and "God" was actually played alot on the radio when it first came out, when he says "I dont belive in jesus"

Actually John reamed off lots of things that he didn't believe in that song. God and the Beatles were prehaps the most surprising!

I didn't think it had any religious nature until you brought it up. I always assumed the "lady Madonna" was just a mother.

Quoted from apple_sauce

Thank you for enlightening me about when the band broke up. Now that we all of our dates correct what about your  real opinion about what the song is about if it's so totally religious? If it's not about the aka "Virgin Mary" Who's the "Lady Madonna" in the song?

A mother: with no money, and too many children, and too many worries.

It's pretty clear the song has nothing to do with the "virgin Mary".

Quoted from Mairi

I didn't think it had any religious nature until you brought it up. I always assumed the "lady Madonna" was just a mother.

I think you were right.

I never thought it had anything to do with religion. I have a Hispanic co-worker named Jesus and the last thing I think of is the Deity. I remember listening to Lady Madonna as a kid and getting the visual of the Old Woman who Lived in a Shoe. Kids running about, feeding this one, doing this, doing that. I don't know. That was my mind movie and that was 30 years ago, still is.

Actually I think "Jesus" is just a name picked by the Hispanic society due to their religious upbringing. As for the "Lady Madonna" song like most Beatle songs the lyrics can have many interpitaions which is evident by this thread.

It can have many interpretations, but Lady Madonna being about a woman with many children and not much money and how the heck she could make ends meet seems the most plausible.  It's just there in the lyrics!

Quoted from apple_sauce

What could be more religious than the "Virgin Mary?????"  

God

John clearly was referring to himself with the cruciofixation remark on BOJ&Y, yet it was banned. So whether Paul meant Lady Madonna to have religious overtones (I think he meant the double meanings but didn't mean for the song to be religious) or not doesn't really matter, it's whether the radio stations considered them to be offensive or not.
I always thought Johns line was a dig at 1966. I think it was banned because it was more overt and in a way John was comparing himself to Christ again (as a joke I think).
Banning has always been a bit hit and miss-both "My Boy Lollipop and Walk on The Wild Side got through

Quoted from Revolution_9

For crying out loud, it's just a song. Just listen to it and enjoy it instead of fussing over who the hell it's about.

But that's half the fun of being a Beatles fan!

Quoted from kevin_b

Banning has always been a bit hit and miss-both

I think in 68 Paul was taking a bit of a chance using the word 'breast'.

But as has been said it's pretty clear the song was about an overworked mother so it couldn't get banned for blasphemy, drugs or sex.

Quoted from zipp

I think in 68 Paul was taking a bit of a chance using the word 'breast'.

But as has been said it's pretty clear the song was about an overworked mother so it couldn't get banned for blasphemy, drugs or sex.

Yes, but surely "Ballad of J&Y" is clearly about John and Yoko, but still got banned.
Like I said I don't think intention has much to do with it.
Split Enz "Six months in a leaky boat" was banned by the BBC during the Falklands war, and there intention certainly wasn't to write a song about pissed off British sailors

Quoted from kevin_b

Yes, but surely "Ballad of J&Y" is clearly about John and Yoko, but still got banned.

Lennon used 'Christ' as a blasphemous swear word, so that was easy to ban.
(And the comparison between himself and Christ was obviousy going to get him back into trouble in the States).

The use of Madonna on the other hand seems to be praising the mother in the song making her into a kind of modern saint.

^ Dang! You're right.