feb 19th 2013 !⃝

    To that anon that asked why is Julian made to go out and get her- it's saying accept her into your life. Accept her, make her feel welcomed, she did nothing wrong.

  7. anonymous
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    Oct 9th 2012 !⃝

    Ok i know what this song is really about but if I told you everyone would be upset. It isn't drugs. Point though - it does not matter what it means to anyone other than the listener(s). Beatles, and others, have said that over and over. My mothers name judy and my dad would sing it to her so the real meaning will never kill what good it brings to them or any listener. If you still need to know the true meaning then you missed the point. I will say the true meaning is rather disappoointing and not about any of the beatles or their relations.

  8. anonymous
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    Sep 1st 2012 !⃝

    This song may be inspired by Lewis Carrols "Through the Looking Glass", as this two quotes from the book, which resemble a part of the song a lot, suggest.

    'But if you hadn’t done them,’ the Queen said, `that would have been better still; better, and better, and better!’ Her voice went higher with each `better’, till it got quite to a squeak at last.

    Oh, much better!’ cried the Queen, her voice rising into a squeak as she went on. `Much be-etter! Be-etter! Be-e-e-etter! Be-e-ehh!’ The last word ended in a long bleat, so like a sheep that Alice quite started.

  9. anonymous
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    Jul 17th 2012 !⃝

    This song is from Paul McCarthy to John Lennon, because he was really messed up from being abandoned at an early age, his mother dying when he started to reconnect with he and depressed, and yoko Ono was his savior. Paul realized that telling John to find peace meant that John would not need to write songs to bury his pain in songs anymore since yoko would be there to help him lighten his burden. Without the necessity of songs, that would be the end of the Beatles, so Paul is saying goodbye and find pece to John throught this song. He does not want the beatles to end, so the song goes on and on with him just saying na na na na na na na over and over again since there's nothing more to say but he doesn't want it to end. Also towards the end, he starts to scream or wail because it pains him to say goodbye

  10. anonymous
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    Jun 2nd 2012 !⃝

    It is about john lennon divorcing cynthia and marrying yoko ono. Paul is telling julian to give yoko a chance and she is not replacing his mom, to let yoko in not block her out. NO HEROIN REFERENCE

  11. anonymous
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    May 2nd 2012 !⃝

    While McCartney says that the song was conceived as a comforting message to Julian Lennon on a trip to visit Julian, that does not mean that the entire song is about Julian. There are many lines in the song that don't fit with that description, and are more logically perceived as speaking to a mature young man about love and relationships:

    "Hey, Jude! Don't let me down
    You have found her, now go and get her
    Remember, to let her into your heart (Ohhhh),
    Then you can start to make it better.

    So let it out and let it in, hey, Jude, begin
    You're waiting for someone to perform with
    And don't you know that it's just you, hey, Jude,
    You'll do, the movement you need is on your shoulder
    na,na,na,na"

    Furthermore, McCartney changed the lyrics from "Hey Jules" to "Hey Jude" because he claims it sounded better. Well, if you're willing to change the protagonist's name because it sounds better, than there's certainly nothing to stop you from morphing a song that was initially about one specific person into a song that has general meaning for all.

  12. anonymous
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    Apr 28th 2012 !⃝

    Francie Schwartz. She was jewish and Pauls girlfriend at the time.

  13. anonymous
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    Mar 19th 2012 !⃝

    Hey Jude is a good song. It was written by Paul. I like him so much because he was the one who did not neglect Cyn and Julian. So, he visited Cyn. I ever red the images that Julian spent his quality time with Paul and Jane Asher. So, Paul is closer to him than his daddy, John.

  14. Michael1966
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    Feb 16th 2012 !⃝

    To respond to the comment about "the movement you need is on your shoulder" making no sense - I TOTALLY disagree! It's quite a moving line, and it's meaning is to comfort someone. Example, putting your your hand on someone's shoulder - quite simple really. I'm glad John insisted on that line staying in!

  15. anonymous
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    Feb 2nd 2012 !⃝

    Nicely said Mr/Ms ' SEX BABY"
    Yeah your right to THINK ANATOMY.
    The Beatles lied when asked about the official meaning of the song. The song was a hitting the charts!!!!!
    Will they say "Hey Jude" is about sex or masturbation?? Cmon now. Think money.
    Do not believe every words people say. Wikipedia would only write the official thing and could not be the truth. Use your brains people.




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