Can somebody write about the song 'Imagine' by John Lennon?
81Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
I do find the song wistful, depressing even, probably because I cannot imagine it coming true ever and I am not sure I would want it to become true.
What would a world be like without heaven and hell? The first line is very provocative. Is heaven not what he wants here on earth? Surely it is stupid to think that the opposite of living to go to heaven is living for today. What about plans, ambition, the dreams of that ideal house, garden, husband, world?
The second stanza is about nationalism. Lennon blames nationalism for war and in this I would agree with him. But what is a nation? It is a group of people united around an imaginary parent figure living together in an arbitrary geographical space and often speaking one language. Many people feel it is not worth dying for it. Many people do. Yet I would say that a superstructure like the European Union which is based on human rights would be worth dying for. It has kept peace amongst the different nations of Europe for more than 50 years.
Again I would not want a world without religion. I think religion can be positive and enriching. I can't imagine a world surviving without the charity of religious groups. Religion can be divisive, but it can also heal wounds and help people with forgiveness.
Ah the dream of the death of capitalism. No, sorry, I cannot imagine life without possessions. I can imagine a world without inheritance though. That would be fairer, I think. Then everybody will be able to start life with nothing.
I do so wish for a world without hunger. It is possible. Everybody wants it. Everybody agrees about it. So why do we still have hunger? Greed is the answer. The European Union and the United States keeps subsidising their farmers to produce more and more and refuse to have total free trade, which will allow farmers in Africa to sell their produce to the world and become economically stable. That is probably too simplistic also.
So, can I imagine a brotherhood of man? No, I can't even imagine a sisterhood of women. This is a cheap song selling impossible dreams.
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Thank you for answering my request Izzy. You write well.
"Imagine" happened to be one of my all time favourite songs. Perhaps its because I have a lot of imagination, even in the periphery of being a dreamer(I guess something's not right with me. LOL!!)
"This is a cheap song selling impossible dreams". I am sure a lot of people will disagree with that comment. But then, I appreciate your honesty with your interpretation of this song. You were being realistic in your approach! But then I don't think the song is asking you to be realistc.
Well, we all have different views about different things in life. Bringing a little imagination in one's life doesn't always have to be at the cost of reality.
By the way, which is your all time favorite song?
Best Regards
Apologies - my earlier comment comes across as rather rude. It wasn't meant to.
No apology needed, Paraglider. You expressed your point of view forcefully and eloquently.
You are both right in that I did not consider "Imagine" as a lyric. A lyrics is not a political agenda. Lyrics are usually catchy and of necessity brief and without the complexity of political arguments.
I think Bohemian Rhasody would be my favourite song.
I just bought this hot new item called i-Sing! It's really awesome! The i-Sing takes music files and drastically reduces the lead vocals so I can sing along just like the stars! It also displays the lyrics on the screen and records! How cool is that???? I found the website at http://www.i-sing.com
This is a cheap song selling impossible dreams."I have to echo Paraglider and make no apology, it is the greed of men and women that sees Lennon's dream of harmony moving farther away in each of the 36 years or so since this song was published. It is the cheap business schools, the lawyer liars, the acceptance of riches 'acquired' by politicians in office, taxation and bully boy tactics from governments all over the world - these are the problems that we ...all the people.. need to tackle. Emulating ideas people like Lou Tice or Joe De Bono, here are a few moderately bizarre suggestions;-
career politicians should not be allowed, it should be like jury duty.
business schools need more marxism
lawyers - supply and demand, we need less laws
taxation why should I pay three or four levels of tax on everything I own and touch, it's outrageous -
the refinement of government laws, more and more and more.. we need to start to demand less and less and less
....Drax
Hi Drax -
My apology was for possible rudeness, not for supporting Lennon's ideas and musicianship. At the time, I answered the same request, to write a hub about Imagine. Mine was more appreciative!
Very well written piece. However, I honestly think most of what has been said here about the song was missed in the hub and in the comments as well. His beliefs are expressed within this masterpiece, just not expounded on. He believed in re-incarnation so that's the knock on heaven and hell. Living for today, or the 'now', that way of life is mostly originated from eastern thought.
"No religion", but rather a way of life.
"No possessions", almost socialist, but more like utopian.
I could go on but I may be wrong.
Check out his song 'Watching the Wheels"
Paraglider says:
2 years ago
"So, can I imagine a brotherhood of man? No, I can't even imagine a sisterhood of women. This is a cheap song selling impossible dreams."
That was rather a cheap comment. Write a better song, if you can. Brotherhood of man, whether you like it or not, is inclusive of 'sisterhood of women' in the literary tradition of the English language. Lennon could, I suppose, have said 'a siblinghood of humankind' but fortunately his mind was not so cramped, and his sense of rhythm was paramount.