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. sisterpaul
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    Nov 3rd 2008 !⃝

    Paul hardly ever mentions an interpretation for any of his songs. He usually says it means what you want it to mean, there is never a right or wrong in his eyes.
    I am a hopeless romantic, so even though I know Hey Jude was for Julian, I like to think it was for people who have had broken hearts, to not close themselves off to love. "Remember to let her into your heart... then you can start to make it better".

  2. anonymous
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    Oct 30th 2008 !⃝

    The song can have more than one meaning...and just because a song is about drugs doesn't mean it's a bad song at all...the emotions that are felt is how they felt and what they wanted the listner to feel..i personally think it is about herion but I also believe it too for lennon's son. I see it as Paul mccartney was like why not kill two birds with one stone...it has more than one meaning and no one truely knows what it means unless they've personally asked Paul mccartney

  3. skateboards_music
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    Oct 18th 2008 !⃝

    I think the Beatles are being a father figure to their listeners in Hey Jude. Referring her as someone that their children (listeners) like. Telling them tell her how you feel you begin to feel better. I know people are saying it was about a band members son during their parents divorced but I think it was intended to go like that, but the Beatles took the idea and ran with it. I think this song has too much of a pure meaning to be the result of an acid trip. I am no expert but this is my interpretation and I think teenagers like myself will I this meaning often too.

  4. anonymous
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    Oct 8th 2008 !⃝

    Like so many songs it has a drug reference. The same as a lot of Beatles songs it tells a story but subliminally it is talking about heroin. I'm going to back up my case:

    It says remember to let her into your heart then you can start to make it better. That by itself is not the strongest drug reference but by shooting up heroin you are letting it into your heart. Second verse: remember to let her under your skin then you begin to make it better. That is a little more obvious. Then the song goes don't let me down, you have found her now go and get her(oin). Still don't believe me, here is the next verse: so let it out and let it in hey Jude begin... and don't you know that its just you hey jude you'll do. Again now it is saying that he's hooked. And the whole ending I interpret as a drug induced euphoria the explosion of sounds, this is definitely a great song.

    Now I don't know if Paul wrote this to console John's son, I haven't done real research on this song, but I can clearly see drug references

  5. anonymous
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    Sep 25th 2008 !⃝

    It's about heroin "let it out then let it in" "let her under your skin then you begin to make it better" people don't be stupid listing the music and don't pull shit out your ass
    Email me if you have a problem rochesklan@yahoo.com

  6. anonymous
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    Aug 16th 2008 !⃝

    Paul McCartney has revealed that while many of their songs had drug references, it was "easy to overestimate the influence of drugs on the Beatles' material". This song is not about drugs, shut up

  7. anonymous
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    Aug 9th 2008 !⃝

    Ok. This is not a song about heroin. When they say "let it out and ket it in", they mean let out the hate and let in the love. It was to Julian Lennon, John Lennon's son. It was a way to try and make Julian feel better. The her is both his mom and yoko. Try and not be angry at either of them. accept what happened and love them both.
    P.s.: who ever said don lennon, it's JOHN.

  8. BeatlesJuyce
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    Jul 25th 2008 !⃝

    This song was written for Julian Lennon (son of John Lennon) by Paul McCartney when John deserted his wife & young son for Yoko Ono. Paul was close to Julian. Out of concern, during the amidst of John's divorce, Paul went to visit Cynthia & Julian Lennon. It was during the drive to/from that visit when Paul began to compose the lyrics & score to the song. Yes, as many of you have said the original title was "Hey Jules" but Paul later changed it, as it was easier for many reasons. John never knew whom the song was written about, but arrogantly assumed it was for/about him. He believed Paul was encouraging his relationship w/Yoko. In fact, at one point, after being pressured by Lennon to "admit" that the song was about Lennon, Paul defiantly told John that the song was about himself (Paul). It was not until 1986 during chance encounter at a hotel did Paul confirm to Julian Lennon that the song was indeed written for Julian.
    He also offered the above explanation on what inspired him to write the song. (the visit during divorce) As for the meaning of the lyrics to Julian there is only one man who can offer you a true explanation!

  9. anonymous
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    Jun 18th 2008 !⃝

    This song is about a hooker .. The actual lyrics was "hey nude"

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  10. anonymous
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    Jun 17th 2008 !⃝

    This song was written by Paul for Lennon's son, Julian, during John's and Cynthia's divorce. It was originally "Hey Jules," but Paul changed it to "Jude" because it sounded better. The her, I think, was either Cynthia or Yoko Ono, who John left Cynthia for.

  11. anonymous
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    Jun 17th 2008 !⃝

    The meaning of the song is when John Lennon left Yoko Ono, Paul McCartney wrote a song for Julian Lennon, John's son, when the parents were going through a hard divorce. He wrote it to make Julian, who's nickname is Jude, to make him feel better.

  12. niftymacaroons
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    Jun 8th 2008 !⃝

    I'm tired of everyone thinking the Beatles songs are about drugs. If they were on drugs while writing the songs then it would be about random things (I am the Walrus). If they weren't on drugs then the song would have a significant meaning to them.

  13. anonymous
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    Jun 6th 2008 !⃝

    I was hearing this fragment:

    "So let it out and let it in, hey Jude begin
    You're waiting for someone to perform with"

    It struck me as almost a grim lyric in such a sublime song theme.

    Obviously what comes to mind is the act of copulating and a prompt to Jude to find someone to copulate with.

  14. anonymous
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    May 26th 2008 !⃝

    This song is about Julian Lennon & John wrote it for him because Julian and Yoko did not get along, so this was a wya to comfort him and give him some advise on how to deal with Yoko.

    P.S. when my momzs taught english in Japan, she worked at the place Yoko worked and all the oldies in the Church would tell stories about how she came in with her tight Jeans and would flirt with all the boys. lol

    peace in the middle east.

  15. anonymous
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    May 22nd 2008 !⃝

    I think all the people who think this is about drugs are wrong I had to take 3 years of my life and study for this thing I took 3 years and made a 4 hour presentation on this song its not about drugs!




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