10 Beatles Songs With Lyrics That Make No Sense
There aren’t many Beatles songs with lyrics that make no sense. However, the ones that confuse fans every time they listen are on this list. Interestingly, one Beatle wrote a majority of them.
10. ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’
“Tomorrow Never Knows” was one of The Beatles’ first psychedelic tunes, and had pretty far-out lyrics too. There are backward loops and strange lyrics, including, “Turn off your mind/ Relax and float down stream/ It is not dying/ It is not dying/ Lay down all thoughts/ Surrender to the void/ It is shining/ It is shining.” John Lennon seems to be singing about giving yourself over to something so you can be all-knowing. However, there are many things we’re unsure about with this song.
9. ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’
Right from the start, “Strawberry Fields Forever” makes no sense: “No one I think is in my tree/ I mean, it must be high or low/ That is, you can’t, you know, tune in but it’s all right/ That is, I think it’s not too bad.” The only lyric that makes sense is when John sings that he’s going down to Strawberry Fields.
8. ‘I Am the Walrus’
“I Am the Walrus” makes no sense in the same way that “Strawberry Fields Forever” doesn’t. Although, John was really trying not to be clear on the psychedelic tune. The song’s most hilarious, nonsensical lyric is: “Sitting on a corn flake/ Waiting for the van to come/ Corporation T-shirt, stupid bloody Tuesday/ Man you’ve been a naughty boy/ You let your face grow long.” Who is the walrus, though? Fans are still debating. More importantly, who is the egg man?
7. ‘Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds’
“Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” describes a kaleidoscopic dream world. Since dreams don’t ever make sense, neither does this song. Nothing John tells makes sense in the material world, but he does paint a pretty picture. Maybe that’s because he based the song on one of his son’s pieces of art.
6. ‘Your Mother Should Know’
“Your Mother Should Know” is one of the most pointless and repetitive Beatles songs. However, it also makes little sense: “Let’s all get up and dance to a song/ That was a hit before your mother was born/ Though she was born a long long time ago/ Your mother should know.”
5. ‘Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey’
John wrote this tune (with an extremely long name) during The Beatles’ stay at Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s ashram in Rishikesh, India. The guru spoke in riddles most of the time, and the lyrics reflect that because they make little sense themselves. John sings, “The deeper you go, the higher you fly/ The higher you fly, the deeper you go.” Why is there a monkey? We don’t know.
4. ‘Why Don’t We Do It In the Road?’
“Why Don’t We Do It In the Road?” is another tune that is pointless and repetitive for no reason. The lyrics don’t make a total amount of sense because why would a couple “do it in the road”? The speaker clearly doesn’t care and thinks no one will watch them. It’s a head-scratcher, for sure.
3. ‘Glass Onion’
“Glass Onion” is playing off of the imagery John wrote about in “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” and “Strawberry Fields Forever.” So, the song’s lyrics don’t make much more sense than the lyrics in those songs. John sings, “Looking through the bent back tulips/ To see how the other half lives/ Looking through a glass onion.”
2. ‘Because’
“Because” is a very soothing song. It starkly contrasts the atmosphere in the recording studio when The Beatles made the tune. They were breaking up, and tensions were high. However, that doesn’t mean that the lyrics make sense. John sings, “Because the world is round/ It turns me on/ Because the world is round/ Because the wind is high/ It blows my mind/ Because the wind is high.”
1. ‘Dig a Pony’
“Dig a Pony” sounds like a filler song for the most part. The Beatles didn’t care about it, they just needed another song for Let It Be. So, if they didn’t care about the song, they didn’t care about its lyrics either. There are some pretty funny lyrics like, “I-I-I-I-I do a road hog/ Well, you can penetrate any place you go” and “I-I-I-I-I pick a moon dog/ Well you can radiate everything you are.”
The Beatles made a couple of songs that made no sense, but for the most part, they sang tunes that painted a clear picture. It’s also interesting that John wrote and sang many of the tunes on this list. Regardless of who wrote what, The Beatles were one of the most influential bands in music, even if some of their songs made no sense.
