Hey Jude
John Lennon- Paul McCartney Lyrics


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Hey Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

Hey Jude, don't be afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better

And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders
Well, you know that it's a fool, who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder

Hey Jude, don't let me down
For you have found her, now go and get her
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

So let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin
You're waiting for someone to perform with
And don't you know that it's just you
Hey Jude, you'll do, the movement you need
Is on your shoulder

Hey Jude, don't make it bad
You take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better
Better, better, better, better, better

Na, na na na na na na, na na na na, hey Jude




Na, na na na na na na, na na na na, hey Jude
Na, na na na na na na, na na na na, hey Jude

Overall Meaning

The song Hey Jude, written by Paul McCartney, was initially meant to be a comforting song for John Lennon's son, Julian, who was going through a tough time after his parent's divorce. Lyrics of the song center on the idea of letting go of sadness and pain to create a better future. The repetitive "na na na" chorus was meant to encourage listeners to join in and feel a sense of unity and togetherness.


In the first verse, McCartney urges someone named "Jude" not to "make it bad," to take a "sad song" and "make it better." This can be seen as a metaphor for taking negativity and sadness and turning it into a positive outcome. The second verse focuses on not being afraid to pursue something or someone, with the idea that once you allow them in, you can start to make things better. The third verse encourages not carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, and not playing it cool by pushing others away.


The final verse brings the song to a close with the repeating "na na na" chorus, which serves as a powerful reminder to take action, even when the future may seem uncertain. Overall, Hey Jude is a message of hope and encouragement, asking listeners to take charge of their situations and create a better future for themselves and those around them.


Line by Line Meaning

Hey Jude, don't make it bad
Don't worsen the situation, Jude.


Take a sad song and make it better
Try to improve your situation by making the best of what you have.


Remember to let her into your heart
Make sure to open your heart and be receptive to love.


Then you can start to make it better
Once you have accepted love into your life, you can begin to heal and improve your situation.


Hey Jude, don't be afraid
Don't let fear hold you back from going after what you want.


You were made to go out and get her
You are capable of pursuing what you desire, so don't hesitate to do so.


The minute you let her under your skin
Once you start to deeply connect with someone, your perspective can change.


Then you begin to make it better
Being in a loving relationship can improve your overall well-being.


And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain
When you're feeling pain, try not to dwell on it or let it consume you.


Don't carry the world upon your shoulders
Don't burden yourself with things that are out of your control.


Well, you know that it's a fool, who plays it cool
It's foolish to try and act like everything is okay when you're really hurting.


By making his world a little colder
By suppressing emotions, you can create distance between yourself and others.


Hey Jude, don't let me down
Don't disappoint me, Jude.


For you have found her, now go and get her
Since you have found someone you care about, don't let them slip away.


Remember to let her into your heart
Don't be closed off to love, but rather embrace it fully.


Then you can start to make it better
Being in a loving relationship can improve your overall well-being.


So let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin
Embrace your emotions and let love in, Jude.


You're waiting for someone to perform with
You're searching for someone to connect with and share experiences with.


And don't you know that it's just you
You have everything you need within yourself to be happy.


Hey Jude, you'll do, the movement you need
You have the power within yourself to make positive changes.


Is on your shoulder
You are in control of your own life, so take action and make things happen.


Better, better, better, better, better
Things will continue to improve as long as you remain open to love and positive change.


Na, na na na na na na, na na na na, hey Jude
These repeated words serve as a chorus and offer support and encouragement to Jude.


Na, na na na na na na, na na na na, hey Jude
These repeated words serve as a chorus and offer support and encouragement to Jude.


Na, na na na na na na, na na na na, hey Jude
These repeated words serve as a chorus and offer support and encouragement to Jude.




Contributed by Sarah K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@88feji

The story about Hey Jude is probably more complicated ... I think.

When John left his wife and child for Yoko Ono, Paul McCartney visited John's ex-wife and son Julian Lennon to check on how they were coping ... Thats when he came up with idea to write a song to comfort Julian.

Here's where things get a bit blurry ...

Paul said in interview that he later changed the lyrics to make it not specifically about Julian but braoden it to be about the everyman ..... (he changed the name Jules to Jude, and added in a part about encouraging Jude to pursue a girl ) .... Paul said he wanted to broaden the song's appeal. Well, the real reason is probably something else....

I think Paul must have changed the lyrics to avoid giving the impression to John that he's meddling with John's family affairs by trying to comfort Julian about John's divorce .... who knows, John may react angrily seeing it as a criticism about his own infidelity ..... but of course Paul would not say that openly, its quite easy to see the real reason why he had to change the lyrics to be openly comforting Julian ...

I'm not sure at which point John would know that the song was originally meant for, his son Julian Lennon, but he eventually knew.

I hope this helps to clarify some listeners's confusiion with the lyrics, on one hand people know its written to comfort Julian, but finds it weird that the lyrics talks about chasing a girl instead when Julian was only 3-5 yo at that point ...



@renatacaldeira3593

Hey Jude, don't make it bad.
Take a sad song and make it better.
Remember to let her into your heart,
Then you can start to make it better.
Hey Jude, don't be afraid.
You were made to go out and get her.
The minute you let her under your skin,
Then you begin to make it better.
And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain,
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders.
For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder.
Hey Jude, don't let me down.
You have found her, now go and get her.
Remember to let her into your heart,
Then you can start to make it better.
So let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin,
You're waiting for someone to perform with.
And don't you know that it's just you, hey Jude, you'll do,
The movement you need is on your shoulder.
Hey Jude, don't make it bad.
Take a sad song and make it better.
Remember to let her under your skin,
Then you'll begin to make it
Better better better better better better, oh.
Na na na nananana, nannana, hey Jude...
(repeat X number of times, fade)



All comments from YouTube:

@thomasomalley6320

That lil "hey juuuudee" before he started to properly sing will never stop making me smile

@vigneshnaruto9777

Its great to see soooo many people listenin to this after soo many years

@maimunab7287

I thought my speaker wasnt working

@martinkostov8983

Cringe

@thomasomalley6320

Fmm_General thanks 😒

@martinkostov8983

The comment is cringe not the vid

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@tomatopuree2193

It makes me really happy when the comment section is full of comments posted maybe a week ago AND they have hundreds of likes. :) The beatles will be heard forever, thats a fact

@josephcolatruglio4354

I totally agree

@kristismith3662

Keeping real music alive is all that matters

@terryperring104

@Elias Håkansson
But there will always be movies that come out with Beatles connections.

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