I Am The Walrus

I had a real brainstorm about this song whilst watching "Nat's Dream" on the new Magical Mystery Tour DVD, especially the lyric "Semolina Pilchard climbing up the Eiffel Tower" - an epiphany that started me on a Google quest, the pieces fit, it's too much for mere coincidence, this must be the origin of the line, etc. The only problem is the film was shot in September 1967, the song was recorded in August. Still, a strange coincidence, I wonder if this crossed Lennon's mind the day he directed "Nat's Dream".

"Nat's Dream" was shot at the "Huer's Hut" near the Atlantic Hotel in Newquay, Cornwall. One scene features Nat pursuing a lovely young woman in blue up the stairs of the Hut. A plaque on the Hut describes it's use in olden days as a place where the "Huer" or fish spotter, kept watch for schools of sardines, or pilchards. When seen, the huer called the local fishermen to their boats. There is a plaque on the hut that gives the history, including the word Pilchard. Lennon must have read the plaque that day of the shoot.

The soundtrack to the film is "Shirley's Wild Accordion", a composition played by another lovely lady, the accordionist Shirley Evans, who also appears in the film. I submit for your consideration the coincident analogy between the woman in blue/Shirley to "Semolina Pilchard" and the stair scene to "climbing up the Eiffel Tower".

On one of the easter eggs in the DVD the cast is shown eating lunch at the Atlantic Hotel, everyone is drinking wine except Lennon, who has a nice glass of milk in a wine glass. Could he or someone around him have also had semolina pudding for desert?

So, I thought this brainstorm had given me new insights into the lyric, only to learn the song was recorded a month before the film was shot....curiouser and curiouser!

Here are some pictures of the Huer's Hut, including a good shot of the staircase:
http://www.67notout.com/2012/04/medieval-cornish-huers-hut-without-hue.html

Here is John Lennon at the Huer's Hut directing "Nat's Dream":
http://thegilly.tumblr.com/post/26175535392/john-and-nat-jackley-during-the-filming-of-magical

Here is the young woman who climbs the stairs, second from left:
http://flickriver.com/photos/the_first_rays/4179394931/

Here is the plaque on the Huer's Hut, mentioning Pilchard:
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/170231

Et viola! "Semolina Pilchard, climbing up the Eiffel Tower"

I don't agree this is simply a "nonsense" song, despite what Lennon might say about its origins.

It seems to me it is much more a meditation on or hymn to identity forged in the white heat of his LSD experiences.

Either that, or there are a lot of strange coincidences in this song...

1. "I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together" - clearly that sets up this tension between I and We...between our individuality and our universality. I think this theme is also picked up in the title - "I am the Walrus" - I Am/the All Us (sounds like Walrus) - and links human individuality with animal existence (remember the Beatles' fondness for animal masks - one of the effects of LSD is to bring us closer to this our animal origins and I believe they were trying to express this through their usage of masks - as primitive peoples do.)

2. "I am the eggman" - An egg-man is clearly in some senses both woman and man... the egg being identified with woman and the man with male. So here the song takes us into that female-male identity border area. The themes of individuality v. universality are cleverly combined with the theme of gender at the end of the song: "I am the eggman, They are the eggmen." - by pluralising the "eggmen".

3. The song references King Lear at the end. Anyone who knows their Shakespeare knows that this is the ultimate drama about identity - a King who has it all is reduced to just a consciousness when he is stripped of all his powers, of his family and of all support (being an old man). Maybe this was just one of those Beatles coincidences - but it is indeed a perfect coincidence that they should reference that particular play.

4. The song cleverly references the sources of identity in childhood: "Man, you been a naughty boy, you let your face grow long. " Man-boy: "The child is father of the man". Children are really unable to separate the idea of their own emotional worth from society's judgement of them. So naughtiness becomes equated with sadness or vice versa.

5. The "eggman" of course links in with Humpty Dumpty who of course famously announced that a word could mean whatever he wanted it to. I read that Goo-goo-gojoob or whatever it is was what Humpty said as he fell. Need to check that but it links in nicely with the theme of individuality - we have I Am He As We...Eggman...Humpty...defining meaning himself. Here Lennon is asking what is the meaning of meaning. Is it arbitrary or is it a social construct? There is no answer in the song (unlike his later didactic songs) but the song is definitely playing with this ideas of identity and identity-meaning.

Probably enough for now!

“Crabalocker fishwife, Pornographic priestess…” Man, that line still blows me away. Drugs or no drugs, absolutely brilliant imagery! How does someone come up with THAT? To be in Lennon’s head for a minute would have been fascinating. I often wonder what further impact he would have had on modern music if his life wasn’t abruptly ended at 40.

I'm from Liverpool, just like The Beatles, and "stick it up your jumper" has used to be a common slang phrase. It goes back to when Liverpool's pubs, clubs and bars started making people show ID when they went in, and you'd put your weed "up your jumper"(even if you weren't wearing a jumper, we'd still say it... I don't know why). It's more common amongst the older generation (Beatles generation). Some of the younger generation in Liverpool think it's suggesting something sexual. But it's not. But anyway... They definitely say "everybody smoke pot". But m just saying, it does kind of make sense that they'd say "stick it up your jumper". But they don't...

oops. someone has a transcription of those fade out line. okay, i'll buy that. but i believe paul is dead & the cover-up was a mistake. i was inspired by the beatles to go into music. in high school, when it occurred, i might've ended up in the army where i was supposed to be, what with my mother's side of the family bieng tri-lateral. paul is dead & there is a cover up & it was a major mistake.

in the last few seconds of the song certain statements are made. paul says; is your damned father dead? who's father were the beatle's waiting on to die? a future sideman maybe???

HARRY, They are singing "oompah ompah stick it up your jumper." This is noted in the Beatles book on their recording sessions. They hire the choir and Lennon had them sing this.

"Oompah oompah stick it in your jumper" doesn't sound at all like the what the voices are saying. "Oompah oompah everybody smoke pot" is what they're saying, and pot fits with the theme of the song, not some nonsense about sticking something in your jumper, that's just crazy.

I know a guy who works for Eggland Farms. He is the Egg Man.

i'm sorta surprised that considering this is a site for beatle nuts,that nobody has read the interview where lennon states that it's,,"got one,got one,everybodys got one"..maybe somebody in this forum has already pointed that out ,but i couldn't find anybody...lennon said it referred to that fact that everyones got one mouth ,one arsehole, etc..the film actually kinda demonstrates this at the end of the song.stone me if i'm wrong folks....

Well, firstly, I read most of the comments, and not one person comments on the beautiful, mysterious and melodic music arrangements or melodies, orchestras, etc. Secondly, the line" Boy, you've been a naughty girl, you've let your knickers down"...does that need any explanation?. I found out what knickers are from British TV shows... Let's just say it isn't a polite thing to do!

This my favourite song from Beatles. One detail that knocks me off is that many articulations of the instruments are glissandi. I think that Lennon gave that clue to G Martin (I suppose) . And maybe a reason and It has to be with the acid visions of things melting around.

When Lennon the first time played the song for George Martin in September 1967, George Martin showed that he despised the song. Lennon succeeded to get some uncommon arrangements in the song, against Martins wish. (The book "Here, There and Everywhere" by Geoff Emerick, 2006, pages 213 and 215). George Martin often despised Lennons music, and prefered McCartneys more conventional music. George Martin has contributed to the split of the Beatles





McCartneys more conventional music. George Matin has contributed to the split of the Beatles.

The musical change to "sitting in a an English Garden..." reminds very much of many of the musical changes from chaos to lyrical bits in the "Immolation Scene" in Wagners "Götterdämmerung"

I am absolutely convinced the lyrics to "I Am The Walrus" was a surreal allegory about Joseph Stalin (the walrus) and Vladimir Lenin (the eggman) of Russia's Soviet Union.

http: // www. youtube. com / watch?v=8Bwl8FcD3xY

I am the walrus. Sur law is walrus backwards. The first word is French for over, Lennon is saying he is above the law. goo goo ga joob is baby language, for "You do the food" a tribute to Aunt Mimi who made him dinner when he was growing up. Corporation is the BBC (british broadcasting corporation) and the teeshirt is the thing that all people in Britain must have visible, the Television License. "Stupid bloody tuesday" is Lennon's view of the day after Monday, which is traditionally the worst day because it's the first day of the working week. Tuesday is a stupid bloody day because it comes after the worst day but we all still go to work on Tuesdays. People expected the Beatles to be cheerful and positive and Lennon heard a lot of comments from people who thought he was a bad man being serious (i.e. long-faced). I am the eggman denotes confusion about whether he is a woman or a man (ref Brian Epstein who was a homosexual) and Lennon is saying we all have that confusion at some time or another. You are the Walrus indicates that if anybody is above the law, somebody else is. Sitting on a cornflake is about a sect of Buddhists who meditate on sacks of grain and Lennon thinks they are flaky because of that. Waiting for the van to come is about the vehicle that brings them more sacks of grain to sit upon. Crabalocker is a metal box that is put in a long line of lockers, sideways i.e. crab fashion, like a row of jail cells. A fishwife is a woman who gossips and complains, Lennon wants to put complainers and gossiping women in prison cells. Pornographic Priestess is the way some Christians feel about Mary who gave birth to Jesus Christ, and he mentions them because they of all people should not be jailed. Becaus they are really no different from the rest of us. Singing Hare Krishna is about Mary being similar to women in Eastern religions, Edgar Allen Poe is simple intrigue, complexity, mystery, that people are horrified by, and that applies to anybody, but we all kick him and try to ruin his reputation. THe song follows in a similar vein. .

Interesting to read the comments of people who have burst the bubble of some of the urban myths about this song.

Here is another one:
Semolina Pilchard is NOT a reference to Norman Pilcher.
Proof:
I Am The Walrus was released before the end of 1967. Lennon probably wrote it by the end of summer that year.
Norman Pilcher arrested Lennon on October 18, 1968. One year after Lennon wrote the song.
Pilcher had only been transferred to the Drug Squad in late 1967. By the time Lennon wrote the song, he probably wasn't even in the Drug Squad.
So, that is a total urban myth.

There's a bunch of crap written here about the song by people who have no idea about the origins of Lennon and what was common to him in his childhood, etc. Pontificating and pondering about the words is a waste of time. They are a bit of fun, from somebody who had fun with words for decades. He was a funny bloke who had a great sense of the absurd even in school. He wrote nonsense verse that could have come straight out of Lewis Carroll, before he was 16, and definitely recited the "oompah oompah stick it up your jumper" kid's (and adults') thing from the part of England just north of Wales just like we all did. And, as far as the "Everybody Smoke Pot", it's garbage. It is "Everybody's Got One", which probably refers to the Ooompah Oompah rhyme (for you US people, it means something along the lines of Stick It Up Your Ass". And, in the same way, opinions. For, like assholes, everybody's got one. That, my friends, is the fun song.

Here are the lines from King Lear that are read by several different Beatles and friends:
OSWALD
Slave, thou hast slain me: villain, take my purse:
If ever thou wilt thrive, bury my body;
And give the letters which thou find'st about me
To Edmund earl of Gloucester; seek him out
Upon the British party: O, untimely death!

Dies

EDGAR
I know thee well: a serviceable villain;
As duteous to the vices of thy mistress
As badness would desire.

GLOUCESTER
What, is he dead?

EDGAR
Sit you down, father; rest you

"Oompah oompah stick it in your jumper" appears much less likely a lyric than "smoke pot, smoke pot, everybody smoke pot." I know what the latter means, but what's this "stick it in your jumper" supposed to mean? It was all about marketing and relevance to the drug culture and deniability. And their goofy lyics designed to see what rumors would surface next was not a safe way to write music. The most notable misinterpretation of a Beatles song must certainly be by the Manson family.

"I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together" is featured after a bridge in the 1969 Chicago song "South California Purples" [CHICAGO TRANSIT AUTHORITY, side two of cassette version, Columbia and later Chicago records]

This is classic rock.This song is unique.The lyrics seem like nonsense,but I think there is some meaning behind them,but for me it's the music that really shines.Very complex,very sinister sounding but powerful with a strong melody.Has anyone heard of the missing beat? I have the original 45 rpm single released in 1967 and on that record during the brief instrumental break there's an extended part that lasts a bit longer than what is heard on the newer released versions on record and CD.I think it makes the song even more mysterious.One of the weirdest songs ever written.

At the end of the song it does say smoke pot smoke pot everybody smoke pot.Why is this so hard for some people to believe? Here he have the words actually being said and people still deny the drug reference.

you all need to listen more closely to the ending. they are clearly saying "everybody wants one" and "oompa oompa stick it to your jumper" or some variation of the two at the end, overlapping and making it easy to confuse the actual lyrics.

and yes, saying that it's "everybody smoke pot" is very juvenile of you.

No idea who wrote this, but it makes more sense! :D

I still like the original lyrics though.



I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together.
See how they run like pigs from a gun, see how they fly.
I'm crying.

Sitting on a bench, waiting for the bus to come.
Corporation t-shirts, stupid bloody Tuesday.
You've been a naughty boy, you let your hair grow long.
I am eating eggs, they are eating eggs, I'm John Lennon,
Goo goo ga joob.

Mister City P'liceman sitting
Pretty little girls in a row.
See how they fly like a plane in the Sky, see how they fly.
I'm crying.
I'm cry, I'm crying, I'm cry.

Yellow custard, dripping from a large black pot.
Fisherman with his fishwife,
You've been a naughty boy and you let your face get dirty.
I am eating eggs (woo), they are eating eggs (woo), I am John Lennon,
Goo goo ga joob.

Sitting in an English garden waiting for the sun.
If the sun don't come, you get wet from
Sitting in the English rain.
I am eating eggs, they are eating eggs, I am John Lennon,
goo goo gajoob ga goo goo gajoob.

Expert singers, choking smokers
Don't you think the joker laughs at you? (ho ho ho, he he he, ha ha ha)
See how they snort like pigs in a sty, see how they snide.
I'm crying.

Eleanor Rigby, climbing up the stairs.
Expert singers singing Hare Krishna.
Man, you should have seen them reading Edgar Allan Poe.
I am eating eggs, they are eating eggs, I am John Lennon,
Goo goo ga joob ga goo goo ga joob
(everybody ho ha everybody ho ha!)

@ Jacquot, State of Franklin, TN

The end refrain first says for several verses in men's voices "Ommpa ommpa stick it in your jumper"

Then it quickly continues on with the soprano female choir clearly and distinctly singing:

"EVERYBODY SMOKE POT, EVERYBODY SMOKE POT"

There isn't any argument about this in professional music circles.

I was there. Young people who try to "diminish" the song because they're taught to revile drugs... most of the Beatles songs in this period were written about drugs, written while on drugs, and anyone who tries to whitewash it is "on drugs". Don't take drugs... but hey, if you want, smoke some herb when you're 21. It will put a halo on the tractor pulling weeds from your grandma's rotting garden. (Now, that last sentence - go ahead and interpret what I mean! That's just what you're doing when you're trying to find deep meaning in "I Am The Walrus". )

I like this song. I like the shout-out to my favourite song, Lucy in the sky with diamonds. "see how they fly like lucy in the sky" 8/10

The Beatles were the center of my universe when I was a little kid. There were myriad other artists and bands, but The Beatles led the way for all of us. Thus music, playing instruments, singing, and having a band were all of peak importance. I remember hearing "I Am The Walrus" for the first time through a hard-wired pa system in the wall of my best friend's bedroom very late at night. It thoroughly and absolutely blew me away, and getting obtaining "Magical Mystery Tour" instantly became my objective. Kind of like "Shock The Monkey" and "The Songs of Distant Earth", it has always been on a list of hallmark musical pieces for me.
Additionally I wanted to comment on the sad state of affairs I see here; I cannot believe how many of you otherwise clever and intelligent folks CANNOT SPELL. Is accurate communication a dying art? I was the son of an english major, and am a writer, so more sensitive to it, but PLEASE.

its not saying "smoke pot" its saying, oompa oompa, stick it to your jumper. THIS SONG ROCKS!!!

Sitting in an English garden waiting for the sun. Is a very apt discription of being fed up with the British climate but I have also come to think it is one of the best examples of repeating the sound 'in' in a sentence that still makes sense! In that sense it is a great marker for the rest of the song where the opposite seems to be true. The sound of it overtaking sense.

The bit about part of the song being based on a schoolyard nursery rhyme is absolutely true. I grew up twenty or so miles from Liverpool, and remember the rhyme being recited to me, although I didn't recognise it in the song until years later. Today I live in the English midlands, about eighty miles from Liverpool, and its curious no one here has ever heard of the rhyme, meaning it must be peculiar to Liverpool and the countryside around it.

That's not subliminal. Subliminal means it's hidden. Last time I checked, it's not hidden. And it's not even a reference to the song. It was a radio play that John was listening to.

I think the Beatles fuled the "Paul is dead" rumors to get publicity. Don't blame them. Good marketing.

There is subliminally a reference to Paperback Writer because in the end of I am the Walrus you hear a scene from King Lear, and in Paperback Writer there is a line that says "It's based on a novel by a man named Lear"

Interestingly, this song seems to reference at least three other Beatles songs. "See how they run" (Lady Madonna), "Lucy in the Sky" (Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds) and "Waiting for the sun" (Here comes the Sun.) Even more interestingly, two of these songs weren't released until AFTER I am the Walrus...

Who the hell calls Jeff Lynne the 6th beatle???????

In that same Simpsons episode Flanders is asked why he loves The Batles so much and he replies "Because they're bigger than Jesus" greatest line ever

Pilchard was the anti-drug cop in England who famously busted George. He busted others including Donovan and a few Stones busted before he went away for corruption. Per The Beatles Anthology

This Song is defiantly One Of The Beatles Most Trippy And psychedelic songs written but still even the beatles on a acid trip can still write really good songs

Did anyone else notice that this song has the line "waiting in my English garden waiting for the sun", when George wrote "here comes the sun" in a garden two years later?!

When we were studying Edgar Allen Poe in school this song was stuck in my head for days! But hey atleast it's a good song to get stuck in your head.

all you need to do is smoke a joint and the whole song will make sense

I believe that "...the joker laughs at you" is a reference to Bob Dylan, who was well-known in '60s pop-culture circles as "The Jokerman" or "The Jester." Lennon may have been honoring Dylan by criticizing the critics who tried to analyze (and criticize) Dylan as they did himself (maybe even comparing himself to Dylan, who was quite popular before the Beatles arrival on US shores?). Don McClean in "American Pie" also references "The Jester;" "... while the Jester played for the king & queen." Dylan, himself, loved the "Joker" imagery. Note his eccentric style of dress, often appearing in striped pants, polka dots, and other assorted Jester-like attire. His lyrics, also, often contained such references (e.g.: "There must be some kind of way out of here, said the Joker to the Thief"). Was Lennon trying to brand himself as the "New Bob Dylan?" A rock-n-roll marter?

An intersting note to British fans of Dr. Who is not only did the Beatles appear in an episode during the tenure of the first Doctor, william Hartnell, but in the episode titled The Three Doctors featuring Jon Pertwee we hear him explain to his companion Jo Grant "I am he as he is me" and she finishes "and we are all together, Goo goo g' joob." Then she explains it is lyrics from a Beatles song. Interesting how they tried to tie the Beatles in even in science fiction.

This by far the nuttiest song i've ever heard.

ringo is a rooster, obviously!

this song was extending on the paul was dead rumor as well. in glass onion it said the walrus was paul, meaning paul died because the "eggman" wus humpty dumpty in this song also the abbey road cover. look how their dressed look how paul is different. in strawberry feilds forever at the very end you can barely hear a faint voice saying "i buried paul" wich is really john saying "cranberry sauce"

In the UK, the "Magical Mystery Tour" EP was at No. 2 in the singles chart at the same time that "hello Goodbye" was at No. 1. As "I Am The Walrus" was the B-side to "Hello Goodbye" and also a track on the "MMT" EP, this gives the song the unique achievement of being No. 1 AND No. 2 at the same time by the same act!

I've listened to this song about 6,000,000 times and at the end I hear "f^&*ed up, f%^&ed up, everybody's f^&*ed up. I also hear smoke pot, smoke pot, everybody smoke pot and about 3 other lines. Is it possible that like American Beauty/American Reality, the Grateful Dead graphic, Lennon was interested in the idea that it could be read multiple ways, thus reinforcing his desire to have it not read at all?

Everytime I hear of Edgar Allen Poe I seriously have this song run through my head great song.

it's been said that at the end, people say "everybody smoke pot!"
idk if it's true, but definitely an interesting song, eh?

Sooo John (My favorite beatle) Is the walrus...Paul was the rino...george was the bunny...Can anyone tell me what the f--k Ringo is...that is the great mystery of the music video

John wanted "I Am the Walrus" to be released as the Beatles' next single, but Paul and the record company agreed that "Hello, Goodbye" was the more commercial single, so "I Am the Waleus" was made the B-side to "Hello, Goodbye". This upset John, who later said "I was tired of being Paul's backup band."

"Boy youve been a naughty girl you let your knickers down" is a play on words reference to the 60s London gay scene. "Knickers" was the word used for a boyfriend. Maybe a reference to Brian Epstein? Some people also claim that Lennon and Epstein were an item. Who knows!?

Wow. We're all arguing about the meaning and here John meant Walrus to have no meaning... FYI, I absolutely ADORE this song. It helps me think better when I draw or write. ;)

Warrior,MN------about your post...Sorry mate, i think the Beatles may be alittle out of your league or something, really don't know what you're on about.----Styx, now that's probably more your forte. Good luck with everything. Peace.

O.K...Just thought this was kind of interesting-------For all of you into listening to various little things said or are heard to be said within this track especially...check this out [with headphones preferrably]---toward the very end when someone is reading an excerpt from King Lear by Shakespeare..the phrase: "oh, untimely death" is heard. other times, that same phrase sounds like it's saying: "oh, you're chokin' me to death". kind of creepy to say the least. Listen to this closely and see for yourself. Other than that..I love the song!!

I have a funny story.
....probably was not making a reference to the late Paul McCartney.

All that crap was just marketing ploys.

This is for Michele in Butte, MT
from Cheryl Lynn Kellogg~Herman.
Eric Burden of The Animals and war fame is the Eggman.

I am he- you are he- i am the walrus. Hmm....Suppose that makes me the walrus.

proof that there was nothing john loved doing more than screwing with people's minds. and making awesome songs while doing it.

In Magical Mystery Tour video - Paul is wearing the Walrus suit and Lennon the chicken suit - so not sure why people would have thought Paul was dead by siting the walrus costume being dark in MMT...they had to write the song before the video right?

In Magical Mystery Tour video - Paul is wearing the Walrus suit and Lennon the chicken suit - so not sure why people would have thought Paul was dead by siting the walrus costume being dark in MMT...they had to write the song before the video right?

Jim Carrey's cover of this song on George Martin's "In My Life" is one of my favorite covers ever. He does a really good job with it.

i thought they were saying "oompah oompah stick it up your jumpa." i wasn't quite sure. my mom used to say that all the time. then again, she's british. probably where she got that was from this song. also, when i was a kid my sibs and i used to go around saying, "hot snot boogie pie" instead of "yellow matter custard" to that nursery rhyme...the rest would be the same.

i thought they were saying "oompah oompah stick it up your jumpa." i wasn't quite sure. my mom used to say that all the time. then again, she's british. probably where she got that was from this song. also, when i was a kid my sibs and i used to go around saying, "hot snot boogie pie" instead of "yellow matter custard" to that nursery rhyme...the rest would be the same.

A Walrus is interested in everything

Yellow matter custard, dripping from a dead dog's eye.


Yello matter custard is the equivalent to a custard pie in the face after you leave the Dog wife/girlfriend for the more attractive fishwife (probably a Bully)

Did everybody forget the Spooky Tooth cover? A far better version than Styx to my mind, and most definitely the best. A real "hard rocking" style, with a slightly sinister sound to it.

All those comments about the last part of the song being about smoking pot are entirely wrong.

Having spent the first part of my life in the same neck of the woods as the Beatles, I can confirm that it's "oompah oompah stick it up your jumper"... simply because it was a common and popular rhyme for kids at that time.
Just one more example of borrowing that they did... similar to Ob La Di (from a Nigerian song) and Golden Slumbers (from 16th century poet Thomas Dekker)
But none of this really matters much. Forget the interpretations and all that stuff. All you have to do is dig the music.

Oasis did a great grunge cover of this song as a B side to one of their singles in the 90s.

No, they say "everybody got some" not "everybody smoke pot"

In regards to the kicking Edgar Allan Poe lyrics. Edgar Allan Poe was a Major Influence on Allen Ginsberg who was the leader of The Beats at the time John wrote I am the Walrus. Griswold depicted Poe as a depraved, drunk, drug-addled madman. The Beats magazine often featured Beatles copy bands such as Billy Pepper and the Pepperpots. Billy Pepper's real name was Billy Shepherd.

uh guys aren't they saying "Oompah oompah stick it in your jumper"?? it's a bit juevenile to think they're saying "Smoke pot smoke pot evertbody smoke pot", give them some credit they were a tad more creative than that.

oh my GOD! they really do say smoke pot, smoke pot, everybody smoke pot! at the end when u hear the weird voices! just listen closely.

"i am there as you are there as you are me and we are all together" you have to love the trippiness

In the 1970's John's humerous comment on this song was "It's got a lot of little bitties on it that'll keep you interested, even a hundred years later."

OK there is one so-called "song fact" here that really grinds my gears:"Lennon wrote most of this while tripping on acid." I find it extremely annoying when people say everything John wrote was somehow drug-related. I know this song's lyrics are quite nonsensical, but he did this intentionally because he was tired of everyone overanalyzing all of his work (much like the people who say his songs are about drugs do), so he wrote something that couldn't possibly make any sense at all just to annoy the overanalyzing critics. He got a few of the lyrics from some nursery rhymes he had heard in his childhood and he had help from one of his school friends (I think it was former Quarrymen member Pete Shotton) when remembering them. If you really want to know a lot about the Beatles and the meaning of their songs, you should read The Beatles Anthology, since it's essentially autobiographical.

if you listen closely what their saying at the end is smoke pot, smoke pot, everybody smoke pot.

This song is really strange but funny but odd but gross in a way.

The music video, from Magical Mystery Tour is a little weird, but still a great song.

my favorite thing about this song is how it really means nothing, yet it could mean anything. lately, i've been obsessed with trying to find out what they're saying at the end. one of my friends told me it was just a bunch of weird radio noise that sounds like "turn me on, dead man" when played backwards, hence adding to the whole "paul is dead" thing, but i think it definitely sounds like words when it is just played normally.
???

RE: King Lear segment.

This was not added to the song. According to the Beatles recording session book(a coffee table style book that tracks every day the Beatles were in the studio or performed live), John had a transistor radio in the studio while recording the song. He was tuning it in (you can hear the tuning/static) and happened to pick up King Lear on BBC Radio. It was decided to keep it in the recording and made it to the final version of the song.

The first line, the "I am am he... all together" is a way of saying that I, you, and they, are all talking about the narrator. So when he sings "See how they run like pigs froma gun" he is talking about himself.

This may be my favorite song of all-time. I only wish there was more electric guitar throughout the song but oh well. I remember being a very little kid and being drawn to this song because of the swooping "ahhhh's" during the chorus. A few years later I discovered all of the Beatles music and my life has changed forever. I love how the bass comes in this song. Yet in the video Paul so cooly points to Ringo for the drums to come in and seems to not play the first few chords that sound so great in the studio version. Interestingly Geoff Emerick (Beatles engineer) said in his book that this song was when he thought the Beatles were at their lowest and most unmotivated because of B. Epstein's death. He also hated the multiple overdubbs and sound effects. I love everything about this song. And I'm convinced at the end that it starts out "ooompah, ooompah, stick it in your jumper" but is overdubbed with "everybody smoke pot."

Contrary to one of the above comments, John Lennon did not write this song on acid. Paul McCartney confirmed that none of their songs were written while on drugs during a BBC interview a few years ago. He said that they "always used to write with a clear head".

Talking about trying to analyze Beatles lyrics? You won't believe this. In early '70s, in a Montréal paper dedicated to music, some fab four fan wrote that with I AM THE WALRUS, the Beatles were in fact predicting the death of Janis Joplin ('Pornographic priestess, Boy you've been a naughty girl, you let your knickers down'), Jim Morrison ('Semolina Pilchard climbing up the Eiffel Tower') and Jimi Hendrix ('Sitting in an english garden waiting for the sun'), as Janis was not precisely a nun, Morrison died in Paris and Hendrix in London. According to this guy, the Beatles were aware of a plot by the CIA to eliminate hard rockers that were obviously using drugs.
André, Rimouski

lennon's old teacher was teaching his class to interpret beatles lyrics,lennon was amused and mingled a few songs to create nonsensical lyrics. Although,there are some references to pual's alleged death in '66 this is attributed to the fact that the beatle enjoyes screwing with peoples heads

Gotta love Donny in The Big Lebowski confusing Vladmire Lennin with John Lennon, while The Dude and Walter discuss him..."I am the Walrus?"....."Youre outta your element Donny!"

I love the word imagery of this song...absolutely beautiful.

John was a musical Genius, what a great forum , luv it!

This may be the weirdest Beatles song they ever wrote. I always liked the insouciant lyrics and the references which everyone loves to debate.

This brilliant song is an anti establishment nursery rhyme. It pokes fun at commercial capitalism, war, government, sex, marraige, the educational system and religion. What would civilization be like without it all? Can you "Imagine"? Just s few examples. Yellow matter custard dripping from a dead dogs eyes is the penis and the seed. Crabalocker fiswife is the snare that is the vagina. Semolina Pilchards climbing up the Eifel tower are the nauseating religious fanatics trying to reach God. Lennon wrote this song knowing his old chain smoking literary teacher was interpreting his songs in his classroom. How absurd he thought. The idiot who called me the class clown and said I was doomed to fail now thought he was qualified to interpret my lyrics. He probally even took some credit for my success. So Lennon sarcastically mocked him right inside his own classroom. Expert Texpert, choking smokers, don't you think the Joker laughs at you? Lennon had gotten the last laugh. When asked what does "I am the Walrus" all mean? He didn't lie. He simply replied, "It means nothing".

I read in a Beatles book (and I can't remember which book!) a Paul McCartney quote, where he said that before the Beatles ever made it, he and John tried to write a play together, but gave up after only three pages! However, in those three pages, they named a character "Semolina Pilchard." And years later John used that character's name in I AM THE WALRUS.

bono's version of this for the movie Across the Universe kicks so much ass its unbelievable...freaking awesome movie too

one of the best songs ever written... the lyrics is just superb. also, i think this the very first rap metal song... john is actually rapping on this song, though not as fast as today's rappers. but john, of course, is much better than all of them combined, haha!

Jim Carrey did not just cover this song, he covered the hell out of it. He made it so nobody can ever cover it again and not be wasting their time.

This is an awesome song. I love it. I think people should stop trying to interpret their songs. Why can't they just enjoy them? Also, people think all the songs are about drugs. I don't think The Beatles were that narcissistic and predictable to write every single song about drugs. Anyways, kick ass song.

I agree with Kim. Lennon puroposely wrote this song to screw with people because he was sick of them misinterpeting his lyrics. Enjoy the song, your never going to figure out. Only Lennon knows what he meant.

The line "Goo Goo Ga joob" is suppose to represent the central illusion that so many failed seekers took down with during the explosion of the acid culture. haha. People are funny. CoMedian JiM CaRrey does a cover of this you can watch it on youtube (worth a listen)

I love how this song makes no sense. It amuses me how people read that John wanted them to try and decipher it and then go and do it anyway. Goo goo g'joob... love that line. I always wondered what those voices were.... I never heard them right.

Chicago (then Chicago Transit Authority) had the lyrics "I am he as you are he as you are me
And we are all together" in their song "Southern California Purples".

Always thought "waiting for the van to come" referred to the van from the nuthouse... y'know the men in white coats in the little white van... come take you to the cherry farm.

After all he is "sitting on a cornflake"

one of the best song of the beatles. one of most complex song lyrically and musically. it's pure genius.

Many years later Paul said that this song gave a special meaning to the "Magical Mystery Tour" telefilm, since it is the only way to see a Beatles performance of I Am The Walrus.

I never analyzed it. Its meant to be what it is very artistic, creative, mental nonsense. The arrangement is captivating and John did an amazing job giving us all a nonchemical acid trip. This song will live on as long as people value imagination and the value of art and free thought.

How did the King Lear thing get in there? And I doubt Edgar Allan Poe would appreciate this, because he's being kicked.

The greatest song ever written. Stop trying to analyze it. I loved it when I was 7, I still love it at 43.

I might have a vague idea as to what this song is about. I think it is about God, Jesus, whatever, watching mankind, and crying about how they avoid death. "See how they run like pigs from a gun" meaning they run from death. "I am the Eggman" An egg is the symbol of birth and life, in some cultures. So, He, God, says He is Birth. He gives life to people. "They Are the eggman" So, they are alive, with the life God gave them. "I am the Walrus" The walrus is a symble of Death, obviously. So God says He gives life, but can take it away, so he is both Life and Death, Or the Eggman AND the Walrus. Well... That is the GENERAL idea. The other random stuff I have no idea... Maybe the "See how they-" lines mean how God is looking at the stuff mankind does. Oh, and the Goo Goo G'joob thing, I just think it was something catchy he added. John may have been on acid, but where is it proven that people on acid cant write complex songs?

The cello in this song is sooooooooo cool! I love this song, but I don't think it's the best ever.

Near the end of the song the chant is:

Smoke Pot, Smoke Pot, Everybody Smoke Pot!

This was originally on an double EP (extended play) called Magical Mystery tour: not on an LP or album as such. There were two EPs in the sleeves of a booklet which had stills from the film Magical Mystery tour. It was later released on an LP of the same name but included Hello Goodbye, Penny lane, Strawberry fields and Baby you're a rich man. I have both copies at home but have never - ever seen the film Magical Mystery tour broadcast again since it was originally shown on TV! We thought it was strange but wonderful: even in black n white. I have read since that it got bad reviews....

dont you all think that this song is about human nature! ie emotions!helo!! anyways its upto you..

Brilliant arrangement, astounding chord progression.. Genius Johnny

what does "pornographic priestess" and "Boy, you been a naughty girl you let your Knickers down" actually mean?

Has anybody heard of Spooky Tooth? They did a pretty good cover of the song in the early seventies-Terry,Pekin,IN

I heard this dong was for the "paul is dead" publicity stunt and was about the day paul died.The walrus symbolising death. in glass onion they say."heres another clue for you all the walrus is paul."

I recently heard that the choir at the end is singing "everybody's f*cked up" over and over. Has anyone else ever heard of this?

The lines from "King Lear" that are recited in the background were recorded by accident.

Actaully I read that somehwere thats John purposely made this song this way. Some many people were trying to find a message or meaning in their songs. So he deiced to make one that no one could understand. John was also working on three different songs at once and couldn't finish one so deiced to join them all together. It is an odd song by it's pretty good.

I'm sitting on a cornflake!
Which is Kellogg's. Kellogg was my maiden name.
Eric Burden of The Animals and war fame is the Eggman.

This has to be one of the most original rock songs ever I defy anyone to find an example like this before this song came out.

John Lennon predicted 9-11 34 years before it happened!!!!!!!!!!!! Just look. Pretty little police men sitting in a row is describing the all the cop cars lined up, stupid bloody Tuesday because 9-11 was on a Tuesday, Man you've been a naughty boy you let your face grow long because terrorists have long beards, corporation t-shirt referes to the office workers working for corporations wearing suits which are their corporation t-shirts, John sings i'm crying over and over again refering to all the people crying, choking smokers refering to people choking on the smoke of the towerss..........................................
Just Kiding, Anybody can interpret anything from any beatles song, esp. those written by John Lennon, he wrote this as joke on people who try to interpret his lyrics. Peace, Make Love not War

To Warrior: Ringo is still alive along with Paul. What proof do you have that Paul died other than some album covers? John wrote this song to get people to stop analyzing his songs. Maybe he tried to do the same with Paul's death hoax. How do you think they managed to get a replacement Paul with the same voice and face too? The original Paul is still alive.

Anybody ever seen the video for this? John Lennon eyes are really spaced out! Easy one of the top 5 Beatles songs ever!

Great example of avant garde with pop rock only the Beatles seem to master this concept. A proto progressive rock masterpiece.

The King Lear snippets are not samples as such, they were recorded live off the radio as the final mix was being done.

The Styx version was FAR better. After the original Paul McCartney's death, the Beatles got WAY too into rap/hip hop. Isn't it weird how all of the Beatles are dead except the fake Paul?

I think I am the Walrus is John Lennon's masterpiece. I also think it's mostly or entirely about Pauls' death in 1966. As a matter of fact the last 4 years of the Beatles are about Pauls' death. I cannot explain many of the lyrics because I have not understood all the circemstances of his demise. I say this because EVERYTHING about the Beatles and Paul changed after his death. Paul either died or something just as tramatic happened. Maybe someone else has something to share.

It's kind of weird that this song is a favourite of Gemini's (my sign) as it's one of my favourite Beatles songs!

I Am The Walrus is an early progressive rock tune, that has cacophony with nonsensical lyrics. It combines avant garde with classical influnece in another pyscedelic tune. It has a strange sounding type choir, siren sounding organs, distored vocals and a unusual fade out of noises.
sal, bardonia, ny

god y r some of u guys just dissin styx they werent that bad cmon. give them a break already. They may not be as good as the beatles but like leave the poor guys alone they made some good songs, like come sail away. and btw stop yellin at anonymous also its just an opinion dont spaz out. i think that the beatles version is ten times better. That doesnt mean I can persecute him just cuz he likes styx's version better.

Nonsensical lyrics, John's strange vocals, and the odd siren-like melody seem like they should be reasons to hate this song... but for some reason, they make it a work of downright brilliance!

John Lennon was killed exactly 13 years, to the day, after the album was released, December 8, 1967 to December 8, 1980.

mark b., to me, christian hip-hop is evil. im jewish, and i find that most christian 'songs' are just saying that you should do whatever jesus says to, even if it means being really mean to animals and kids. which i find hypocritical, cuz thats the opposite of what jesus wanted. and jesus was jewish. anyways, getting off track. i don't care what you say, hip-hop is evil, and shouldn't be considered music.

Could anyone else write such lyrics??Probably not.

Sorry, Izzy. I will always be a fan of The Beatles' music, no matter what you may believe. I agree that The Beatles are amazing. One of my favorite things about them is their musical diversity, which ranges from early rock and roll to late psychedelia and everything else that they had absorbed thrown in between. As you said, hip-hop had not yet existed, so they obviously had not adopted that style into their music. However, in one of the many ways that The Beatles are known to have been pioneers in the musical world, they provided us with one of the earliest examples of the genre with this song, similar to how The Doors, The Stooges, and The Velvet Underground were creating prototypical punk rock songs in America during the same time period. Hip-hop generally is vulgar, but isn't always; this generalization can also be applied to many forms of rock music though, rendering the vulgarity of a type of music irrelevant. Evil is a force that can pervade anything, and is not represented by hip-hop (ever heard of Christian hip-hop? It's certainly not evil). I would understand if you had said that Norwegian black metal is evil, given it's recurring themes of Satanism and the occult, but hip-hop is not quite there. Considering the properties of most hip-hop: rhythmic lyrical flow, lyrics that are randomly pieced together to fit the pattern, keyboard-synthesized strings, steady drum beat, etc., this song qualifies as an early hip-hop song.

if i ever had to analize this song in a lit class, i would run out of the class, unlock my bike, and bike home without a second thought. i would be disgusted and appalled if we had to. lennon wrote this song because he didn't want people analyzing his songs!

mark b., as of now, you are no longer a beatles fan(if you even were one in the first place) THIS IS NOT HIP-HOP! the beatles didn't do hip-hop. hip-hop is evil and vulgar, and it burns out my ears. the beatles are amazing and genious's, and they rock hard. notice how there's no connection? there wasn't hip-hop then, and there shouldn't be hip-hop now. and anyone else who thinks that this is a hip-hop song should be severly punished

Ryab, from Lackawanna, New York, I was thinking the same thing the other day. I don't see how I never thought of it before, but, yeah, this song is the earliest hip-hop song. Yet another pioneering first for The Beatles. Most people would probably see this idea as absurd, given the fact that when you think of The Beatles, you think of classic rock, psychedelic rock, rock and roll, country rock, pop; pretty much everything but hip-hop. Yet, everything about the song is hip-hop flavored: from the strings, to the drum beats, to Lennon's lyrical flow, and even the King Lear samples. Play this for someone who likes hip-hop, but doesn't know The Beatles' music, and they'll probably appreciate it just as much.

annonymous, you are wrong and should be punished. how can you say that styx is good in the first place? and how can you say that they can do a better cover of an awesome bands song then the band themself, IF STYX SUCKS? answer that. oh, i didn't say the beatles and the band mentioned above in the same sentece. are you proud of me, steve? jk. (p.s. the 'band mentioned above is styx, incase you didn't get it)

Makes less sense than the english language but a true classic. And of all things to mention, people being eggmen????

The page below has a theory about who the Walrus is. Seems it's something to do with Morse being french for Walrus, among other things...

http://decmalone.stumbleupon.com/review/4636651/

Wonderful song! It catched me at once and my first thought was "what the!!!??"
However, I soon realised that THIS was a masterpiece.

Anonymous in Nashville: are you serious? I've never heard the Styx version, and don't get me wrong, Styx has done (some) good stuff, but we're talking about one of the greatest moments in rock history here. (I made sure not to put The Beatles in a Styx sentence). Oops, sorry Steve!

"the umpa umpa/stick it up your jumper" chant probably came from the 1935 song "Umpa Umpa" by The Two Leslies (a.k.a. Leslie Sarony & Leslie Holmes), the chorus of which was "Umpa, Umpa, stick it up your jumper, tra la la la la la" (no, really).
Either that or "umpa umpa/stick it up your jumper" was a now-forgotten expression that was used in both songs.

a few things

i think i hear a little bit of Imagine in the intro but that might be only for me there

and another thing

there is a japanese video game series called Sonic The Hedgehog from Sega
there is an evil egg shaped scientist in the series named Dr. Robotnik but Sonic The Hedgehog refers to him as Dr. EGGMAN
I wonder if Sega took that from this song.

Styx's cover is nowhere near as good as this. Never mention Styx and The Beatles in a sentence together.

Styx's cover is better.

THIS SONG IS INSANE BACKWARDS!!!!!!! During the line starting with "corporation T-Shirts" I heard ?You?d wish they?d all be small and you?d be mad at two, he slept and hitched her sheets and shaved her butt." Funny but creepy. Also, during the the line "Climbing up the Effel Tower" backwards I heard the most creepy thing yet,"I smoke marijuana."!!!!!! You have to really pay close attention to get the word marijuana so it sounds like it.

I got another one! In the choras just before the english garden part, backwards, it says," Sir old man, you're a gay buyer, yer a gay man." THis is starting to creep me out like John wrote the words so they say these kind of things backwards.

Also, during the line about the english garden, what I heard while played backwards was," Worst of all, he's in the dark chills. Remember this please." "Worst of all" is very creepy because it is so clear like he accually said it. The other words are also pretty clear, though.

If you have Windows XP, go play this song on your sound recorder (every windows xp user can use it) and play it til the line "See how they smile like pigs in a sty see how they snied" and right after it ends stop it and play it backwards by going to effecs/backwards and listen real closely to what is heard. I heard John say," Take this ax and his life is going out tonight." I am serious! Try it out for yourself to hear it! Also during the line "If the sun dont come then you'll get a tan from the english rain" I heard something but cant remember it (I am having trouble getting the recorder going. The song has to be in wav format in order to start the recorder with it.

I think it would have been an honor to Edgar Allen Poe being mentioned in the Beatles lyrics.

I read somewhere, it could be here, on this site, that the walrus was supposed to be PAUL. Lennon liked to think of himself as the walrus though. He did get the idea from the walrus and the carpenter. It wasn't until later that he found that the walrus was the villian! He didn't seem to mind and ignored this fact.

in the movie dogma, it is mentioned how the walrus from the walrus and the carpenter represents eastern religion while the carpenter represents western religion. and which beatle was a well known hindu? george harrison is the walrus ladies and gentlemen. you may thank me later.

Tom in Bluemont your wrong Lenonn was not the genius of the Beatles Paul was. Paul was always looking for changes way before Lennon. Paul invented Sgt Peppers and The White Album he wrote Helter Skelter way ahead of its time John just followed but he knew he had to. He admitted in a Playboy interview he Likes to take One chord and ram it home where as Mccartney was more creative and worked with songs together they were Brilliant but apart Paul was More creative. He is a true Musician and Composer and Artist. He was caught up in the Love movement and Paul was Just writing Movement
Lennon changed his mind with the wind. And as George Martin said the Beatles wouldnt have lasted past Revolver if it wasn't for Mccartneys
constant concern for the Band. And we have to thank Paul for everything from there on in.
Someone had to Lead the Group

I am He, I am the Eggman = He is the Eggman: You are He -> You are the Eggman!
Yes, You are the Eggman.
Accept it.

in the end there's a voice that says 'bury my body here', this aroused more suspicion about the whole 'paul died' conspiricy theory(which is a not true and b just plain weird)

Well, for me, it isn't about nothing particular, but have some antimilitaristic lyrics (see how they run like pigs from a gun).
The "Oompa Loompas" were the weird guys in Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, "Yellowmater custard..." were of a song that John and a friend heared as childs.
But who was the walrus, Paul or John?

this song is really cool! but i still don't get the 'Semolina Pilchard climbing up the Eiffel Tower'. who was this allegid Semolina, and why was she/he trying to climb up the eiffel tower?

this is my FAVEORITE song! although the line 'pornographic priestess' cracks me up. im jewish, and we have rabbis, not priests. this line makes me more happy with my religion.

"I am the egg man. I am the walrus." In another classic Beatles song, "Glass Onion", Lennon reveals a clue for us all: the walrus is Paul. This is not Lennon just being clever with words. Paul really was known as the egg man. Paul's song "Yesterday" was originally titled, "Scrambled Eggs". The reason is because Paul's constant marijuana use gave him a severe case of the munchies. He staved off his hunger by eating large amounts of scrambled eggs, much to the chagrin of the other Beatles who were forced to endure his flatulence in the cramped confines of the recording studio. One day, everyone but Paul was assembled in the studio. George looked up and saw Paul entering and muttered, "Oh God, it's the egg man." This caused John to fall off his stool from laughing so hard. At the end of "I Am The Walrus", there is a chant which many have claimed is, "Smoke pot, smoke pot". In fact, they are actually chanting, "Egg fart, egg fart".

to the person who said that shakespeare was on LSD when writing some of his plays: pure bull. acid was invented in 1938. shakespeare died in 1616.

And...doesn't anyone ever wonder where he got all these ideas? I mean I'm not trying to get the meaning or anything. I just like this song a lot.

Hey all. I love this song. But I'd like to ask why is everyone digging in to the meaning?! Face it we won't find out. It was a joke and it will remain a joke for ever.

John Lennon, if he did have a secret meaning, will not be able to tell you right now. Face it.
Well then thats that.
Regards

on old records when you play the i am the walruss Goo Goo Ga Joob backwards it says "smoke pot smoke pot everybody smoke pot"

i love this song a lot. i find it interesting how the kid wrote a letter to John telling him that they were analyzing Beales songs in class. especially because i analyzed "i am the walrus" in Lit class freshman year.

This is my second-favourite Beatles song. I'm in awe everytime I hear it. There's never been anything like it before or since (except maybe the Rutles "Piggy In The Middle"). Truly an absolute masterwork of abstract musical art. John Lennon used words like Picasso used paint. Sheer genius! He may have been on acid when he wrote it, but who cares? It's well known that Shakespeare was on acid when he wrote King Lear.

Well this just goes to show that John really knew we would be here babbling about the meaning of his songs many years after his death.

it is fun though and i thank him for the good he spoke and sang, a true inspiration, to whom we shall never call SIR.

Amazing! From "She loves you yeah, yeah, yeah" to "Goo Goo Ga Joob" in less than three years. Imagine The Beatles playing this song at the Royal variety show in 1963 or on Ed Sullivan in 1964? :)
Again, what's truly amazing is how far their creativity had gone in such a short span of two or three years!! Innocence lost!! Thanks Mr. Dylan....

This also appeared on another simpsons episode - the one with the chilli cook off, where homer has his "trip" and Jasper say " Go Go GaJoob", well its not played, the line is said though, thats what's important

It turns out "semolina" isn't a detective , it was a pudding John Lennon been forced to eat as a kid and "pilchard" was a sardine he often fed to his cat , not the last name to the detective!
( Seminola Pilchard may have been a detective who busted Lennon, but in " I am the Walrus" , Lennon is making a refrence to the above.)

After the part from "King Lear" there are more sentences.. something about death. I heard "We knew his death" and then more sentences like "Did he is dead?" or something like that.

I personally just believe this song was written because (like stated) Lennon got pissed people were trying to make sense of all his lyrics

many people, believing this all talked about Paul dying. Believed "I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together" To be him saying it was a conspiracy between all the Beatles that they killed Paul.

The reference to the police men were suppose to be the ones all at the accident where Paul was killed.

Those two examples right there go to show you how STUPID people are sometimes.........or how brilliant our song writers are

Lennon was a great, but controversal man.

I Am the Walrus.

Yeah yeah; there are many strange and wonderful rumours going around about this song. I have my own theory. I think that the Walrus was The Fool on the Hill. In Glass Onion Lennon refers to the walrus as Paul. Fair enough. I tried to hard to connect Paul with the walrus and I didn't get very far, until I tried to connect Paul with the eggman. In the video of the fool on the hill it is Paul who plays the main part. He is dressed as the eggman. You can see this because he is wearing almost identical clothes as John is in I am The Walrus. I think that John was trying to say that the walrus was the fool on the hill. So what about the fool on the hill? He is the guy who sees everything. He sees it all but everybody thinks that he is stupid. I put it to you that I am the Walrus is a small extract from the fool on the hill's mind. This is the Beatles letting us get a glimpse of what the so called fool sees. The song starts by connecting all of us. It starts by telling us that we are all equal. (I am he as you are he as you are me and we are al together). John means that we are all misunderstood. We are all fools on our own hills. So why does John use extracts from childhood rhymes? I think he is trying to show us that we are born misunderstood. We are never understood. We are misunderstood as children and we are misunderstood as adults. We are quiet simply always misunderstood. The fool on the hill sees the sun coming down and they eyes in his head sees the world spinning round. See how they run like pigs from a gun see how they fly. We are all waiting around waiting to be slaughtered. We should run, but pigs will fly before we do. Pigs will fly before we "the fools" pluck up the courage to speak. The fool was silent. Maybe that is why he was misunderstood.

For more clues I suggest you read The Tell-tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe.

The walrus = The Eggman = The Fool on the Hill

Regards

Ping

Is "stick it in your jumper" a sexual reference of some kind? If so, what... uh... does it mean?

To some of the comments underneath, The Beatles wrote many songs under the influence of drugs, but "Got To Get You Into My Life" Is the only Beatles Song That's about Drugs.

Joey, What they say Is "Slave, thou hast slain me, villain take my purse, if ever thou wilt thrive, bury my body, send my letters to Edmund, Earl of Glouscter, Seek Him out among the British Party, Oh Untimely Death!" It's From a BBC Production of William Shakespeare's "King Lear".

supposedly the end of the song says something about Paul being dead, but it's actually played at the end of "Revolution 9" instead.

well, now I can't remember what it was, but I have all the songs on my computer at my moms, so i'll repost it in a few days

didn't the BBC ban this song or something because part of the song said "Boy, you been a naughty girl you let your knickers down"???

i think i saw it on a quiz on some website, but I'm not sure.

'Elementary Penguin' is actually a reference to Allen Ginsberg.

In this song, John writes, " elementary penguin" singing Hare Krishna". After becoming disenchanted by one bhogi yogi, John and George became inspired to hear from a genuinely self-realized soul, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who introduced the western world world to the wonderful experience of chanting the Hare Krishna mantra. This is the first song of the Beatles that introduced everyone to this chanting, leading up to George including the full chant in "My Sweet Lord" . I became intrigued to research the meaning of Hare Krishna and by meditating on this chant,it gave me the strength to give up intoxication and meat-eating and become a Hare Krishna minister for over 30 years. Paul still orders out from the Hare Krishna resturant on Soho in England. These profound words changed my life. Thanks a million John, George, Paul and Ringo !

It was widely disputed that the choir at the end of the song was made to sound like,"smoke pot, smoke pot, everybody smoke pot".

(1) The NGO-currently-calling-itself-Styx's version of this song sucks! Why couldn't those washups remake a Beegees song or something.
(2) The lyrics are meant to be silly nonsense but I suppose there's a backwards satanic messages somewhere.
(3) They used a keyboard called a mellotron to create the string sounds in this.
(4) The video they did for this in 'Magical Mystery Tour' is pretty freaky.

I had heard that the choir at the end actually sings "uumpah uumpah - everybody uumpah - like it is supposed to be a dance

i have always thought that the eggman refered to the painting by Hieronymous Bosch, the Garden of Earthly delights (?) in which three separate panels portray heaven, earth and hell. In the hell panel, there is an image of a man without legs and his his torso is an egg. It's usually refered to as 'the egg man'. The picture, although painted in the 1600's, looks like the painter was tripping on something and i would have thought that this was more likely to be what John, with his interest in art and intention to write a song with confusing lyrics, meant. It seems more likely than a bloke cracking an egg over a groupie?!

When the band chants "Everybody's got one" at the end of the song, it sounds a lot more like "everybody smokes pot."

The Canadian group Men Without Hats recorded this song on its Sideways CD, but, if I were you, I'd stick with the original. The same goes for the group's remake of the Roxy Music song Editions of You. However, the group's remake of the ABBA song S.O.S. is well worth a listen. And almost all of the original songs by Men Without Hats are terrific, with the few exceptions of Safety Dance and almost everything from the Sideways CD, except Kenbarbielove. In fact, just get the Pop Goes The World CD (with a cameo by Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson) and be done with it.

I think this song is great and for those of you who say that it "Lacks depth" Well I got TWO words for you "Hello Goodbye"

Hey um, "The Walrus and the Carpenter" wasn't in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, it was from Through the Looking Glass.

This song was covered by Styx, and Styx's version is a lot better. It was also made while the Beatles were high.

I heard that the only meaningful part of this song was the first line in while John says how everybody is equal. I never really thought about "the joker laughs at you" being meaningful, but I see now. So maybe there's TWO lines with meaning. Neato! Eh, the walrus was Paul. In "Glass Onion" John sang, "Here's another clue for you all - the walrus is Paul." Plus, on the cover of Magical Mystery tour, the chicken, I think it is, is John. You can see he's got his glasses on. Go figrue! =P

the only line with any meaning in this song: the joker laughs at you. see...john is laughing at you because you're trying to interpret his random stuff. and the walrus was john. well the walrus on the cover of the album anyway.

jim carrey sings this? haha...hes my favorite actor but i'm not sure i wanna know...i saw him singing elvis behind the scenes of that one movie...can't remember the name...

Luna: I get your point about the drugs thing. I don't think this song's about drugs. I just think John was trying to mess with everyone's heads on this one. It is hilarious though!!!

This is my favorite Beatles song. When John sings 'don't you think the joker laughs at you?' It's Ringo doing the first laugh ... the ho-ho-ho part. listen and you'll see what I mean. Also everyone knows the Beatles did drugs! It's not a big deal! John,Ringo,and George were heavily into LSD and Paul was heavily into pot. John also had a speed addiction, George a cocaine, and Ringo did a lot of cocaine, drank heavily,and he also smoked pot. So you all are being such babies and complaining and saying" this song is about drugs ...blah blah blah" yeah so what?! a lot of Beatles songs are about drugs but not all of them! just face it! even though they did alot of drugs doesnt make every song about drugs!

in "ferris bueler's day off" when ferris gets out of the shower in the beginning of the movie he says "i could be the walrus"

Trey Anastasio of Phish (the "Phab Four") covered this tune on his 2005 spring tour.

This is definitely one of the most screwed up songs ever made, but the best screwed up song ever made. The lyrics are just wonderfully out of nowhere at all. I especially like the part about kicking Edgar Allan Poe, not that I have anything against the guy, I just think it's really awesomely random. It's like some of the the 12 pages of complete randomness I have written for no reason at all, like "Let's lie to the prophets and carry a cable." Maybe it's not random though, maybe it's some insane metaphor that no one can remember what it means.

easily my favorite Beatles song ever, its so obscure, and the vocals kick ass

I still think the walrus was Paul.

hey jack he says,goo goo ga joob. i think it sorta sounds like coo coo cuchoo. also this is a great song. this is my favorite song by the beatles.

John doesn't want you to know who the Walrus is, or the Eggman. He said that many songs he was curious to see who would read meanings into his lyrics. Its jibberish, intentionally. It shouldn't matter, this song is great anyway.

oasis has a good cover of this one... is a live version contained in "the masterplan"

I've heard the Styx cover, Gary, which was surprisingly decent. Also, does John say "goo goo g'joob" or "coo coo cuchoo?"

I agree Lennon had alot of respect for Bob Dylan and would have recognised the fact that Dylan's songs though semingly nonsense had meaning to them even if Dylan was the only one to ever fully understand some of his most cryptic songs. Maybe there are extra meanings for I am the Walrus we dont get and Lennon maybe is the only one that does or maybe the whole meaning of the song is that not everything has meaning its a great song thats for sure and its fun listening to it and thinking about hwat it might or might not all mean.

See how they fly, like LUCY in the sky!? Can that possibly be Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds??? Hmm... Well this song is AWSOME

this song is the best! my fav song ever and the whole album is great and has anyone heard of the cover by styx?

How dare they kick Edger Alen Poe! What's so bloody about tuesday? Why is the Joker laughing at me? WHAT'S GOING ON?

In the Beatles Anthology book; Paul says the ending of the song is: "Got one, Got one, everybody's got one" Sorry- no reference to smoking pot

In an episode of the simpsons Bart and Milhouse break in to Flanders' Beatles parafanalia, and after Bart drinks a thrity year old "John Lemon" novelty drink e starts to hallucinate and recites the line "yellow matter custard dripping from a dead dog's eye."

The song was actually the result of fanmail recieved from students at John's old school. An English class was trying to analyze his lyrics. John wrote the song to confuse school children :P

"Let the f**kers try and work that one out, Pete!"

near the end of the song you can hear a voice saying "Oh untimely death!" referring to the paul is dead rumors

John also said the line "Elementary peguins, singing hare krishna" was his commentary that the Hare Krishna movement was too simplistic for him, that there had to be more than just chanting "hare krishna".

When John became a "guest DJ" for a few hours at a New York radio station in the early 1970's he made sure to play "I Am The Walrus" because he said it was one of his favorite Beatles songs "I wrote it, of course, and it's got a lot of little biddies on it that'll keep you interested."

******written by the inspiration of Jude,******* **************Thomasville, GAokay,**************
im not "banging my head up" on this song. just as you, i thought it was brilliant. and i didnt know who semolina pilchard was so i looked it up and got this site. i think you just need to except one's curiosity without assuming that we're so strung up. and even if we were, we have all the reason to. it just shows how in love we all are with their work and lust to comprehend it. -thank you

What does the song mean? It means John Lennon was a brilliant composer who had a sense of humor and quick wit like Groucho Marx's. I hope Joha and Groucho are up there laughing their heads off at all these fools banging their heads against a wall trying to figure out what every last little syllable "means"!

The walrus was David Crosby

I read that Goo Goo Ga Joob were the last words Humpty Dumpty reputedly said...HUMPTY DUMPTY IS THE EGGMAN....obviously!?!

i suppose i was looking for a little more depth from the song than just a way to throw others off. but either way, its still a fantastic song by a band that needs no logic.
-trisha, sanfrancisco, california

charlotte, that is the whole point of this song...to not make sence.

Also, during the line "Sitting in the english garden waitnig for the sun to come" backwards, it also sounds like "Worst of all, he's in the dark chills......" It's weird. I have also been hearing backwards things like "Here, have this ax and this city girl's going out tonight"

During the line "See how they smile Like pigs in a sty See how they snied" played backwards (use your recorder if you have windows xp) it acually sounds like "Take this ax and his life is going out tonight"! I mean it! Try it out! A bunch of other weird stuff I heard!

No-one touches John Lennon in the music industry. He stands above all others, bar none. Harrison and McCartney were excellant artists in their own right, but the genius of The Beatles was Lennon. His writing was so far ahead of his time it was as if he was visiting us from the future. 'I am the Walrus' in the 60's...are you kidding me? My 20 year-old son, who was into a lot of current bands, was blown away when I gave him Beatles, Zeppelin, Rush, and CSN&Y CD's for his B'day...and now listens almost exclusively to 60's thru 70's music.

Jim Carrey made a cover version of this song on a beatles tribute album.

Dude, I think I am the eggman and you are the eggman . . . just as the first line of the song demonstrates/./ ...//. get it? We're all defenseless eggs . . .

That Eric Burden story is a bit disturbing- I really don't want to think of Eric Burden in that way. At the end, don't they chant: "Smoke Pot, Smoke Pot, everybody smoke pot"

"Expert Texpert Choking smokers Don't you think the Joker Laughs at You?" Read the lyrics people. John knew a bunch of people smoking dope would start trying to figure it out and now look at what we're doing. Maybe not smoking dope but most definately trying to define nonsense. John laughs at us all.

This is hilarious reading everyone's personal analysis. I love how someone said "The walrus was a capitalist." hahaha. Can't we just enjoy the song for the nonsense that it is???

This was the title of the 2005 season premere of Summerland on the WB.

I Always felt this song was about being bigger than life. I also feal this one of the earliest rap songs.

I LOVE this song. Not just for what no sence it makes, but for the nice sound and I just like to listen to it all the time

who cares what it means, who was walrus/eggman, or this or that??! it's just awesome song, probably about an acid trip or something. and btw the whole thing about the walrus meaning death in an eastern religion is absolute and complete bullcrap.

John from Perth in Aussie: I loved that movie my aunt gave it to me on DVD for my B-day

Styx also does a good cover of this song, complete with trippy music vid.

did lennon really say that stuff about bob dylan? cuz if he did, i just lost some respect for john. dylan's a poetic genius, and nobody can write the kind of stuff he writes.

hey, a fellow chicoan! I agree w/ ya blake, people are delving a little too far into this song, doing just what john wanted. its quite ironic. he was tripping on acid, his senses were magnified, his altered perceptions became his reality, and the song is just a nice tune with a jumbled combination of things from throughout john's life. (even though john said in his famous rolling stone interview "we write songs that you dont know what they mean til afterward" and said that their music was like abstract art, each person making what they want of it, etc.) Not everything has to have a meaning, because is ANYTHING really meaningful??? As humans, we just tend to need an explanation for everything, but maybe sometimes its better to let the dogs with yellow matter custard dripping from their eyes lie.

maybe its just me but i like the beatles better when they were stoned.

When everybody was thinking nothing new could be done in pop music Lennon blow up with a surprising, exciting and unexpected song. New chords cadence, new lyrics, new sounds in a magic world. Thank you very much indeed, John.

Better than the scene in The big Labowski is one in Leslie Nelson's Wrongfully Acused-hilarious movie- when he is tough talkng to the love interest and says "it's like the beatles said it: she loves you yeah yeah yeah,But guess what pancakes, this apeman is now the walrus coo-coo-cacho"

Styx does a version of this song and that's how I heard it for the first time. I had to find out more about becuase it was such an intriguing song. So thanks everyone for posting such useful info about it.

Did you also know that the "yellow matter custard dripping from a dead dog's eye" was a song that his teacher used to make them sing. It really wasn't "yellow matter custard dripping from a dead dog's eye" he just played with words and got that.

I don't know if this is true but somebody told me that if you play I think this song backwards you will here Paul is alive.
Not sure though!
I am not from China also. I'm from Canada.

My favorite Beatle song; it's so freaky and haunting. The image of yellow matter custard dripping from a dead dog's eye creeps me out a bit too much though...

Now this is a very interesting little number. John had been reading "Finnagan's Wake" by James Joyce in which Humpty Dumpty and the Walrus can be found. Misunderstanding the walrus to be the hero of the book, John then sang that he was the walrus who would dispel all this mystery and chaos. Soon he found out that the walrus was the villain, therefore in "Glass Onion" in the following year he pinned Paul as the walrus, as a cheap jibe to Paul. The only reason why this added to the Paul-is-dead rumour is because Vikings, when setting out on a sea voyage, if they saw a dead walrus when leaving port, they would turn back as it is a sign of imminent death and bad luck. So there you have it. The death scene from Shakespeare's King Lear can be heard at the end ("Sit you down father, rest you!"), curiously enough, and was found in the BBC archives as was "Number 9" and the other sound effects like this that the Beatles used, probably why John mentions the FBI, CIA and BBC in "Dig It" 2 years later. (Even though by this stage the FBI had a file on him.)

Yeah, Goodman and bridges were talking about Lenin, and Buscemi thought they were talking about Lennon.

In the movie 'The Big Lebowski' Steve Buscemi plays a character who is a bit of an idiot. At the start of the movie John Goodman and Jeff Bridges are discussing something and Steve keeps repeating in the background, "I am the walrus, I am the walrus." Very Funny!!!!!

Simply genius.

anyone here that is putting in their 2 cents on what this song may mean is doing exactly what john wanted you to do, make sense out of his nonsense.

In The Beatles 'Magical Mystery Tour', Lennon was actually playing the role as The Walrus {as many of you know}, and he was also an EGGMAN!

According to the BBC lennon took inspiration for this song from procol harum's "a whiter shade of pale" (look it up), which in turn was inspired by a poem of deliberate nonsence.
Yeah the music is great too, really off the wall even today.

This is the best song ever, I don't even care what the lyrics mean.

"One afternoon, while taking "lucky dips" into the day's sack of fan mail, John, much to both our amusement, chanced to pull out a letter from a student at Quarry Bank. Following the usual expressions of adoration, this lad revealed that his literature master was playing Beatles songs in class; after the boys all took their turns analyzing the lyrics, the teacher would weigh in with his own interpretation of what the Beatles were really talking about. (This, of course, was the same institution of learning whose headmaster had summed up young Lennon's prospects with the words: "This boy is bound to fail.")

"John and I howled in laughter over the absurdity of it all. "Pete," he said, "what's that 'Dead Dog's Eye' song we used to sing when we were at Quarry Bank?" I thought for a moment and it all came back to me:

Yellow matter custard, green slop pie,
All mixed together with a dead dog's eye,
Slap it on a butty, ten foot thick,
Then wash it all down with a cup of cold sick.

"That's it!" said John. "Fantastic!" He found a pen commenved scribbling: "Yellow matter custard dripping from a dead dog's eye...." Such was the genisis of "I Am the Walrus" (The Walrus itself was to materialize alter, almost literally stepping out of a page in Lewis Carroll's 'Through the Looking Glass')

Inspired by the picture of that Quarry Bank literature master pontificating about the symbolism of Lennon-McCartney, John threw in the most ludicrous images his imagination could conjure. He thought of "semolina" (an insipid pudding we'd been forced to eat as kids) and "pilchard" (a sardine we often fed to our cats). Semolina pilchard climbing up the Eiffel Tower....," John intoned, writing it down with considerable relish.

Lennon was an introspective guy. in strawberry fields he tells us that no one 'i think is in my tree'...no one quite understands him. 'i am the walrus' is an extension of that; a brief vision into a world many fear to tread.

what's a walrus? seriously, Oingo Boingo does a great cover of the song....

"the walrus was Paul" (for those of you who haven't seen Magical Mystery Tour") refers to the fact that during the "I Am The Walrus" sequence of that movie, Paul is indeed the one in the walrus costume. This is something that is very easily verified by a simple screening of the film.

You guys are over analyzing this song. Just like Lennon said.

In the last part of the song it sounds like they're saying "smoke pot, smoke pot, everybody smoke pot"

Was covered by a band called Gray Matter

A good beatles song very different from most of their other songs

the array of music and musical instruments in this song is never talked about-the words are fantastic-so is the arrangement-
Lennon was a genius!

Lennon supposedly thought that Bob Dylan's lyrics were too twisted and nonsensical for their meaning to have any significance, and said 'I can write this crap too!' so he did. If you haven't heard any Bob Dylan songs, you should, but listening to his words will also put this in perspective.

who cares who was the walrus or not, all you need to know is that it's a good song

I love singing this song. It's great

Ok, lets get a few points in here:

1) For all practical purposes, Lennon was the walrus. That's what we, the media, and the fans have named him based on this song. Remember, the song is meaningless. Lennon, because he later said he wanted to make Paul feel adequate (his way of putting Paul in his place), gave him "the gift" of being the walrus--that was why he said the Walrus was Paul. Basically, he was being a dick.

2) The eggman is based on Eric Burden, the lead singer of the Animals and later of War. According to legend, Burden would crack an egg over groupies while he was having sex with them. I guess he got off on it. Lennon thought this was hilarious, and started calling him "the eggman."

3) Lennon was actually not that big of a pothead. He was a speed junkie for the majority of his life, and he went through "phases" where he did one drug intensely--for instance, LSD during Sgt. Pepper, coke after the beatles broke up, etc. The REAL pothead in the beatles was...Paul. He claims to have done it every night from 1965-1985.

Jim Carrey sings a good cover to this song. download it...!

He says "the walrus was Paul" in Glass Oinon.

john was the eggman. ringo was the walrus.

This song contributes to the Paul is dead rumors. In some asian religion (you know how the beatles were into all those religions), the walrus was the animal of death. Personally i think all of the paul is dead stuff is a joke that the beatles played on people.

George Martin released an album a few years back called in my life, where he and other artists sang beatles songs. In it, I am the Walrus was sung by Jim Carrey.

A "Semolina Pilchard" is a rather strange combinations: pudding and sardines.

Who was the eggman?

Later John said he hadn't realised that the Walrus was a capitalist. He also sang in Glass Onion "Here's another clue for you all, the Walrus was Paul" It wasn't anything more than word play..and as much as anything an attempt to get people like us trying to work it all out! Hey..here's another twist...if you read the Alice books you'll see that one of the characters is a Knight. So maybe Sir Paul qualifies as the Knight now eh folks???