I AM THE WALRUS By John Lennon Presentation
I AM THE WALRUS By: John Lennon Presentation by: Amanda Bartlett
I am the Walrus Lyrics: I am 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 cornflake 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
Lyrics continued: I am the eggman They are the eggmen I am the walrus Goo g' joob Mr. City policeman sitting Pretty little policemen in a row See how they fly like Lucy in the sky See how they run, I'm crying I'm crying, I'm crying
Lyrics Continued #2: Yellow matter custard Dripping from a dead dog's eye Crabalocker fishwife Pornographic priestess Boy, you've been a naughty girl You let your knickers down I am the eggman They are the eggmen I am the walrus Goo g' joob
Lyrics Continued #3: Sitting in an English garden Waiting for the sun If the sun don't come you get a tan From standing in the English rain I am the eggman They are the eggmen I am the walrus Goo g' joob G-goo g' joob
Lyrics Continued #4: Expert, texpert choking smokers Don't you think the joker laughs at you? See how they smile like pigs in a sty See how they snide, I'm crying Climbing up the Eiffel tower Elementary penguin singing Hare Krishna Man, you should have seen them kicking Edgar Allan Poe
Lyrics Continued #5: I am the eggman They are the eggmen I am the walrus Goo g' joob G-goo g' joob Goo g' goo G-goo g' joob goo Juba juba Juba juba, juba Juba juba
Summery of the Song: This song can best be summarized as complete gibberish emanating from drug (LSD) induced hallucinations. The song lyrics have been described as mazy wordplay Lennon used to form his own literary pretzels twisting around a cloud of psychedelic imagery. back
Meaning of the Song: I am the Walrus is a song with very little meaning, this song can best be described as pure Lennon fantasy written while under the influence of LSD on two separate occasions. Other then the reference to “The Eggman” which was a nickname given to a friend of Lennon’s for breaking raw eggs on girls during sex, the song was just mostly nonsense. Back
Biography of John Lennon: John Lennon was born on October 9, 1940 during a Luftwaffe bombing in Liverpool, England. His mom bought him his first guitar when he was 16 and he formed his first group the Quarryman that same year. On July 6, 1957 John met Paul Mc. Cartney for the first time while he was performing with his band. Three years later they formed the Silver Beetles. Shortly after, John’s mom was killed by a pedestrian’s car while she was crossing the street. Changing the group’s name to be spelled Beatles they debut in 1961 at the Cavern club in Liverpool. John married Cynthia Powell on August 23, 1962. John Charles Julian Lennon who was the only child with Cynthia was born in April of 1963. 1964 the Beatles started their first U. S tour and two days later they made their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show which was a really big deal at the time (De. Curtis). Next
Biography of John Lennon During the summer of 1964 the Beatles were introduced to drugs. In 1966 Lennon met Yoko One, and a year later Cynthia filed for divorce. The Beatles performed for the last time on the top of the Apple building, singing “Let it be, ” in 1969. Less than two months later John and Yoko got married. Late in 1971, John Lennon left the U. K for New York, never to return, four years later the US court of appeals granted Lennon US residency. October 9, 1975 Sean Taro Ono Lennon was born in New York. Finally on December 8, 1980, tragedy strikes when John Lennon was assassinated in front of his apartment building. Lennon received a Grammy for his lifetime achievements, and he was also inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist. Back
Song facts: Lennon got the idea for the song when he heard police sirens outside of his home. The song was also based on the poem “The Walrus and the Carpenter” from Lewis Carrol’s Through the Looking Glass. Although John was disappointed when he later discovered that the Walrus was the “bad guy” in the poem. Back`
Theories: Pete Shotton, one of Johns friends, said the Lennon’s inspiration came from a letter sent to him from a student at his old school saying that the English classes had been analyzing Beatles lyrics Lennon was amused by that, so he wanted to put together something ridiculous to possibly tease the people who were looking for a clause in his lyrics. back
The Paul Theory: Another theory was that the song was about Paul Mc. Cartneys rumored death. Certain lines within the song supported that theory. People believed that Paul was the Walrus in the song. Although because Paul was not dead the lyrics still had no meaning. back
Recording the Song Lennon listened to the basic track of the song for a month then decided it needed proper musical arrangement which meant one as weird as the lyrics. The Producers of the album ( Magical Mystery Tour) were not happy with the song, but decided to let the Beatles and John Lennon in particular, have their fun with the bizarre song. back
Future Songs: There at least two references to other Beatle songs that had not been recorded at the time of “The Walrus” Lucy in the sky may refer to the song ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds from the Sergeant Pepper album; and Sitting in a English garden waiting for The sun’ is believed to refer to “Here comes the Sun” from the Abby Road album. back
Lyric Poem Expresses the observations and feelings of a speaker in a musical way. back
Personification: Gives human characteristics to nonhuman things. back
Allusion: A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art. Back
Simile: A figure of speech in which like or as is used to make comparison between two unlike ideas. Back
Onomatopoeia: The use of words that imitate sounds. Back
Work cited De. Curtis, Anthony. "History. " Editorial. John Lennon. N. p. , n. d. Web. 16 Sept. 2005. Spitz, Bob. The Beatles. New York: Back Bay Books/ Little, Brown and Company , 2005. Print.
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