Glass Onion
The Beatles Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I told you about Strawberry Fields
You know the place where nothing is real
Well, here's another place you can go
Where everything flows

Looking through the bent back tulips
To see how the other half lives
Looking through a glass onion

I told you about the walrus and me, man
You know that we're as close as can be, man
Well, here's another clue for you all
The walrus was Paul

Standing on the cast iron shore, yeah
Lady Madonna trying to make ends meet, yeah
Looking through a glass onion

Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah
Looking through a glass onion

I told you about the fool on the hill
I tell you, man, he's living there still
Well, here's another place you can be
Listen to me

Fixing a hole in the ocean




Trying to make a dovetail joint, yeah
Looking through a glass onion

Overall Meaning

In the lyrics to "Glass Onion," The Beatles refer to a number of their own songs and previous experiences. "I told you about Strawberry Fields; the place where nothing is real," refers to their song "Strawberry Fields Forever," which was about John Lennon's childhood memories of the garden/park near his aunt's house. Lennon contrasts the imaginary world of Strawberry Fields with another place one can go, where "everything flows." This could refer to the state of mind experienced through drug use, a common theme in the band's music during the late 60s.


The next verse, "Looking through the bent back tulips, to see how the other half lives," originally meant to imply observing the aristocracy of England, but in the context of the song as a whole it could be interpreted that Lennon is trying to understand another way of living- possibly one that is less real or less grounded in reality. He then sings "Looking through a glass onion," which means to see things as they really are. This is a reference to the phrase "rose-colored glasses," meaning to see things in an overly positive light, which the band wanted to avoid.


Lennon also references the iconic band member Paul McCartney in this song. "The walrus was Paul" line came from the previous Beatles hit, "I Am The Walrus." In this song, Lennon admits that the walrus was actually him, but in "Glass Onion" he shifts the title to McCartney. Other references to McCartney are "Lady Madonna trying to make ends meet" and "Fixing a hole in the ocean, trying to make a dovetail joint," which refer to the Beatles' song "Lady Madonna" and McCartney's woodworking hobby, respectively. This song is a continuation of the theme of self-referentiality that The Beatles often employed in their later music, reflecting upon their past in a nostalgic yet critical way.


Line by Line Meaning

I told you about Strawberry Fields
I previously mentioned a location called Strawberry Fields


You know the place where nothing is real
It's a place where things aren't always as they seem


Well, here's another place you can go
Now I'm telling you about another location worth exploring


Where everything flows
It's a place where things feel free and fluid


Looking through the bent back tulips
Observing the world in a unique and unconventional way


To see how the other half lives
To gain perspective on how people different from us experience life


Looking through a glass onion
Examining things in a more complex and nuanced way than usual


I told you about the walrus and me, man
I previously spoke about my relationship with a walrus


You know that we're as close as can be, man
We have a deep bond that can't be broken


Well, here's another clue for you all
I'm providing another piece of information that may help you understand


The walrus was Paul
The walrus was actually a reference to my bandmate Paul


Standing on the cast iron shore, yeah
Being in a place, physically or mentally, that is hard and unyielding


Lady Madonna trying to make ends meet, yeah
A strong and hard-working woman struggling to get by


Looking through a glass onion
Viewing things with a deeper complexity than usual


Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah
A vocalization of excitement or agreement


Looking through a glass onion
Examining things in a more complex and nuanced way than usual


I told you about the fool on the hill
I mentioned a person called the fool on the hill earlier


I tell you, man, he's living there still
He still resides there, even though it may seem foolish to others


Well, here's another place you can be
Now I'm suggesting another place to explore or experience


Listen to me
Pay attention to what I'm saying


Fixing a hole in the ocean
Attempting to solve a problem that seems daunting or impossible


Trying to make a dovetail joint, yeah
Striving for perfection in craftsmanship or skill


Looking through a glass onion
Examining things in a more complex and nuanced way than usual




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@cesarmadero05

References from the video!!!
References: The White Album Collage.

"I've told you about Strawberry Fields"
1. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr (1962) (John, Paul, George and Ringo!)
John's photo is the only one which appear in the collage of the original White Album


"You know, the place where nothing is real"
2. Two pictures of Paul McCartney: the second one is the famous Paul McCartney's "disguised" passport photo taken from the original photo collage (to reference the "Paul is Dead" controversy)

"Well, here's another place you can go..."
1. The first photo of John Lennon, again. The first piece in place in the original collage.
3. George Harrison. (1968) from the collage.
4. A small Yellow Submarine in Paul's photo.

"where everything flows"
4. Original music video for "Revolution" directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg.

"Looking through the bent backed tulips"
5. Ringo Starr (from the collage)
"Order of the British Empire to our trusty and well beloved Ringo Starr Esquire (Richard Starkey Esquire)

"to see how the other half live"
6. John Lennon (skying from Help!")
7. Mal Evans on a swimming pool.
8. Paul McCartney naked.


"Looking through a Glass Onion"
9. Paul McCartney playing an organ (from "Help!") 1965


"I told you about the Walrus and me, man"
- The hangers from the upper side are dancing like the policemen from the"I Am The Walrus Music Video"
10. The walrus (from Magical Mystery Tour) 1967
11. "Apple Studios" logo sticker.

"You know that we're as close as can be, man"
12. George Harrison in studio, recording Hey Jude.
13. George Martin in studio, recording Hey Jude.
14. Mal Evans during a break from the Magical Mystery Tour shooting.

"Well here's another clue for you all"
15. Your Mother Should Know.
16. John on a piano (Help!) 1965
17. George Harrison and Eric Clapton.
18. Ringo Starr recording Hey Jude.
19. George Harrison recording Hey Bulldog.
20. John Lennon recording Hey Bulldog.
21. Rolling tapes.
22. John Lennon (Two Virgins "phase").

"The walrus was Paul"
23. Paul McCartney from Lady Madonna music video.

"Standing on the cast iron shore, yeah"

"Lady Madonna trying to make ends meet, yeah"
24. Reference to Lady Madonna.

"Looking through a Glass Onion"

"Oh yeah"
25. The breed of a shepard dog. (The photo of an actual dog sleeping among pink and orange pillows from the original poster.) (Contributed by Uetti)
26. Two John Lennon's photos using the phone.
27. John Lennon from Penny Lane music video.

"Oh yeah"
28. "I love you" note from the White Album Collage.

"Oh yeah"
29. Girls screaming on their seats in a Beatles concert.
30. Brian Epstein (Beatles Manager) from "The First U.S. Beatles Tour" documentary. (1964) (reference to the collage)
31. The Beatles concert in Shea Stadium (the height of Beatlemania) 1965.
32. John Lennon (Shea Stadium) 1965
33. John Lennon ("Rain" music video) 1966
34. George Harrison ("Rain" music video) 1966
35. Apple Studios printed vinyl. 1968
36. John Lennon from Lady Madonna music video. 1968
37. Ringo Starr (Hello, Goodbye) 1967
38. Paul McCartney (playing "I'm Down) live at Shea Stadium. (1965)
39. Dancer from Magical Mystery Tour. (1967)
40. John Lennon live at the Washington Colliseum (1964)
41. John Lennon (I Am The Walrus music video) 1967
42. Ringo Starr playing "Octopus's Garden in the piano from "Let it Be" (1969)

(all of them run too fast but I'll mention them)
. Lights from "Revolution" from the collage
. John and Paul from "We Can Work it Out" music video
. The background orchestra to play "Hey Jude" on David Frost. From the collage.
. A dancer playing accordeon from the dream sequence in Magical Mystery Tour
. Strawberry Fields Forever
. Blue Jay Way

"Looking through a Glass Onion"
43. John and Yoko. Concept drawing for the "Two Virgins" cover.
44. Star and stripes pencil. ()actual reference to the original poster: In the US edition of the White Album, the genitals drawn by Lennon were censored from the poster (As you can see the pencil is using a tip rubber in order to cancel them, so J&Y run away). That's the main difference about the UK and US pressings of the poster in the original 1968 editions of the album

"I told you about the fool on the hill"
45. The Fool on the Hill.
46. Paul McCartney in France. 1967.
47. The Beatles and George Martin. from the collage.
48. The four separate Beatles in Rishikesh, India.

"I tell you man he living there still"
48. Boat travelling in Rishikesh
49. George Harrison in Rishikesh

"Well here's another place you can be"
50. Drawing of moon and stars (reference to Good Night)
51. John and Paul (1960) from the collage.
52. Ringo Starr (1968) from the collage.

"Listen to me"
53. Ringo Starr from "Revolution Music Video. from the collage.
54. John and Paul. from the collage.
55. Ringo Starr. from the collage.
56. Covers from The Beatles Magazine. from the collage.
57. George Harrison from the collage.
58. Paul McCartney dancing. from the collage.
59. Paul McCartney from the collage.

"Fixing a hole in the ocean"
60. Jeremy Hillary Boob. from Yellow Submarine.
61. Reference to the Sea of Holes from Yellow Submarine.

"Trying to make a dove-tail joint, yeah"
62. John Lennon with a Rishikesh amulet. from the collage.
63. John Lennon (1964) from the collage.
64. John Lennon in Rishikesh.
65. The Beatles with the mayor of Liverpool 1964. from the collage.
66. The Beatles and George Martin 1968. from the collage.
67. "Mad Day Out" photo sessions. from the collage.
68. John Lennon in bed. from the collage.
69. Paul McCartney. from the collage.
70. The Beatles. from Revolution. from the collage.

"Looking through a glass onion"
71. Blue Jay Way.
72. A Day in the Life.
73. Mayor of Pepperland. from Yellow Submarine.
74. The orchestra in the background from "Hey Jude"

75. The four official photo portraits of The Beatles of the White Album.

The White Album Cover, you can see the label is numbered. n. 0000003.... Glass Onion is the THIRD song in the album.



@SiMpSoNiTa

I told you about Strawberry Fields
You know the place where nothing is real
Well, here's another place you can go
Where everything flows
Looking through the bent back tulips
To see how the other half lives
Looking through a glass onion
I told you about the walrus and me, man
You know that we're as close as can be, man
Well, here's another clue for you all
The walrus was Paul
Standing on the cast iron shore, yeah
Lady Madonna trying to make ends meet, yeah
Looking through a glass onion
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah
Looking through a glass onion
I told you about the fool on the hill
I tell you, man, he's living there still
Well, here's another place you can be
Listen to me
Fixing a hole in the ocean
Trying to make a dovetail joint, yeah
Looking through a glass onion



@olskzeri2723

@@jwaj ZzzZzzzz. You PIA-people have nothing to bring to this subject. You either throw insults, use STUPID oneliners or use the retarded "Exactly the same!!!" argument that was debunked ages ago.

You choosed to use a stupid "oneliner" and then went back to your little la la land where you live with both your eyes and ears closed.

Since you are CLUELESS about this subject you could not answer me like an adult.

I am not claiming that the "Featles" theory are real i am only claiming that James Paul McCartney was REPLACED late 1966.

It is not as impossible as you dishonest people claim.

*JPM had a ROUND head. "Sir Paul" does NOT. The skullshape can NOT change once grown up. It is a SCIENTIfIC FACT. Different skullshape=different man.

*JPM had B R O W N eyes. That is OFFICIAL information. William have green/light eyes. Do not act stupid on purpose. You know just like i do that our eyecolours stays the same.

*He is taller than JPM was. That he had a growth spurth at the end of 1966 at the age of 24 is a silly narrative.

*"Sir Paul" have said ON camera that he joined B E A T L E S as an already set up affair. That is NOT how JPM joined the band. A bandmember in Lennons group invited McCartney to join and back then they weren't even called Beatles! If "Sir Paul" told the truth how he joined the band then he admitted that he is NOT Paul McCartney.

See this is logical thinking and knowledge. This is discussion and arguments. Not retarded "hErpa deRp ninJa tuRtlEs" oneliners.

"Before 1967 JPM was a skilled bassist that could play some other instruments but he really did shine on bass. From 1967 and forward "Paul" could play ALL instruments there was, sing higher and write and read music. That is a HUGE transformation musically. If you think that happened naturally you sure are gullible.

*JPM had a warm personality and was humble. William is cold and very arrogant.

*JPM said in a interview (The real JPM had a very thick Liverpool accent by the way) that he HATED travelling and hinted he would retire in the futute. But the man without the Liverpool-accent travels around the globe and still haven't retired.

*Lennon hinted that JPM was "Yesterday" and William "Another day" all thoose years ago. And The Who sang openly in a famous song in the 70's about JPM's replacement.

*All the clues, codes shows that "Sir Paul" and NOT Ringo is "Billy Shears". Since "Sir Paul" real name is William (as George Harrison have called him ON camera) it is only logical that "Sir Paul" nicknames are Billy Shears/Billy/Bill.

*George Harrison saying: "Fab...fab three" and "Beatle Bill" in the Imagine documentary is very telling.

*"Sir Paul" and the corrupted media lies and claims that PID was started by an american dj. The only narrative that is true regarding this is that it was Beatles THEMSELVES that started PID when they released Sgt Pepper in 1967!

"Sir Paul" saying other nonsense like "We ran out of red roses" is a clue in itself. He wants people to discover what he actually says doesn't make any sense.

*JPM had no problems letting Lennon be the bandleader. But Billy was a controllfreak, a druggie and without an explanation he suddenly was Beatles new bandleader in 1967.

There are endless examples out there why "Sir Paul" and JPM are NOT "exactly the same!!!" and you would have known this if you had stopped being lazy all your life and for once doing some research. Taking anything in life for granted will punish you as i just showed you.

I made my arguments against your silly oneliners. I owned you. Why ? Because i live my life with eyes and ears OPEN and i did the research.

Know this my lazy friend: Since Beatles/Fab four was: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, that makes "Beatle Bill" not a real Beatle since history will not allow it to have existed two Paul McCartneys.

If "Sir Paul" will be mourned as JPM when he dies me and alot of other people are going to counter that false narrative. You can count on it.

Long live the memory and legacy of the REAL James Paul McCartney!



@PhantomArtOficial2.0

Letra/lyrics
close

Glass Onion


I told you about Strawberry Fields
You know, the place where nothing is real
Well, here's another place you can go
Where everything flows

Looking through the bent backed tulips
To see how the other half live
Looking through a glass onion

I told you about the walrus and me, man
You know that we're as close as can be, man
Well, here's another clue for you all
The walrus was Paul

Standing on the cast Iron shore, yeah
Lady Madonna trying to make ends meet, yeah
Looking through a glass onion

Oh, yeah, oh, yeah, oh, yeah
Looking through a glass onion

I told you about the fool on the hill
I tell you, man, he living there still
Well, here's another place you can be
Listen to me

Fixing a hole in the ocean
Trying to make a dove tail joint, yeah
Looking through a glass onion



@DamienMcGuinness

[Verse 1]
I told you about Strawberry Fields
You know the place where nothing is real
Well here's another place you can go
Where everything flows

[Refrain]
Looking through the bent back tulips
To see how the other half lives
Looking through a glass onion

[Verse 2]
I told you about the walrus and me, man
You know that we're as close as can be, man
Well, here's another clue for you all
The walrus was Paul

[Refrain]
Standing on the cast iron shore, yeah
Lady Madonna trying to make ends meet, yeah
Looking through a glass onion

[Bridge]
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah
Looking through a glass onion

[Verse 3]
I told you about the fool on the hill
I tell you, man, he's living there still
Well, here's another place you can be
Listen to me

[Refrain]
Fixing a hole in the ocean
Trying to make a dovetail joint, yeah
Looking through a glass onion

[Instrumental Outro]



@MrSirDrew

Lyrics
I told you about strawberry fields
You know the place where nothing is real
Well here's another place you can go
Where everything flows
Looking through the bent backed tulips
To see how the other half live
Looking through a glass onion

I told you about the walrus and me, man
You know that we're as close as can be, man
Well here's another clue for you all
The walrus was Paul
Standing on the cast iron shore, yeah
Lady Madonna trying to make ends meet, yeah
Looking through a glass onion

Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Looking through a glass onion

I told you about the fool on the hill
I tell you man he living there still
Well here's another place you can be
Listen to me
Fixing a hole in the ocean
Trying to make a dove-tail joint, yeah
Looking through a glass onion



All comments from YouTube:

@narande9818

Onion

@ephos5727

He sure was right.

@elsurfo4330

I'm here!

:D

@krishnamaya2275

Well Brian Was right!!!!

@mattdyer9544

Can confirm

@ankansengupta

I'm Here!!!
BTW People Saying That they're 14,Well Here's Another Clue for you all- I'm 11!

285 More Replies...

@crackstuntman2261

You will forever be mentioned in the same breath as the Mona Lisa.

@sachatasha

Ihi thanks 😢 for all the lovely help with this lovely Xmas day hugs😂 j 😮thanks again Sacha for your letting you out know soon soon jmiss 🎉😅😅it’s😅wayyf😮

@FelipeRiveraV

@@sachatasha????

@evanhdez

@@FelipeRiveraV sacha is probably on drugs

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