Comments: 114

• Wiseguy from AmsterdamBlackbird and Julia are played with regular fingerpicking technique. Clawhammer, correctly described as a downstroke whereby the nails hit the strings is something different.
• Claudio Lessa from Brasilia, BrazilWhat do the "sailors" say (scream, yell or whatever) at the end of the song? Could you transcribe that, please? Thank you!
• ChloeJohn Lennon hated this song so much, that, he wrote a note to Paul McCartney saying "DISGUSTING!! SEE ME!"
• Joe from BrooklynBack in the 60's there was a popular pill called Pentobarbital, sold mainly in Britian where the beatles are from. So i guess you can take it from there.
• Kate from CanadaThis is an amazing song. I really couldn't believe that Ringo sings this song. I had no idea! This is probably one of my favorite songs ever.
• Bridget from CoThis seems to be popular when it comes to messing with Beatles songs. Like once, I brought it up with my friend, and he started singing it. Before that, our art teacher was listing the warm ups, and one of them was a submarine. When he listed it, the boys started singing this.
• Gerry from Winston-salem, NcWow, some of the people here could use spell-check. It seems that my perfect grammar may have been wasted...
• Gerry from Winston-salem, NcThe, "Sea of green" is not talking about money, it refers to the long standing, Dutch method of marijuana production in which the plant flowers continuously, not going back into the vegetative cycle, which would happen starting in early to mid Autumn. This is substantiated by the trippy, way in the movie, they play the turn of phrase, "Sea of green," and it goes very psychedelic.
• Carmen from Seattle, UsaTeaching music at the K-3 level, it's occurred to me that between this one and "Octopus's Garden" (both of which they seem to know from birth), until they're about 9 years old, kids must think that The Beatles were some old group that wrote songs for children. Sort of like Raffi, but with cooler outfits.
• Kramo from Toronto, CanadaA truly awful song. Ringo was the luckiest man alive. George too. Always singing like he had a nose full of snot. And the guitar. Brutal. In an age of superstar ax men...he was playing Chet Atkins. John and Paul deserved better.
• Rmatrix from Las VegasI always thought that it was The Beatles a form of an English Pubhouse Song. And that the Yellow Submarine was a pint of yellow ale. I've even sang it, on occasion, after having a few. But, of course, nobody is around to join my festive occasion.
  It is also great fun to pick up an acoustic guitar and play this song. Its just a fun song all around.
  
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn August 15th 1966, "Yellow Submarine" by the Beatles was in its first week on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; it was at position #52, on September 11th it would peak at #2 {for 1 week}, "You Can't Hurry Love" by the Supremes was the #1 record for that week...
  And August 15th, 1966 is a day I deeply regret; for on that day the Beatles were in concert at D.C. Stadium in Washington...
  I was in the U.S. Navy at the time and stationed in Norfolk, VA; a local radio station {WHAS, I think} was sponsoring a bus trip to D.C. to see the show, the cost was $10, the ride was $7 with a $3 general admission ticket…
  And can you imagine I thought the cost was a little too high, so I passed {dumb. dumber, & dumbest!!!}.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn July 17th 1968, the Beatles' animated feature movie "Yellow Submarine" had its world premier at the London Pavilion in London, England...
  It would be almost four months later, on November 13th, 1968, before the film was released across the U.S.A. and Canada...
  Two years earlier on August 14th, 1966 the record, "Yellow Submarine", entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #52; and on September 11th, 1966 it peaked at #2 (for 1 week) and spent 9 weeks on the Top 100...
  The following week after entering at #52 it jumped all the way to position #8...
  And the week it was at #2, the #1 record for that week was "You Can't Hurry Love" by the Supremes...
  R.I.P. John and George.
• Jim from West Palm Beach, FlThis is a weird Beatle song(and that's covering a lot of ground).
• Joe from Kings Lynn, United Kingdomyellow sub was in the period of Beatledom called the Phychodelic period, which included S Pep's L H C B and M M Tour, the yellow sub is a pill drug and blue meanies are the small magic mushrooms, look it up on drugs facts, the whole of the film and the MM Tour prelude were about drugs, the fact the Beatles Genius could revolve it it multi meaning just shows how great they were.
  You will find a lot of classic fairy tale has deeper meaning, look up The wizard of Oz about the usa depression, Total.
• Megan from Stevenson, AlI absolutely love that Ringo sings this! Amazing! This is such an awesome song...
• Veronica from New York, NyI really believe that the one repeating after Ringo sings in the final verse is Paul ! Sounds like the same voice that says, "We're so sorry, Uncle Albert, but we haven't done a bloody thing all day..." a few years later to me. 'Course I may have flipped!
• Jackdusty from Houston, TxBarrow in Furness is North of Liverpool and is where they used to build Submarines. The primer coat painted on a Submarine is Yellow Ochre before it is eventually painted with Black Admar. The story I heard was that one of the Beatles, (not sure which one), said that he'd "once seen a yellow submarine" during a conversation amongst them and that is where the idea for the song came from. For the record...The Beatles were the most inspirational bands of all time.
• Tomas from Miami, FlWe're all cowards under the surface. That's the epiphany i just had.
• Nancy from Baltimore, MdI think it's a cute song. All my friends and me just love it.
• Wess from Moorhead, Mnpeople don't under stand the 60's or 70.'we loved the songs .
• Cristian from San Jose, CaSo is it true that Ringo(Richard Starkey), was the voice narrator for Thomas the Train? Or are they talking about another cartoon? Im confused!
• Nikolai from Los Angeles, CaIt's not ridiculous, people like happy songs, people don't like depressing songs about two lonely people that ends in death. Yellow Submarine is far more accessible than Eleanor Rigby, so it got more airplay.
• Brian from Boston, MaThe fact that this song went to number 2 and Eleanor Rigby only went to number 11 is absolutally ridiculous
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyThis record just missed being a two-sided Top 10 record; "Yellow Submarine" spent one week at #2 while the flip-side, "Eleanor Rigby", topped out at #11. The record had a short stay in the Top 100, only nine weeks...
• Rain from Brownwood, TxFull speed ahead Mr. Boatswain, full speed ahead
  Full speed ahead it is, Sgt.
  Cut the cable, drop the cable
  Aye, aye, Sir, aye, aye
  Captain, captain
  How does cut the cable, drop the cable
  SOUND LIKE
  "Hou ze tegen! Hou ze tegen!" ,
  which means something like "Someone stop them!
  OR "Hasse, stäng dörrn, Hasse, stäng dörrn"
  meaning "Hasse, shut the door ?
  Maybe it is call a cab, eh, drop an ombop
• Freedom from Nowhere, CtThis song isn't directly about drugs. However, you cannot possibly understand what I mean, or the meaning of the song if you haven't listened to it under the influence of at least 400 micrograms of LSD.
• Jessica from Bangor, Methat`s kind of ignorant don`t you think? I agree ringo did write a lot of good songs.
• Keith from Centerport, NyThe Beatles never admit to what their words may or may not mean, but I believe whether consciously or not, they have underlying themes in mind. Regardless, I chose to interpret songs to fit my offbeat sense. So here it is.....Yellow submarine, a cross between a taxi, and a subway train, a way in which urbanites live to find the Sea of Green, money. we are keeping up with the Jonses, because many more of them, live next door..kind of an urban Stepford existence, taking the subway or train to work everyday, to earn a living in a most comfortable and happy way
• Spongebob from Bikini Bottom, KyYa know, ringo wrote some pretty good songs, but he always had his thunder stolen by the rest of the beatles.Why? WHY!!!!!!!!
• Myke from Pittsburgh, Pa"yellow submarine" was played at kurt cobain's funeral because his parents said it was his favorite song as a child.
• Pdiddy from Westland, MiEver feel like Ringo got the short end of the 'stick' (drummer pun intended)? Only got to sing on a few songs. When John starts yelling out the echo part near the end of this song, I always wondered if they planned that or did he do it to mess with Ringo? Poor Mr Starkey. He was so awesome, they should've let him sing more...maybe he didn't want to?
• Britt from Boston, MaOh jesus, enough with the 'Paul is Dead' Rumors.
  Hahhaha This has been going on FOREVERRRR, ;]
• Nico from Amstelveen, NetherlandsResponding to what Olle wrote about Swedish being spoken in the song: any Dutchmen in the studio at the time of the recording? In The Netherlands there were strong rumours in the 60's, that some Dutch was spoken in the part in the middle.
  In this version ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCsYDZ2M04M )one can hear somebody shouting at 1:46 : "Hou ze tegen! Hou ze tegen!" , which means something like "Someone stop them!.
  At 1:52 some Dutch were sure that there is a reply to this alarm: "'k heb hem, 'k heb hem", meaning: "I got him".
  Are the lyrics known of the little scene in the middle?
• Keith from Edinburgh, United KingdomI think the song represents 'the good life'. Its a happy melody that begins 'In the town where I was born'. The song encapsulates a whole lifetime from the narrator to the naval captain. The submarine represents the plumbing in old houses. In the old days plumbing made a lot of noise, making sounds like being in a submarine. It is yellow because it is a metaphor for there being a sunny side to everything.
• Danielle from Cocoa, Flhahahh im not sure abut paul hearing the yellow submarine as a story. i heard they where tripping on lsd drove past there house because they thought it was a yellow submarine.
• Derek from Worcter, Maum lince from texas great name by the way subway never came out and sayed that yoko or anyone from the beatles liked subway. they happend to use a smart marketing tecnique and no legal action should ever take place on its unlikely but it could have been a coinsidence
• Derek from Worcter, Mathe beatles had a short run time but they were amazing in like 6 years they wrote over 200 songs let alone the ones that were never recorded or put on an album
• Linc from Beaumont, TxPaul and Linda Eastman voiced characters on an animated work Rupert and the Frog Song. This was a masterful work - I believe Paul wrote music for it and later continued along with Linda on the cartoon series "Rupert".
• Linc from Beaumont, TxI also believe the Subway Restaurant chain had to pay royalties to Yoko Ono to use Yellow in their building decore and advertisements...can someone check this? Bieng of a marketing background, I believe this is also attributed to why they have never used the song in their commercials.
• Chloe from St. Louis, Mohaha, does anyone else not agree that this is not the world's greatest hangover song? the randomness, dead-pan of the vocals...on another note, my friend and i, extremely hyper and crazy at the time, wrote a 12-page story about going on an adventure with the beatles *my favorite band* and mcfly *her favorite* in a yellow submarine, with an appearence by maxwell with his silver hammer and the twilight character edward cullen.....lol.....
• Seth from Freehold,For the "Paul Is Dead" crowd: Yellow Submarine represents a coffin of pine which is yellow. The Sea of Green represents the green grass in which the submarine exists six feet under. Land of submarines represents a cemetary which is a land of coffins. You will notice on the original album a submarine planted under a hill, not underwater. You get the picture when you look for clues pointing to McCartney's alledged death.
• John from Houston , TxI had to learn this song in the fifth grade for part of a talent show. One of their best songs ever.
• Sabby from Hillsdale, NjPersonally i love this song. It definately goes against a lot of what the music in that time was like, which is what i love about the Beatles. And i do hate when people think every Beatles song has a "hidden message" of some sort. This is probably a lot of peoples' first Beatles song... mine was Maxwell's Silver Hammer as far as i can remember... at that time i wasn't a huge fan.
• Stephen from Anderson, ScOn one of John's acid trips with George and Ringo, he felt as if he were in a colorful submarine under the sea..that was partly why "Yellow Submarine" was created.
• Gogo from New Yrk, NyEvery human being know these particular song.
  Because this is simply a singalong for kids. Some don't knw this is from the beatles but they love this song. All songs will last forever. Just like happy bday, doremi,abcd and yesterday.
  thanks jpgr.
• Bianca Sanchez from Alburquerque, NmYah Pepperland is from the movie "Yellow Submarine" it's an amazing movie. I love it sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much
• Ashtyn from Ashland, OrThe Beattles are Brilliant!
  I kind of thought a yellow submarine was like your aura. Like they live in a great energy of Love and Light.
  
  I researched the song and 80,000 leagues under the sea, pepperland is supposedly a paradise with music and love that is refered to outside of this song in legends
• Bianca Sanchez from Alburquerque, NmI had a dream that I was walking down my block with my freind,when I hear John talking and he was outside his house and he was like my neighbor! and his garage was filled with a bunch of Yellow Submarine stuff. And I'd go visit him and Yoko mostly John Like every single day. It was flippin cool.
• Bianca Sanchez from Alburquerque, NmIt's ease not E's Gosh this song ain't about drugs. Gosh it's like Puff the magic dragon!
• Malicious Matt from SquatneyWell, this is obviously a drug song ("as we live a life of E's"). There are also clear references to smoking crack through a sunbmarine-shaped pipe... Just kidding. Dont you hate it when people try to tell you every song ever written is about drugs? lol
  
  Anyway, this is a bit of a classic. Everybody knows Yellow Submarine. I was lucky enough to see Ringo sing it live in '98. Take it for what it is folks, a fun song with no "hidden messages"...
• Agostina from Newick, Englandwhile in a visit to Liverpool last week, I came across a man at the hall of aint Peter's church, where first met Pual and John, and this man who knew prety much about the beatles showed me a picture on a wall, a pic of a whale that was the beginning of it. the whale gave John the idea of a yellow submarine. there is also a replica of John's drawing next to the real whale.
  That's all. Cheers!
• Krissy from Boston, MaMike u need to shut up! U don't know how big of an impersion they left. If it wasn't for them u wouldn't have ur music. Cause a lot of artist these days do Beatles songs. Like Jayz and the guy from LInkin Park sung Yesterday at the 48th Grammy awards. And Paul maded a guest apperance and sang with them. And Jayz is wearing a John Lennon shirt.
• Sam from Portsmouth, VaHere's a big analysis of the lyrics:
  
  "In the town where I was born
  Lived a man who sailed to sea"
  
  Meaning: where the narrative character lives, there was once a man who lived a very wealthy lifestyle (using sailing the the as a symbol for that).
  
  "And he told us of his life
  In the land of submarines"
  
  Meaning: The man told the character and his friends how it was fun the life style he led
  
  "So we sailed up to the sun
  'Till we found the sea of green"
  
  Meaning: So the friends formed a band and try to be famous until they were rich (hence sea of green, green representing wealth)
  
  "And we lived beneath the waves
  In our yellow submarine"
  
  Meaning: They lived away from everyone else in their own rich neighborhood because of Beatlemania
  
  "We all live in a yellow submarine
  Yellow submarine, yellow submarine"
  
  Meaning: Everyone has their own form of peace so everyone technically lives in one too.
  
  "And our friends are all on board
  Many more of them live next door
  And the band begins to play"
  
  Meaning: They were so famous that their friends are even caught in the mania. The music being played by the band is sorta complex, representing the fact that The Beatles were very innovated for their time.
  
  "As we live a life of ease
  Everyone of us has all we need"
  
  Meaning: They realize that just living life how it is enough to be happy.
  
  "Sky of blue and sea of green
  In our yellow submarine"
  
  Meaning: it shows what they live like, a perfect (sky of blue) and rich (sea of green) lifestyle.
• Krissy from Boston, MaYour welcome Krista actually my real name is Krista but I also go by krissy. Even if they r about drugs who cares. If u don't want to listen to songs about drugs don't listen. Nobody cares if there about drugs or not. Don't like it don't listen to it. No one would even know there on drugs if Paul wasn' asked the question or he lied. So he told the truth big freakin' deal. Just because that came up it doesn't mean all their songs after that have drug meaning. If u don't know for sure just shut up! Ok?
• Krista from Elyria, OhFINALLY! SOMEBODY agrees that all Beatle song are NOT about drugs! Thank you, krissy! You are smart! Anyway, I love the song (RINGO SINGS IT!)! So many kids in my classroom @ school hates it! Even my math/homeroom teacher! This is such a cute song!
• Joel from Columbia, ScWell, it could be about drugs. It could be that the Beatles had dropped acid and were halloconating (sorry for the bad spelling). After all, Donovan did make a guest apperance. Bruce, I did hear that theory about Darvon, but don't know if it's true.
• Krissy from Boston, MaI love this song. Why did you think all their songs have to do with drugs? I have you ever thought it's just a submarine.
• Taylor from Manchester, EnglandThe brass part is really the Beatles using sampling.
• Marty from Elm Grove, Withe beatles were inspired by a real yellow submarine in southern France.
• Eric from ValenciaThanks Mike from New Point VA for this: "The lyrics are in Paul's hand and there is a note from John that says "disgusting - see me!" to the side of the lyrics." JWL was so funny, and I'm grinning at the thought of him doing this as I type.
• Matt from Brisbane, AustraliaThe person screaming in the second verse is Patti Harrison. The brass band segment was not recorded for the song but was taken from the sound library at EMI studios. Engineer Geoff Emerick put the sample in a different order to avoid it being recognisable to the copyright holder and avoid legal action.
• Josh from Laporte, TxThe drug BARS have a code name "Yellow Submarine"
  and is about a club or pub
  GREAT SONG
• Farrah from Elon, NcI love this song, as well as the movie. To those of you who don't like this song, you're not the only one. My dad thought this song was the stupidest song the Beatles ever did.
• Bram from Zoetermeer, NetherlandsNo, I don't say this to a lot of Beatles-songs, but I don't like this one. It sounds too simple, but perhaps it's a good children-song. That's nice then. But I can't understand why Strawberry Fields, for example can't reach the top, and this one can. That's far beyond me....
• Joe from Lethbridge, CanadaMark Hudson said that? Then it must be about a submarine sandwich! Sea of Green = lettuce. Sky of Blue - maybe they had some blue cheese on it. And the Beatles would be various kinds of meat, maybe.
• Buzz from Hamilton, CanadaAshley from Yarmouth, there is nothing more I can say. You said it all. Drugs had nothing whatsoever to do with it. Sad how drugs took over John's life then it messed up the rep of all these nice songs, eh?
• Greg from Victoria, CanadaThe Paul is dead thing kept us kids staring at the album cover for hours looking for new clues.A super publicity stunt. God...I'm so old!
• Greg from Victoria, CanadaI {{love the Beatles}} ...this song was just plain bad!Can we blame it on Ringo?
• John from Jersey City, NjAll Beatles' song are not about drugs. However, when I ran into Mark Hudson last year (he was making an appearance at The Fest for Beatles Fans), he assured me that, post-1966, most of the Fab Four's songs were written about various types of luncheon meats (e.g., bologna, cappicole, prosciutto, etc.) (Ringo being of Nordic heritage, it was only natural for them to exclude SPAM). (They even made the leader of Badfinger change his name to Pete Ham before they would agree to sign them to Apple.) Hey, Mark Hudson wouldn't lie (not with a beard like that!).
• Zack from South Lyon, MiI've heard that this song is about Paul McCartney being "dead". This is of course a hoax, but. . .According to cd cases (Abbey Road) and posters and some songs, some people thought that the Beatles were acting like Paul was dead. The Front Cover of Abbey Road shows...
  In the procession across the street, John represents the Preacher (or God), Ringo represents a Pall Bearer (or undertaker), Paul is the Deceased, and George is the Grave Digger.
  Paul's eyes are closed and he is in his barefeet, both representative of a corpse.
  Paul is out of step with the other Beatles - his right foot is forward, the others are leading with their left foot.
  Paul is smoking with his right hand. Paul played the bass as a lefty. This shows that an imposter was brought in for the photograph.
  An ambulance, or a morgue wagon, is parked on the right side of the street.
  The car in the background appears to be headed directly at Paul.
  The VW bug that is parked on the left side of the street has a liscense plate that says '28IF'. Paul would have been 28 when this album was released, IF he would have lived.
  The liscense plate also says 'LMW' which stands for 'Linda McCartney Weeps.'
  BACK COVER: The woman that you see on the right edge is Rita, the meter maid
  
  Come Together:
  "Come together right now over me"
  Over Paul's grave.
  
  "One and One and One is Three"
  Another reference to three Beatles, not four.
  
  "He got monkey fingers"
  The fingers of dead people curl up like monkeys.
  
  "He got hair, down below his knees."
  When people die the hair continues to grow.
  
  'ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE'
  "Yes he's dead... we loved you yeah, yeah, yeah."
  If you listen closely to the end of the track, you can hear John Lennon sing the two lines mentioned above.
  
  A Yellow Submarine I guess is British slang for a coffin. Sea of green would be the grass he is buried in. The "Paul's a queer" heard with the trumpets is said by Lennon who was believed to have been jealous of McCartney. McCartney was thought to have been killed in a car accident at 5 am on a wednesday. The beatles had a Paul look-alike contest and William Campbell won. On Let It Be Posters and on CD covers, Paul is usually wearing black(deadness).
  By using some numbers found on CD's and in songs, people called them and got messages such as "You're getting closer" and "Beware of Abbey Road"
  
  THIS ALL OF COURSE IS NOT TRUE BUT KIND OF FUN TO THINK ABOUT! The Beatles deny doing of doing anything like this to help sell more CDS.
  
• Steve from Fenton, MoAdmittedly, some of the Beatles songs were infuenced by or written about drugs, but not every one of them. Why the need for them to be about drugs? John Lennon became so strung out on heroin, I think it cost him his rock and roll voice. I think it also cut down on his songwriting after the White album. If you think the Beatles on drugs is so great, consider how many great songs we missed out on from John during this time.
• Ian from Lethbridge, CanadaIt's just a happy little song about submarines. There's no drugs here. The Beatles DO have songs about drugs, but this is NOT one of them!
• Olle from Stockholm, SwedenIn sweden, this song is very famous,because there is a rumour (that I can't denie that I belive in). Acording to this rumour, they speak Swedish in the part with the machines and all that stuff you know. I think I could hear once "Nu fortsätter vi resan" och "Hasse, stäng dörren,Hasse stäng dörren" (swedish that is)
• Acacia from Tempe, Azits not that this is about drugs. just that they were under the influence of drugs while writing it. which caused it to be so absurd.
• Ashley from YarmouthHow can people say this is song is about drugs? People need to stop thinking everything has a deeper meaning. Get your heads outta the gutter and trash cans. Maybe they liked Subs?!? Maybe his childhood dream was to cruise around in a yellow submarine?! Ringo is such a cute little boy, I wish he lived in my house.
• Johnny from Los Angeles, CaI agree with you, Brian. Without drugs most of the Beatles songs would sound like Please Please Me. And to agree with pretty much everyone else, NOT ALL BEATLES SONGS ARE ABOUT DRUGS!!! And what's wrong with Come Together, Mike?
• Galina from New London, CtWhen I was in kindergarden we had to put on a performance while our teacher sang and played on his guitar... we had to act like we were in a submarine and hold our noses and do that shake 'n' shimmy thing-a-ma-jigg.
• Brian from Mundelein, IlFirst off, the Beatles started smoking pot in 1964 and were popping pills years before then. They started doing acid in '65 and by '66 all four Beatles were heavy into acid, so it could obviously be about drugs, however if it were I think they would just come out and say it. It was rumored to be about a yellow pill, but it was denied. So, I'm sure it was drug-inspired, but not actually ABOUT drugs.
• Aylin from Montreal, CanadaEr, Yellow Submarine is about drugs? Well, it's true that most songs have been said at one time to be about drugs or to have drug references. Still, Yellow Submarine? The song my grade two class did at the school concert?
• George from Itaberaba, BrazilIn my coountry, "Yellow submarine" is the most famous Beatles' song. Those that don't know the band see the Liverpool guys as 4 funny "children".
• Bill from Southeastern Part Of, FlAlan, you are correct. The last line of the sound-effects part in the middle of the song is John saying -- Paul is a queer.
• Patrick from Conyers, GaDuring the whole "Paul is Dead" rumormongering, Yellow Submarine was believed to be slang for a casket, and the sky of blue/sea of green meant blue sky, green grass. During the vocal part to make it sound like an active submarine, it was often believed John Lennon yelled "Paul is dead!"
• Jeffrey from Bethel, AkI haven't listened to this song in a while, but I remember listening to it carefully once, and ringo's voice kind of squeaks when he says, "In our yellow submarine"
• Mike from Fort Worth, TxCan you say Drugs!! Ha ha. Anyway...that's why they're the genuises, and we're just the people. All kids hear this as their first Beatles song...except for me. I heard Come Together...ouch.
• Yiota from Sydney, Australiait was definatley about drugs not that there was anything wrong with that but the beatles really did like screwing with our minds. love em anyway
• Ekristheh from Halath, United StatesRingo Starr seems to have taken a side trip a bit later with "Octopus' Garden". It is essentially the same type of song. However, I have yet to hear any complaints that "Octopus' Garden" is about drugs. If the question ever arises, it's possible that the assumption prevails about every post-1966 Beatles song being about drugs.
• Jon from Danville, CaThe song isn't about drugs in any way and was originally intended for children, and i know a few young children that are constantly exposed to death metal and they seem to be turning out fine(kinda)...
• Candice from Vancouver, CanadaThis is definetly my favorite Beatles song. It's a fun song!
• Madeline from Melbourne, Australiaahh i love the Beatles
• Mauricio from Hanford, CaCan't The Beatles mess around and have fun with thier songs for a change?
• Heather from Orlando, Flthis song is not about drugs, though drugs did play a big part. From my knowledge the song "yellow submarine" is about what john saw on an acid trip, he described it to the band and they wrote it down. He kept saying that nothing is real, which is why if you buy the poster with the yellow submarine it says nothing is real and has all of these odd cartoons on it. John saw the band members inside of the yellow submarine and as they floated along under the waves they saw these things.
• Stefanie Magura from Rock Hill, ScHow come everyone thinks that every Beatles song after 1966 is about drugs???
• Jahan from Narbonne, FranceI teach English to young French pupils in primary school. The YSub song is one of my pupils favourite. It can be compared to a song by French poet Prevert "En sortant de l'Ã?cole", which tells of children dreaming their life round the world aboard a happy train, the children in YSub dream their life aboard a Yellow submarine listening to the sailorman stories. It's poetry, children imagination, fun, this Beatles song has a true educational value. French Kids love it. Thank you Liverpool, thank you Britain. Annick and kids from Narbonne.
• Hi My Name Is ______ from Canada, CanadaI think this is a slow song 4 kids
• Max from New York, NyYellow Sub is a popular mid modern Cockney Rhyme slang for a pub. Hence, we all live in a yellow sub, really means we all live at the pub.
• Kenny from Baltimore, MdI think this is just an innocent goofy ringo song.
• Mike from New Point, VaSorry Alan from MI but you are wrong. The English company that animated the cartoon series also did the animation for the Yellow Submarine movie. But the actors for the cartoon series were Lance Percival (Paul & Ringo) and Paul Frees (John & George). Their voices are recognizable in other Saturday AM cartoons of the period. The actors for Yellow Submarine voices are John Clive (John), Paul Angelis (Ringo), Geoffrey Hughes (Paul) and Peter Batten (George).
  
  I was allowed to research the original manuscript for this song one day during graduate school. The lyrics are in Paul's hand and there is a note from John that says "disgusting - see me!" to the side of the lyrics. Story is that John did not like the words and wanted to talk to Paul, at which time Paul told him it was a children's song.
• Tycodavas from Bratislava, EuropeAnother fact of YellowSubmarine: among voices from a pub at 01'34'' is slovak phrase "Mozte mi vylizat!" which mean "You can lick my ass"..when i first time found it, i played it again and again to convince myself that it's true :)) btw..Slovakia is in Europe, Mr. Bush..
• Mike from New Point, VaIn the middle, Ringo says "drop the cable, drop the cable" in the Abbey Road Studio A echo chamber.
• Jeramy from Jonesboro, ArEveryone that claims all Beatles songs are about drugs, answer this question:
  
  Why would they -totally and utterly- admit that certain songs are -completely- about drugs, and then lie about other songs, saying they aren't?
  
• Marc from Alameda, CaIn San Francisco, there are yellow busses that look EXACTLY like a bus-version of the yellow submarines from the movie. A lot of the public transportation in SF is either very old, or are replicas of the old transports. I would say with some fair amount of confidence that either The Beatles or the animators of the movie have been influenced by these busses. Either that, or the busses were influenced by the movie.
• Alan from City, MiThe actors who did the Beatle's voices in the movie were the same as did the voices for the Beatles animated cartoon.
• Natalia from Sydney, AustraliaOn the cover of the album "Yellow Submarine", they have written (in very small, unnoticable writing under the title) "Nothing is Real". Has anyone else noticed? Is this supposed to be a special connection to one of the songs on the album, or some sort of message? The only Beatles song I know that has the lyrics "Nothing is real" is Strawberry Fields, and that song is definitely not on this album.
• Rj from Rockville Centre, Ny"Yellow Submarine" isn't about drugs, but it wouldn't have been possible in the first place without drugs. The Beatles never would have thought about recording something like this pre-1966.
• Nick from Sa, Txback in the 60s, rolling papers were yellow, and joints often resembled submarines...especially after smoking one.......hence the name
• Si from London, EnglandI doubt the "yellow submarine is another name for Darvon" theory. Whilst the Beatles were into dope and acid, I doubt they spent large amounts of time taking sleeping capsules - being asleep all the time doesn't tend to make you very creative. Also, if yellow submarine really was another name for Darvon, why would they sing "we all 'live in' a yellow submarine"? Being into taking sleeping pills is not usually referred to as "living in" them is it?
• Kyle from Chicago, IlI read somewhere it was about being dead. For instance, on an album or something premoting it(I forget which), the submarine was underground, like a casket in a graveyard. Also, look at some of the lyrics:
  So we sailed up to the sun(possibly angels floating up to heaven), And we lived beneath the waves(Beneath the ground), In our yellow submarine(In our casket), ang finally, Sky of blue and sea of green(Sea of green=green grass). I hope that makes sense.
• Will from Portland, Oryeah, people can connect anything to a drug. Any song has lyrics which can be about drugs. Like if they say something makes them happy, it can be about a drug, or if they sing about being unhappy, it can be about a drug. Or losing a job, could be about a drug. Anything weird can be about a drug. Its hard to understand what all these songs mean.
• Catherine from Glasgow, EnglandYet another reference to drugs. What is it with you people? not all the Beatles songs are aboUt bloody DRUGS!
• Alan from Delray Beach, FlIs it me, or in the part of the song when you hear the wierd trumpeting sounds, it sounds like its saying "Paul is a queer"?
  
  Listen carefully, and I think you'll see what Im saying.
• Matthew from Shrewsbury, EnglandYes. There were, and still are, drugs called Submarines which you could buy, though he knew this song would get connotations, there was no intention. So certainly a link to that theory, but no initial intention.
• Gene from Hammond, In, InIn the last verse of the song, when Ringo sings "as we live a life of ease", etcetera, the melody line is repeated by John in an "off-microphone" type of sound. The sound was actually produced by the always creative Mr. Lennon by placing a microphone in the rear of his Vox amplifier and sticking his head in the open amplifier back and singing.
• Bruce from Stone Mountain, GaIn a college music course back in the 1970's, the professor stated that a 'yellow submarine' was another name for the downer drug (sleeping pill), DARVON - which is yellow in color. Any credence to such a theory?

see more comments