Comments: 62

• J. Paul from PittsburghI see the lyrics are still wrong. It’s not “que canite”, it’s “cake and eat it”, as in the proverb “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.” Any attempt to find any meaning in those last 3 lines is a fool’s errand.
• Larry from IndianaWow! That's rather interesting. Did not know that lil tidbit!
• Joseph Farrell from LiverpoolI think the song is a tribute to Peter Green because he brought drugs to them as Peter was really into drugs which destroyed him. The lyrics 'Everybody's laughing, Everybody's happy' is self explanatory for cannabis users et al.
• Linda from Carlisle, United KingdomI think the Beatles just asked each other what Spanish words they could add and this is what they came up with.
• Virginia Abreu De Paula from BrazilI have just found another word in Portuguese in Sun King but it will depend on how it is wriitten. If it is mondo is Italian. But I saw it also written as Mundo...In this case it is Portuguese meaning World.
• Virginia Abreu De Paula from BrazilNot only Spanish and Italian. There is also the portuguesse word Obrigado that means Thank you.
• Robert from Portland, OregonI'm 62 and I've been listening to the Beatles for most of those years, but I'd never gone to the trouble of looking up the English translation of what I thought were Spanish words until tonight. I've taken a couple of years of Spanish and have Spanish friends, so I was a bit frustrated whenever I listened to "Sun King" in the past because I assumed I couldn't divine what was being said because of my crappy Spanish and not because the lyrics were non-sensical. That's what I get for assuming, eh? Anyway, still a great song and an interesting story too.
• Hypatia from Washington, DcThere is no sense in trying to translate the lyrics as connected phrases. It's pure word salad, chosen for sound instead of meaning. The individual words can be translated, they just don't form any syntax together.
  Quando - Italian for 'when' or Cuando - Spanish for 'when'
  para - Spanish for 'for'
  mucho - Spanish for 'much'
  mi - Spanish for 'my'
  amore - Italian for 'love'
  che - Italian for 'what, which, that', or que - Spanish for 'what, which, that'
  felice - Italian for 'happy'
  corazón - Spanish for 'heart'
  Mondo - Italian for 'world'
  paparazzi - Italian term for celebrity photographers
  mi - Spanish for 'my'
  amore - Italian for 'love'
  chicka ferdy - Scouse dialect phrase used for childish teasing (or chica verde - Spanish for 'green girl')
  parasol - English (or para sol - Spanish for 'for sun')
  Questo - Italian for 'this'
  obrigado - Portuguese for 'thank you'
  tanta - Italian for 'so much' (f.)
  mucho - Spanish for 'much' (m.)
  cake and eat it - English
  carousel - English
• Mark from Fontana, CaSince there are no official lyrics published for the song that I can find, I can only suppose what the non-English language lyrics are. Keeping in mind that translation from one language to another is not done word for word and understanding that the lyric appears to be a mix of grammatically incorrect Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and possibly Polish I think it is just an example of John's use of stream of consciousness that can be twisted to have some vague meaning.
  The lyric:
  Quando para mucho mi amore de felice corazon
  Mundo paparazzi mi amore cicce verdi parasol
  Cuesto abregado tanta mucho que cara te carousel.
  The closest I can come to a literal translation:
  When as much my love of a happy heart;
  World annoying buzz my love quiet green parasol;
  That will slope as I want your sun face
  Loosely translated from Spanish, Portuguese, Polish and Italian reads something like:
  When as much as my love is of a happy heart;
  My love silences the world’s annoying buzz like a green parasol;
  That will cover me as I want for your sunlit face.
  I am not using the literal translation of paparazzi here, but instead am taking Paparazzi from the Felini character Paparazzo in the film La Dolce Vita. The name came from the Italian translation based on a 1901 southern Italy travel narrative by Victorian writer George Gissing, By the Ionian Sea. Fellini allegedly opened the book at random, saw the name, and decided to use it for the annoying character. Paparazzo was a photographer, but was characterized as an annoying person known for creating a constant buzz.
  
• Matt from Washington, Dc, DcAnd now for something completely diferrent -- I always knew Sunking to be a brand of electrical appliances, and thought this song refered to the vacuum cleaner motor sound heard at the end of "She's so heavy."
• Terry from Stoke-on-trent, United KingdomThis is another song from Abbey Road that I have re-discovered.....I have been listening to Beatles stuff for 40 odd years and recently got really into this track and also I Want You.
  Some one put the foreign lyrics on Youtube as follows: Quando para mucho mi amore de felice carathon
  Mundo paparazzi mi amore cicce verdi parasol
  Questo abrigado tantamucho que canite carousel
  Apparently, it's just a mixture of Spanish, Italian and French. Not meant to mean anything in particular, just words to fit the sentences.
  Anyway, I think this track and I Want You, sound better to-day than they did 40 years ago when I first bought the album on vinyl. A great testament to Beatles music. Also, we are still listening to, and discussing them all these years later. What we have to remember, is that these were young lads in their early twenties who were turning this stuff out.
• K from Nowhere, OnIt's not jibberish, and it's not one certain language. It's Spitalengliguese. That's Spanish, Italian, English, and Portuguese. There you go. :) Enjoy the song!
• Nick from Seattle, AlbaniaThe non English part is just jibberish acording to the anthology. They just said Spanish sounding words that don't mean a thing.
• Chloe from St. Louis, Mojoe from montvale, how on earth does this sound like Us And Them?
• Cj from Lalaland, --anyone ever notice how the track listing goes "here comes the sun because you never give me your money sun king"?
  also on the album "with the beatles" it goes "hold me tight" then "you've really got a hold on me"
  and then the album "help" - "tell me what you see," then "i've just seen a face"
  hmm....
• Peter from Birmingham, United KingdomYes, he did shorten the title to prevent it from clashing with George's song and, in answer to your question, Dawn, because it has bugged me as well, this could explain why they sing "Here COME the Sun King", even though all lyric sites incorrectly state it as "Here COMES the Sun King". Another possible explanation could be that Lennon was inspired by the "Here COME old flat-top" line from "Come Together", which they'd only been recording that very same day.
• Russell from Rochester, NyOne of the most peaceful songs in the medley, really enhances the euphoric sense of the entire album. The transition into Mean Mr. Mustard takes it more upbeat again.
• Tyler from Phillipston, Mathe "cake and eat it" is probaly a referance to Louis XIV because of the french marie antonette "let them have there cake and it too" saying
• Peter Griffin from Quahog, RiAnd they also said "Cake and eat it" right at the end. What the- The only connection to Los Paranoias that I know of is that John thought they should have sang that in the foreign language part.
• Jose from São Paulo, BrazilHey people,try to take a look outside. Just one time. There's a vast world there.
• Rosario from Naples, FlThis song is boring. I like how Peter Griffin (below) said that Chicka ferdy means "na-na, na-na-na!" that makes sense...?
• Sam from Seattle, WaWhen you play "here come the sun king" backwards it's the same thing.
• Eric from Buffalo, NyLove the beginning of this song. Anyone notice how the opening guitar moves from the left speaker to the center then to the right? While the bass drum slowly fades from left to right to meet the hi-hat. And of course the second guitar fades back and forth as well. Really fits the mood of the song. I've read John & Paul composed the Spanish/Italian goobleegook in the studio after smoking a joint.
• Hal from Bloomington, AndorraFor what's worth - "Sun King" is my current Beatles favorite song-love the melody and the reverb on the guitar. My theory about the origins for this song is this : All the Heroin John was ingesting during that period contributed to ambient " Feel" in the song and the lyrics are either about the Maharishi or else about John himself and all the sycophants and suck ups hanging about @ the Tittenherst mansion- treating him like he was the Sun King. Hal, B'Town, Ind
• Louis from Salinas, Camarcio from sao paulo, What is this? I mean, this kind of comments. Do you really think it's funny?
• Marcio from Sao Paulo, Brazillyrics of "Sun King" have become one of those misteries surrounding some of the beatles' details.
  The best thing to do is someone ask Ringo or Paul about these lyrics (while they're still alive, preferently).
• Peter Griffin from Quahog, RiAnd just in case you were wondering, "Los Paranoias", which is actually not a full song and is connected with "Step Inside Love", was produced during the "I Will" session. This session also produced the "Can you take me back" bit at the end of "Cry Baby Cry".
• Peter Griffin from Quahog, RiI have the lyrics to the original, Los Paranoias:
  Joe Praries and the
  prarie walliflowers
  Los Paranoias
  Los paranoias invites you
  to (I can't make it)
  To just enjoy us (I can't make it)
  Come on you can do it baby
  Come on and join los paranoias
  Just enjoy us
  Los paranoias
  Oh! los paranoias
  Come on and join us
  Los paranoias
  Come on enjoy us
  Well! los paranoias
  We're here to sing for you
  And whenever you want us to
  We will sing a little song for you
  Los paranoias...
  
  An interesting original, if I do say so myself.
• Jose from São Paulo, BrazilThe portuguese meanings of these words (so so):
  quando = when
  para = for / stop...
  de = of, from...
  mundo = world
  obrigado = tanks
  tanta = so much, a lot
  que = that...
• Peter Griffin from Quahog, RiThe lyrics of the song are wrong. The nonsense word phrase does not contain "cicce verdi". It's actually "Chicka ferdy". John said so himself. It is a Liverpool expression, that basically means "na-na, na-na-na!"
• Meredith from Wauwatosa, WiThe stuff at the end is just nonsense words. Very odd! Love this song, as you may have guessed!
• Bianca Sanchez from Alburquerque, NmCarmone That is not Spanish! It's Italin! Oh You like the doors too?
• Bianca Sanchez from Alburquerque, NmWhat the heck are they saying at the end? I no what Mi amore means it means mi amor wich means My Love. I can speak spanish, but not Italian. And not just middle schol spanish either! Just plain First language Spanish.
• Jennifer from Panama City, Fland los paranoias was recorded a full year before they recorded the sun king
• Jennifer from Panama City, Flif any of you own the anthology series los paranoias is on there and its not the sun king, its a studio jam,.. anthology 3 disk 1 trank 23 check it out
• Erin from Edm, United StatesI LOVE this song, but it kinda makes me depressed. The mixture of Spanish and Italian is amazing!
• Dawn from Houston, TxHas anyone noticed that the lyrics aren't actually "Here COMES the Sun King"--what they actually sing is "Here COME the Sun King?"
  
  (I'm a grammar nut, and this has bugged the heck out of me for years.)
• Joe from Montvale, NjThe crickets in this song was tape loops as done by McCartney. The song was influenced by Fleetwood Mac but it ending up sounding like Pink Floyd's Us and Them, the Beatles tune came out first.
• P J from Okc, OkI read where the original title was "Los Paranoias", and at the time "Albatross" by Fleetwood Mac was out, with all the reverb on the gutar and they said "Lets be Fleetwood Mac" just to get started, even though it never sounded like Fleetwood Mac. A great song though!
• Cameron from Bainsville, CanadaI love how it makes you feel like... you're outside. I love the other language in it too. Just as the french is in Michelle, the spanish in this song is great! And, to me, it's just as good a nickname as "Lizard King".
• Zoloft from Milton, WvThe real Sun King was the gentleman who brought the Beatles their LSD, otherwise known as liquid sunshine. LSD was a great comfort to the Fab Four during the tribulations they faced. They recorded many tributes to liguid sunshine, including "Good Day Sunshine" and "Here Comes The Sun". When the Sun King delivered the acid to the Beatles, it was always a joyous occasion with everybody laughing, everybody happy again.
• Loony Moony Lupin from VirginiaI'm guessing that it is a mixture of Italian, Spanish, and maybe some Portuguese. It can't all be Spanish like people say, because "mi amore" isn't Spanish. For it to be Spanish it would be "Mi amor". Either way, I love the song...it makes me happy. I'd like to know what the non-English part means though.
• Spencer from Los Angeles, CaOne of the songfacts is incorrect: the foreign part isn't garbled Spanish, it's a mixture of Spanish and Italian that actually means something (it's just not very sensible).
• Sam from Shanghai, ChinaTo me this sounds a lot like "Lying in the Sunshine" by Free, from their self-titled album. It was also released in 1969, so I wonder if they had anything to do with each other.
• Pierre-yves from Belfort, FranceFor me there is not a word of english in these lyrics. I don't know wether it is Italian or Portuguese, but what is sure, these are latin words (carousel and parasol are not english, and I think it's more "canite" than "can eat it").
  
  I don't think this is a tribute to Louis XIV, but to the sun itself ! It talks about how the sun brings back heat and joy. (Sometimes the simplier explanations are the better...)
• Jerry619 from San Diego, United Statesok its a combination of spanish-portuguese,french and latin
  
  these are the best lyrics i could come up with in the proper order because for some reason mr lennon combined these languages and in the proper order as well, confusing well it is but this is the geniouse of john lennon when u translate something in spanish to english the order is difrent ie;(thankz a lot)muchas=alot- gracias=thankz i speak perfect spanish(mexican) my girlfreind is brazilian took french in high school and have a latin dictonary also note lennon used root words he probably searched it in english and got back a root words so there are no preverb words or past tense words
  
  
  quando para mucho mi amore tress felice corazon
  'when by a lot my love gives happyness to my heart'
  
  Mundo paparazzi mi amore chica verdi parasol
  'world reporters my love girl is green for all'
  
  Questo abrigado tantamucho que canite coracao
  'thankz for this verry much what big hearts'
• Joakim from Gothenburg, MdI Wonder Why The Beatles reckording a Tribute To Ludvig IX but this is what the song is about what i have heard. On The other its a Tribiute to Albatross writen by the great blues player Peter Green. Stll John says the song came to him in a dream, it´s anyway a very relaxed peace of music.
• Joakim from Gothenburg, MdThe Sun King Is A Tribute to both The Sun King Louis XIV and Fleetwood Mac´s Albatross
• Jen from Somewhere..., NyIt's so funny that when I try to search for the lyrics of the Spataliueselish, I get different lyrics! Some say "canite" instead of "can eat it", others say "mia more" instead of "mi amore". I guess we'll never know! -wink-
  
  These are my lyrics with the few years of Spanish that I've studied...
  
  When for a lot my love is happy face-(something)(thon doesn't translate)
  World paparazzi my love girl (ferdi doesn't translate) parasol
  How much (is the?} coat/overcoat so much much (tanta=so much, mucho=much) that can eat it carousel
• Mauricio from Hanford, CaDo those weired lyrics mean anything? Any translations?
• Stefanie from Rock Hill, ScPeaceful song.
• George from Itaberaba, BrazilI speak Portuguese and I agree with Gil, seems to be Italian. But the lyrics have words in Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and English, and other words don't exist. Great drumming performance by Ringo.
• Nick from Solvang, CaThere are crikets in the biggining... its a good song... somewhat relaxing...
• Jordan from Wimette, IlIt's about John's dreams......
• Niki from Chicago, IlI like this song..it's peaceful.
• Brandon from Winterville, NcActually, the end lyrics are a mixture of English, Spanish, and Italian. The english words are "can eat it" "parasol" and "carousel". From what I understand a translation would be something like "When there is much of my love filling my heart. Paparazzi world my love [nonsense]. When same amount of windiness as can eat it, carousel."
• Nessie from Sapporo, JapanAnother moody, lackadaizical number from John.
• Gil V.h. from Mexico City, MexicoWell, I speak spanish, and doesn't seems to be spanish, it's more like to be italian.
• Mike from London, EnglandThe Sun King was Louis XIV, who allegedly replaced his twin brother, which can be read in Alexandre Dumas' "The Man in the Iron Mask." Interestingly enough this goes very well with the Paul-is-dead conspiracy, as he was replaced by a double. The Beatles tell us that this doppelganger is on his way to Abbey Road, and all is well.
• Paulo from New York, NyI read somewhere that the "Spanish" in the song was both Spanish and Portuguese.
• Brett from Edmonton, CanadaLouis XIV was known as the "Sun King".
• Bob from Okc, Ok"sun king" was the nickname of a french dictator {I'm not sure which one, I think one of the Louis}.

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