Day in the Life
20. The Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
About a lucky man who made the grade
And though the news was rather sad
Well, I just had to laugh
I saw the photograph
He blew his mind out in a car
He didn't notice that the lights had changed
They'd seen his face before
Nobody was really sure if he was from the House of Lords
I saw a film today, oh boy
The English Army had just won the war
A crowd of people turned away
But I just had to look
Having read the book
I'd love to turn you on
Woke up, fell out of bed
Dragged a comb across my head
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup
And looking up, I noticed I was late
Found my coat and grabbed my hat
Made the bus in seconds flat
Found my way upstairs and had a smoke
And somebody spoke and I went into a dream
I read the news today, oh boy
Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire
And though the holes were rather small
They had to count them all
Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall
I'd love to turn you on
"Day in the Life" is a song by the Beatles, primarily written by John Lennon, with some input from Paul McCartney. It is a song made up of three distinct sections, each with its unique style, and it can be interpreted as an allegory of life in Britain in the mid-1960s.
The opening lyrics are about a man who has made the grade in his life, reaching a level of success that most people can only dream of, but then suddenly losing it all in a car crash. Though the news is sad, the singer finds it almost comical, a reflection on how life can be ironic at times. The second section describes a film that the singer has just watched, in which the English Army has won the war. However, the singer sees people turning away from the scene, suggesting perhaps disillusionment with the government or nationalism in general. The final section is more personal, describing the singer's morning routine, which provides a contrast to the earlier sections that comment on external events. The singer is propelled into a dream by someone speaking, implying perhaps that life itself can be a dream.
The song's final line, "I'd love to turn you on," implies that the singer wants to reach a state of enlightenment or transcendence, something that is beyond the mundane activities of daily life, perhaps a reference to drug use or spiritual exploration.
Line by Line Meaning
I read the news today, oh boy
I learned something new from the news today
About a lucky man who made the grade
The news was about a man who succeeded
And though the news was rather sad
Despite the sadness of the news
Well, I just had to laugh
I found humor in the situation
I saw the photograph
I saw visual evidence of the event
He blew his mind out in a car
He experienced a mental breakdown while driving
He didn't notice that the lights had changed
He was not aware of his surroundings
A crowd of people stood and stared
Onlookers gathered to witness the event
They'd seen his face before
People recognized him
Nobody was really sure if he was from the House of Lords
There was uncertainty about his identity
I saw a film today, oh boy
I watched a movie
The English Army had just won the war
The military force had achieved victory
A crowd of people turned away
Others were not interested in the news
But I just had to look
I was intrigued and wanted to learn more
Having read the book
I had already familiarized myself with the topic
I'd love to turn you on
I want to stimulate and inspire you
Woke up, fell out of bed
I got out of bed
Dragged a comb across my head
I groomed myself
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup
I went down to the kitchen and had a drink
And looking up, I noticed I was late
I realized I was running behind schedule
Found my coat and grabbed my hat
I got dressed and ready to go
Made the bus in seconds flat
I quickly caught the bus
Found my way upstairs and had a smoke
I went upstairs and took a break
And somebody spoke and I went into a dream
I was lost in thought after hearing someone talk
Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire
There were many potholes in the area
And though the holes were rather small
Despite their small size
They had to count them all
Every hole needed to be accounted for
Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall
The number of holes was so great that they could fill a large concert venue
I'd love to turn you on
I want to excite and engage you
Lyrics Ā© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gutgolf74
@@potato-whiz
Well, there are still people not convinced that the earth is round and Trump is a crook and a dangerous person...
While in both cases the evidence is even bigger than this one, you can rest assured: It's literally impossible to be John.
Why it shouldn't be John:
It's Paul's part, end of story. No need for John to sing lead on Paul's part in Paul's dream.
That's also why we only see PAUL during this part in the official video to ADITL. No John AT ALL - but he returns right when HIS part, the last verse, starts.
They were finished recording John's vocals for ADITL 2 weeks before and just returned for recording Paul's part on February 3rd. John NEVER sang this part when he had the chance to.
Also, note the position of the voices in the stereo-picture: John is on the right, Paul on the left. The "aaahs" start on Paul's side and move over to cue John's return.
Why it couldn't be John:
Since -- in contrast to Emerick's fairy-tale - there is absolutely no cut between the "dream" and the "aaah", it must be still the same lead singer, Paul. You can even hear him take a breath between the "dream" and the "aaah" on the isolated vocal track.
Since John is doing his trademark NASAL high falsetto in the background AT THE SAME TIME it's impossible for him to also do the lead aaah.
Also, the lead aaah doesn't sound like John AT ALL.
It's a chest voice that would have been too high for him to do. Please name a single example where John sings like that - I bet you can't! Note how the example of "Mother" from this video is a FALSETTO part!! That's only proving it's Paul doing the "aah".
With Paul you only have to go as far as "Lovely Rita" to find a very similar example.
There are many experts who very thoroughly listened to all the actual reels and went through all the paperwork and wrote very highly praised books, like Kevin Ryan and Brian Kehew (from the book "Recording the Beatles", p. 444): "Though many have understandably attributed this vocal to John Lennon in the past, isolation of the vocal reveals it to be Paul. As the part progresses, his voice takes on a more nasal tone; this, in combination with an application of Repeat Echo similar to that already applied to John's, does much to give an impression of it being Lennon."
Or John C. Winn, who actually pointed out all the little differences between every single mix every made of any Beatles song: (from the book "That magic feeling - The Beatles' recorded legacy, p. 86): "Paul then corrected his vocal blunder by taping a new vocal on track 2, also adding some soaring "aahs" over the circle-of-fifths segment that linked back to the final verse".
And of course Sam Okell, who did the freaking Sgt. Pepper's REMIX: "Paul's main vocal track is in stereo, because we gave it some spread with the Waves S1 Stereo Imaging plug-in, so it has a different sound than John's lead. We also split off two little bits to be able to pan them left and right. His fourth vocal track is the 'aaah' section, and below it is an 'Aah delay' aux track." "Inside Sgt. Pepper's": Sound On Sound. SOS Publications Group. 26 October 2021
@arsonne
This song feels like the end-credits for life.
@Rfoz51
Funny you should say that - this was played at a funeral I attended, just surreal and so weird!
@pr.paradox1970
SO TRUE
@lindaklase3821
Yes, Paulās death November 9, 1966. And replacement with Billy Shepherd aka Billy Shears. Ringo sings Billy Shears.
@ots1634
ew, i gotta turn it off- that depresses/scares me
@jona.scholt4362
@2:49 would be the part I agree with the most regarding the end of the world comment.
@seektruth8662
Another fun fact: This is 2 songs melded together. Paul wrote the middle part (woke up,fell out of bed) and John the rest. Both songs were incomplete and both artists had no idea how to finish them. So they put them together and created one of the greatest songs ever.
@bondarmsman
Tnx. I didn't know that. The McCartney part was shitty though. He should not have messed with it. Another Lennon song stolen by McCartney and credited to Lennon-McCartney like "In my life".
@porflepopnecker4376
The transition from the Paul segment back to the John song is so utterly sublime that to omit it would deprive the song of a great deal of its beauty and power. The two segments work together magically.
@marguskiis7711
John used to lease Maccas ideas a lot. This Maccas part he used in his "Remember" 1970.