Ian Macdonald calls I Am The Walrus a "damn you england tirade that blasts education, art, culture, law, order, class, religion, and even sense itself" do most people agree with this or do they think the lyrics are just nonsence, or maybe subconsiously its what macdonald says it is?

I believe Ians description of the song is pretty good. John wrote the song like that on purpose, to go against the grain and tradition of normal song-writing, and I believe he accomplished what he set out to do.

These biographers and musicologists all get flowery in their writing and sometimes say things that are a revelation but more often than not they are just verbaging for their own pride and pleasure.

John was so stoned all the time when he wrote that ... it is impossible to know if he meant ANYthing (tho most of the lyrics hold up to interprative scrutiny).

i would like to believe in ians discription so i just do. i think lennon may not have had that idea completely in his mind but it was probably there somewhere. to listen to it in the way ian discribes it makes it one of the greatest set of lyrics ever written for me. but you can never say wat was going on in johns head.

i think it's just a bunch of words strung together.

Quoted from Sadie4, posted September 11, 2004, 3:29pm at here

well I think that is just Ian's opinion on that particular song. I have a different opinion, and no one can say which one is more valid.

That's exactly right.

Ian is not especially the best author to read...his errors and personal interjections alone negate a lot of the book's worth.  However, if ANYone writes something and it makes YOU think or understand or have an epiphany of your own then it is certainly worthy. 

Basically lyrics that are that wild are always going to be wide open for interpretation and misinterpretation.  Only John can tell us what he meant, because some people have certainly guessed correctly.  But we don't know which ones.

Also I think the question really was: were the lyrics nonsense or did John purposely write them to represent something?  To that I'd say, yes, they meant something...to John.  Possibly the secret to all life, perhaps stoned gibberish.  But I think he did indeed pick and choose which words to use.  Of course, he was well known for being one who went for the totality of the SOUND of a recording...many of his nonsense words sounded good to him so he used them without thought to meaning.

As for Walrus, he clearly used Lewis Carroll as a jumping off point, a literary reference, so it wasn't haphazard nor accidental.  And many of the other lyrics seem carefully conceived as well, yet seemingly haphazard in placement.  Perhaps that is where the disconnected feeling of the song comes from...

(The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus is singing I Will right now on the news behind me.  How bizarre life is!)

Quoted from misterchaz, posted September 11, 2004, 3:59pm at here

The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus is singing I Will right now on the news behind me.  How bizarre life is!

Phew, glad you said 'news'!!!

Quoted from The_End, posted September 13, 2004, 12:05pm at here

Phew, glad you said 'news'!!!

Of course!  One *never* leaves a real entire Gay Chorus -behind- one.

I think Revolution in the Head: the Beatles records and the sixties - is one of the best Beatles Books out there.
His style of writing, although flowery at times, makes a great read.

Any book will have opinions weaved through the words, its part of the read.

Nevertheless.  There are better books out there than Ian's. 

Of course there's worse ones too.

Yeah revolution in the head is my favourate beatles book as well. Although i only read the anthology and Shout by phillip norman. The Anthology was good but as its written by the Beatles themselves they tend to skip out or forget the more controversial stuff. Shout i liked for imformation on the Beatles before they were famous, but then it seemed to go really quickly from 1964-1970. it also had loads on the buisness side to the Beatles which was a bit boring, and it seemed to have more on Brian Epstein than anyone else which i didnt like, and the worst thing was that he really laid into Paul McCartney which i thought was a bit unfaif. I like revolution in the head best cos Ian seems to really understand the ,usic to me and he made me think about it like i never had before. And i didnt think he got to flowery or egotistical like some critics do, he always seemed to put the Beatles first even when critisisng him. The only thing i didnt like was the way he wrote about across the universe.

i am the walrus was reased durin the worst beatles period (rubber soul onwards) they didn get good again until let irt be was released. Da best is Please please me and dere albums went downhill after that.

BRing back the beatles.

Me and my nan are gonna send a petition to paul to get him to bring the beatles backl together beatles rock!

The aims of your post are so obvious

...

sht yo mouf and admire my spelling b*tch

or ill kick u down my apple and pears.

fr u unhip cats out their, that means stairs in street talk, yo

I heard or read (I cant remember now, as its been quite a few years ago)an interview with John and he was asked about "I am the Walrus" and he stated that he had recieved a letter from a teacher at some school in England that said his class had been studying and figuring out the meanings of some of the Beatles songs in a literature class.  He then wrote "I am the walrus" and he remarked  "Let the little buggers figure this one out". Now I dont know if this was the sole purpose for writting that song(I really doubt it)but that was the explaination he gave.

Quoted from marriott, posted September 24, 2004, 7:58am at here

i am the walrus was reased durin the worst beatles period (rubber soul onwards) they didn get good again until let irt be was released. Da best is Please please me and dere albums went downhill after that.

BRing back the beatles.

Me and my nan are gonna send a petition to paul to get him to bring the beatles backl together beatles rock!

Quoted from marriott, posted September 24, 2004, 12:50pm at here

sht yo mouf and admire my spelling b*tch

or ill kick u down my apple and pears.

fr u unhip cats out their, that means stairs in street talk, yo

I don't understand a word... IS that English?

Quoted from marriott, posted September 24, 2004, 12:50pm at here

sht yo mouf and admire my spelling b*tch

or ill kick u down my apple and pears.

fr u unhip cats out their, that means stairs in street talk, yo

How about no.
I cannot stand all this 'street talk' .. its utter nonsense.
The multitude of smileys you seem to show off just backs up my theory that you are a complete fool.
Your post was not funny, nor did it serve any purpose in my life.

Harsh? I feel it was needed.

Fool?

Try troll.

I realize this is a gibe at myself too, but this marriott guy really puts my tantrums to shame because you could partially understand what I was saying.

These posts just worry me here 

I cannot stand all this 'street talk' .. its utter nonsense.
The multitude of smileys you seem to show off just backs up my theory that you are a complete fool

memenamamamableepblarp..mamummermonmen.
mammenmenmenmomileymumeemmumowmoffmustmackmupmammeorymatmoomarema
mommetemoo
(that was me repeating evryting you said in a spaz voice)

p.s if this post doesnt serve an important purpose in your life then goddarned it ill have to stop trying to change the world by posting on a beatles forum(

(angry(behead)(drummer)(stars)
(shhh)(think)(mad_geek)(stars)(book2)(puke)(ok)(angry
(pick_nose)
(angry
(pray)(stupid)(behead)(shrug)(smarty2)(naughty)(hehe)(worried)(whistle)
(computer)(bunny)(book2)

Quoted Text

Harsh? I feel it was needed.

That last bit about changing the world was pretty fucking funny though

...

Why is it that people get all worked up about I Am the Walrus, but don't complain about songs like... The Ketchup Song?

Oh yeah, and what exactly *is* a semolina pilchard? Or a crabalocker fishwife?

Quoted from Herecomesyoursun, posted September 26, 2004, 6:26pm at here

That last bit about changing the world was pretty fucking funny though

I did actualy laugh at that, I must admit.
Then the harsh realisation of the word fool struck me.