This is a sequel of the John Lennon post that I've written earlier. I wanted to share my experience that you might find interesting... You know a time when something in you just clicks? And you get some new perspective of the world, a some kind of enlightenment? That happened to me when I heard this Lennon's track... And if I had to pick which song that he wrote caused his death, this one would be my pick.
I'll share my perspective on it, maybe you'll find it insightful as I did...
A WORKING CLASS HERO IS SOMETHING TO BE
The ideal that is set on humanity is something called ''working class hero'', a goal that we all should strive to accomplish. All that ''rags to riches'' propaganda is just designed to hide the true values and to impose some puppets that the masses will worship. By imitating those false idols humanity is getting dumber by a minute. Just observe all of those cage fighters posing as martial artists, that's insane. A working class hero is a fake hero!
AS SOON AS YOU'RE BORN THEY MAKE YOU FEEL SMALL
BY GIVING YOU NO TIME INSTEAD OF IT ALL
TILL THE PAIN IS SO BIG YOU FELL NOTHING AT ALL
From the moment you're born you get pulled in a machine made to deprive you of any creativity and individuality. We are blessed with a gift of greatness and imagination but our potential gets cut down right at the beginning of our lives. The system doesn't want free minded and smart people because they cannot be controlled.
THEY HURT YOU AT HOME AND THEY HIT YOU AT SCHOOL
THEY HATE YOU IF YOU'RE CLEVER AND THEY DESPISE A FOOL
TILL YOU SO FUCKING CRAZY YOU CAN'T FOLLOW THEIR RULES
Wherever you go you feel like a misfit. You try even to make yourself an idiot just to be accepted by your pears but with no avail. You cannot understand how the society works
WHEN THEY'VE TORTURED AND SCARED YOU FOR TWENTY ODD YEARS
THEN THEY EXPECT YOU TO PICK A CAREER
WHEN YOU CAN'T REALLY FUNCTION YOU'RE SO FULL OF FEAR
It's a part of life when a person has gone through this ''system of education''. The pieces of your hopes and dreams are still there but you're now to afraid to go after them. Too many times you've heard NO, and your dreams seem more and more distant as the days go by.
KEEP YOU DOPED WITH RELIGION AND SEX AND TV
AND YOU THINK YOU'RE SO CLEVER AND CLASSLESS AND FREE
BUT YOU'RE STILL FUCKING PEASANTS AS FAR AS I CAN SEE
The baddest verse in the song... Funny enough, even though you're being made a slave, you still feel like you're so smart and free.. There so many tools of mass control but also people have some weird sense of security and belief in the system. Idiots...
THERE'S ROOM AT THE TOP THEY'RE TELLING IT STILL
BUT FIRST YOU MUST LEARN HOW TO SMILE AS YOU KILL
IF YOU WANT TO BE LIKE THE FOLKS ON A HILL
The fact is that in this world crime does pay. You can make it, but only by backstabbing, lying and deception. Not only that you must tolerate the violence, but you must also learn how to embrace it and love it in order to succeed in this world.
IF YOU WANT TO BE A HERO WELL JUST FOLLOW ME
I don't think that John was saying that we should imitate him in any way. On the contrary, we need to follow his example and express our uniqueness, to find our own way. Be yourself, don't try to be a working class hero.
I'll share my perspective on it, maybe you'll find it insightful as I did...
A WORKING CLASS HERO IS SOMETHING TO BE
The ideal that is set on humanity is something called ''working class hero'', a goal that we all should strive to accomplish. All that ''rags to riches'' propaganda is just designed to hide the true values and to impose some puppets that the masses will worship. By imitating those false idols humanity is getting dumber by a minute. Just observe all of those cage fighters posing as martial artists, that's insane. A working class hero is a fake hero!
AS SOON AS YOU'RE BORN THEY MAKE YOU FEEL SMALL
BY GIVING YOU NO TIME INSTEAD OF IT ALL
TILL THE PAIN IS SO BIG YOU FELL NOTHING AT ALL
From the moment you're born you get pulled in a machine made to deprive you of any creativity and individuality. We are blessed with a gift of greatness and imagination but our potential gets cut down right at the beginning of our lives. The system doesn't want free minded and smart people because they cannot be controlled.
THEY HURT YOU AT HOME AND THEY HIT YOU AT SCHOOL
THEY HATE YOU IF YOU'RE CLEVER AND THEY DESPISE A FOOL
TILL YOU SO FUCKING CRAZY YOU CAN'T FOLLOW THEIR RULES
Wherever you go you feel like a misfit. You try even to make yourself an idiot just to be accepted by your pears but with no avail. You cannot understand how the society works
WHEN THEY'VE TORTURED AND SCARED YOU FOR TWENTY ODD YEARS
THEN THEY EXPECT YOU TO PICK A CAREER
WHEN YOU CAN'T REALLY FUNCTION YOU'RE SO FULL OF FEAR
It's a part of life when a person has gone through this ''system of education''. The pieces of your hopes and dreams are still there but you're now to afraid to go after them. Too many times you've heard NO, and your dreams seem more and more distant as the days go by.
KEEP YOU DOPED WITH RELIGION AND SEX AND TV
AND YOU THINK YOU'RE SO CLEVER AND CLASSLESS AND FREE
BUT YOU'RE STILL FUCKING PEASANTS AS FAR AS I CAN SEE
The baddest verse in the song... Funny enough, even though you're being made a slave, you still feel like you're so smart and free.. There so many tools of mass control but also people have some weird sense of security and belief in the system. Idiots...
THERE'S ROOM AT THE TOP THEY'RE TELLING IT STILL
BUT FIRST YOU MUST LEARN HOW TO SMILE AS YOU KILL
IF YOU WANT TO BE LIKE THE FOLKS ON A HILL
The fact is that in this world crime does pay. You can make it, but only by backstabbing, lying and deception. Not only that you must tolerate the violence, but you must also learn how to embrace it and love it in order to succeed in this world.
IF YOU WANT TO BE A HERO WELL JUST FOLLOW ME
I don't think that John was saying that we should imitate him in any way. On the contrary, we need to follow his example and express our uniqueness, to find our own way. Be yourself, don't try to be a working class hero.
I wish we could have witnessed the man John Lennon would have become. In some ways, I feel like cutting him down so early also served to mislead later generations. The Lennon we get, and the one who so many look up to, is simply a young man who's glimpsed truth and become disenchanted with the cultural constructs that normally obscure it. He's working through the frustration, anger, and resentment that comes from that recognition, and this is something that many can identify with. However, we'll never get to witness the Lennon who matures from that experience. Who does he become?
ReplyDeleteSadly we can only guess...Same could be said for Bruce Lee... Who knows how the world would have looked like if they had matured and evolved. John's legacy remains an inspiration but sometimes I just feel depressed because there is an obvious pattern of killing the people who had the capacity to make a difference. Nowadays you can't really notice someone like Lennon or Bruce,plain puppets are made up to serve as ''heroes'' No more inspirational artists, just the bunch of false idols...
ReplyDeleteThat was one of my favorite songs from Lennon. Thanks for the post, I enjoyed reading it lot. It is clear that those in power know the power of music as a way of influencing society, so they will surpress Artists that attempt to enlighten the masses.
ReplyDeleteThis is one beautiful and powerful song. Thank you very much for analyzing and sharing your thoughts on it.
ReplyDeleteWhat the music tells me (in the sense of rythm, voice and instrument variation) is a sense of helplessness, as well as cynical, yet deep sorrow for what the author is observing, which is clearly here, the effect of society on oour initial purity.
One the other hand, there are many ways to intepret the words of the song, as it is the case for many serious texts.
I have always heard that there were several levels of understading in many things, and reading Osho's "maturity" book, I have come to the conclusion that the same message could have different meanings depending on one's level of spiritual progress. I do believe that musicians such as Lenon were at a high enough level to hide key words and messages though.
Todai Ling
Yes you're right, there are many ways to interpret a work of art. In this song I don't think that John hid anything but quite the opposite, he expressed himself openly. A lot of cynicism and disappointment is felt through his lyrics but there's also a glimpse of hope...
ReplyDelete