John Lennon: Imagine Meaning

Song Released: 1971

Imagine Lyrics

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

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the...

1. 1TOP RATED

   CavGuy

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   Aug 4th, 2006 8:27am 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?

   
   
   
   

2. 2TOP RATED

   anonymous

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   Sep 5th, 2009 9:08am 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

   
   
   
   

3. 3TOP RATED

   coolchicka

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   Jun 15th, 2014 6:23am report

   
   

   Through these lyrics, John Lennon was asking us to imagine a place where things that divide people did not exist. The song covers the violence issue we have in this world. We are surrounded by hate, cruelty, murder, war and racism. The world that he sings about tells us how we should want the world to be. In the song there is world peace and everyone is living together as one; sharing the world. It was written to show us that there is another way out there to live our lives; that we don’t need to hate and kill but to learn to live in peace and harmony with each other. It’s so pleasant to imagine that everyone is sharing the world, instead of fighting for the imaginary boundaries. These are all fantasies that can never come true and he is dreamer, he knows that there are many other people like him who dream of peace, love and equality -“You, you may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.” He hopes that someday everyone will have the same dream and so it won’t be a dream anymore, it will become reality and then we won’t be separated by our countries or beliefs and we’ll live together as one. – “I hope someday you will join us, and the world will live as one.”

   
   
   
   

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   anonymous

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   Aug 30th, 8:14pm report

   
   

   Yech. What a horrific communist song written by someone very wealthy, wealthier than most people could only imagine. And how naive to imagine that if only everyone got rid of their borders and possessions they'd all live in "peace" - HA!! Human nature is jealous, possessive, vying for power, always in upheaval and war mongering.

   
   
   
   

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   anonymous

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   Aug 19th, 8:18pm report

   
   

   I love some of his ideas but some of his ideas are against God.

   
   
   
   

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   anonymous

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   Feb 24th, 2015 2:26am report

   
   

   Imagine by John Lennon means that there is so much that we want/expect that usually won’t happen in reality, I think that John Lennon wanted everyone to just “imagine” what the world would be like if there was peace.

   
   
   
   

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   anonymous

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   Jul 5th, 2014 7:37pm report

   
   

   I think "imagine no possessions" isn't as simple as not being materialistic. I think the fundamental point in this entire song is that there are no boundaries between us. "Possessions" belong to someone. If they are my possessions, they are not yours, and therefore there is a boundary between us. We must not possess anything if we are all to be one. We may have material things in our lives, but we must not consider that any of us individually possesses anything.

   
   
   
   

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   anonymous

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   May 23rd, 2014 5:15pm report

   
   

   John was just trying to put into words his ideas for a type of "utopia" on earth. Some of you are reading too much into his lyrics. (i.e one world order, communism). I believe that if we as a species can avoid killing ourselves to the point of extinction, we in fact will evolve into some kind of spiritual beings. And possessions, power, money and greed will not exist or matter. Many people just can't "imagine" this because it is still very far off in the future. And it's still not a given. Our species may not be able to survive long enough to make the transition. But in order for it to happen, you have to start somewhere. You have to Imagine.

   
   
   
   

9.  

   anonymous

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   Feb 23rd, 2014 2:52pm report

   
   

   the fact that he says "Imagine there's no heaven" tells you he believes the is a heaven. If I said "Imagine there's no Brooklyn bridge" I'm in fact confirming that there is a "Brooklyn bridge" and I'm just imaging that there is none. you can't imagine something isn't there if it isn't there.

   
   
   
   

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    kooljohn176

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    Oct 8th, 2013 10:06am report

    
    

    As the years go by and the days are getting closer towards the end of December memories of john lennon's imagine comes to mind with Christmas in the bittersweet feeling of life and death.
    
    The parallel course of john lennon and the fictional character in the book lathe of heaven that came out in 1971 and then the release of the movie on January 9 1980 is been haunting me ever since. the protagonist in the movie was a dreamer George orr, played by bruce Davidson who believes so much for humanity on earth that he was asked to imagine ''perfect peace on earth'' for him to dream about, because he had a special gift to dream the future.
    
    The problem was that the well meaning psychiatrist discovers his powers and wanted to use his futuristic dreams for a greater good, but almost destroyed the world in the reality their were living in. i'am not sure what john went through in primal therapy sessions, reading the book primal scream is a good read for that time and even now on neurosis, but to scream your guts out in therapy sessions can be draining for the soul that can bring on nightmares.
    
    This is when a ''good oneirologist'' was needed to work with dream meaning with john. throughout the years hearing imagine being played on the radio usually gave me a good feeling,while at the same time felt the hope and faith slowly disappearing, while a new one was taking place. I felt john wanted to bring heaven down to earth for us, meaning well, but where does jesus Christ stand now, to some of us Christians we imagined he was robed. ego, pride is a problem here, while feeling for the young especially in need for hearing that there is a heavenly father up there. john as a dreamer was like Prometheus who stole fire from zeus so mankind to have on earth in the future for mankind. some people called neitzche who wanted so much a better world for the people to live in, like john. but misunderstood by their possessed will to power, it was not easy for them to live up to jesus Christ, even john said many times in singing ''Christ is not easy they are going to crucify me''.
    
    John was not an atheist and I feel would have come around in search of jesus again if he was not killed. to me John was a sheep in wolf's clothing, like they called neitzche in his philosophy. who know's the way things are developing today maybe john's dream could come true in having peace on earth in revelation. john in march of 1980 I had tears for you when I had a revelation between the movie lathe of heaven and your song of heaven. on that time stood still for me in my fragile mind thinking I was in the year 2001 and this world was coming to an end, thank god it did not end, only time did stand still in new York for all of us on that day. a quote from book that might be wrong, but ''to let understanding stop at what cannot be understood is a high attainment. those who cannot do it will be destroyed on the lathe of heaven'' ,so let us not press any any buttons because I still wanna see the rainbows rising after a rainy sun shower on this earth, not the world after april. looking forward to see the daffodils this spring and thinking of you john lennon for dreaming for us. imagine, there's,'' know heaven''

    
    
    
    

11.  

    williamskisha

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    Jun 18th, 2013 6:42am report

    
    

    This song is all about a one world communistic government! NO possession, countries, Heaven or Hell.

    
    
    
    

12.  

    anonymous

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    Mar 29th, 2013 3:01pm report

    
    

    This song is obvioulsy about Communism. I'm not saying that John Lennon was a communist, but thats how it sounds to me.
    
    
    ^

    
    
    
    

13.  

    anonymous

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    Dec 19th, 2012 12:33pm 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

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    Dec 19th, 2012 12:12pm 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

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    Dec 10th, 2012 12:32am 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.

    
    
    
    

16.  

    anonymous

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    Dec 10th, 2012 12:32am 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.

    
    
    
    

17.  

    anonymous

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    Nov 13th, 2012 11:27pm report

    
    

    I'm doing a personal response on this song, all the comments were really helpful.
    Thanks
    Anonymous

    
    
    
    

18.  

    anonymous

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    Oct 3rd, 2012 10:13pm report

    
    

    Your all wrong,he wrote this song for God ,displaying a dream that would never come true.
    May God bless John Lennon