The song is the lead-off track on The Beatles' September 1969 album Abbey Road.
One month later it also appeared as one of the sides of the group's twenty-first single (it was a double A-side, the other side being George Harrison's "Something ") in the United Kingdom, their twenty-sixth in the United States.
The song reached the top of the charts in the US, while becoming a Top 10 hit in the UK.
According to the Come Together Songfacts, the whispered lyric that sounds like "shoot" is actually Lennon saying "shoot me" followed by a handclap. The bass line drowns out the "me."
One of the most covered songs of all time, cover versions of "Come Together" have been recorded/performed by many artists -- such as Aerosmith, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, Gotthard, Soundgarden, Axl Rose & Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Diana Ross, Tom Jones, Joe Cocker and Sugababes.
Come Together
The Beetles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He come groovin' up slowly
He got joo-joo eyeball
He one holy roller
He got hair down to his knee
Got to be a joker he just do what he please
He wear no shoeshine
He got monkey finger
He shoot Coca-Cola
He say I know you, you know me
One thing I can tell you is you got to be free
Come together, right now
Over me
He bad production
He got walrus gumboot
He got Ono sideboard
He one spinal cracker
He got feet down below his knee
Hold you in his armchair, you can feel his disease
Come together, right now
Over me
Right!
Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh
Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh
Come, come, come, come, come
He roller coaster
He got early warning
He got muddy water
He one mojo filter
He say one and one and one is three
Got to be good-looking
'Cause he's so hard to see
Come together, right now
Over me
Oh!
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
In this song, The Beetles describe a unique character with interesting physical and personal attributes. The first few lines introduce this character as "old flat-top" who is slowly "grooving up" with his "joo-joo eyeball" and as "one holy roller." These descriptions suggest that he is a spiritual person who has a distinctive appearance. His hair reaches down to his knee, and he's described to have "Monkey finger" and "toe-jam football." The character is presented as someone who doesn't like to conform to conventional societal norms as he doesn't wear shoeshine and shoots Coca-Cola. He's also an old friend of the singer whom he claims to know well.
The chorus of the song, "Come together right now over me," can be interpreted in multiple ways. Some listeners interpret it as an invitation to unite as a society and move forward together. Others interpret it as a message of individualism and expression, signifying the character's ideology of self-expression and individual liberty.
Line by Line Meaning
Here come old flat-top
He is arriving, and has a distinctive feature on his head.
He come groovin' up slowly
He moves in a cool, leisurely way.
He got joo-joo eyeball
He has a mysterious or unconventional gaze.
He one holy roller
He is a religious enthusiast.
He got hair down to his knee
He has very long hair.
Got to be a joker he just do what he please
He is like a jester, doing whatever he wants without caring what anyone else thinks.
He wear no shoeshine
He does not polish his shoes.
He got toe-jam football
He has dirty, smelly toes.
He got monkey finger
His fingers are nimble and flexible.
He shoot Coca-Cola
He drinks and enjoys Coca-Cola.
He say I know you, you know me
He claims to be acquainted with the listener or someone the listener knows.
One thing I can tell you is you got to be free
He advises the listener to prioritize their own freedom.
Come together, right now
He calls for unity and togetherness currently.
Over me
The singer is providing a reason for the coming together, perhaps indicating they are a point of focus for the group to unify around.
He bad production
He is poorly made, or is of low quality.
He got walrus gumboot
His boots are sturdy and reminiscent of a walrus.
He got Ono sideboard
He has a piece of furniture designed by Yoko Ono.
He one spinal cracker
He has the power to break someone's spine, either literally or figuratively.
He got feet down below his knee
His feet are particularly large or long.
Hold you in his armchair, you can feel his disease
If he holds you in his chair, you will experience his discomfort or illness.
He roller coaster
He is full of energy and unpredictability, like a roller coaster ride.
He got early warning
He is intuitive and can sense important events before they happen.
He got muddy water
He has unclear or murky thoughts or intentions.
He one mojo filter
He has the power to channel spiritual energy to affect others.
He say one and one and one is three
He is stating a symbolic truth, that multiple individuals can become one unified entity.
Got to be good-looking
It is important to appear attractive.
'Cause he's so hard to see
Because he is so mysterious or enigmatic, it is difficult to perceive him clearly.
Come together, yeah
Repeating the call to unite and form a collective.
Contributed by Gavin A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
joshua estrada
Tubas look like their having the time of their lives
Nicolas Cicero
The bluecoats got robbed
Ender27
They didn’t get robbed bd was simply cleaner, but bluecoats did really good too
Eloy Molina
they had a few hiccups at finals but yea i get u, they did so good this year :/
Clark FitzGerald
Not really
steverman
1:26 if only my band got to rock out mid-show like the guys back did here
steverman
@Eloy Molina ironic that i said this, because in our 2020 show we just so happened to have a dance section just like this lmfao
Eloy Molina
steverman frrr, high school directors be kinda lame smg
Pigeon Studios
The coats were so ROBBED
Ben UK
Not Really, when you listen to this piece especially and at finals it was scrappy. Devils were tighter. Now I'm not sure if it was in the writing with the percussion but something just didn't line up. Don't get me wrong they performed the hell out if it. but it was just not quite there. Still love it though