Does anyone know if there's a specific meaning behind the song Come Together by the Beatles?

Question

It sounds like there's a meaning but I don't know what it is. Songmeanings.net is filled with a bunch of crappy conjectures that I could easily come up with on my own. Is there a meaning or should I just stop thinking and go to sleep for once?

Answer 1

The most likely meaning to Come Together would be about the band itself coming together. Since they where having such troubles at the time its fairly likey thats the meaning.
From looking at the lyrics you can see that Lennon mentions himself several times in the lyrics.
*He got to be a joker - lennon is known to be a joker
*He shoot coca cola - in the film a hard days night he pretends to snort a coca cola bottle while on the train and he was taking cocain around that time
*He got walrus gumboot - the song I am the walrus
*Ono sideboard - yoko ono
*one and one and one is three - it might be a refernce to the split in the group with John, George and Ringo on one side and Paul on the other.
From looking at this I'm convicned its got meaning now. My best guess is he's talking about himself and some of his problems but by saying come together he's just saying accept me for who I am.
Thats my best guess I dont know for sure I haven't read to much on meanings of Beatles songs but I hope that helps!

Answer 2

The Beatles A to Z (1980) is a definitive reference book and it does not list any specific meaning for Come Together.
The only thing is does mention is Lennon was sued for stealing the opening lyrics to this song from an early Chuck Berry recording. A settlement was made, and John agreed to record two Chuck Berry songs in the future.He fulfilled his commitment when he released his Rock 'N' Roll album in 1975 with "You Can't Catch Me" and "Sweet Little Sixteen" on it.

Answer 3

Timothy Leary was a psychologist who became famous for experimenting with LSD as a way to promote social interaction and raise consciousness. Leary did many experiments on volunteers and himself and felt the drug had many positive qualities if taken correctly. When the government cracked down on LSD, Leary's experiments were stopped and he was arrested on drug charges. In 1969, Leary decided to run for Governor of California, and asked John Lennon to write a song for him. "Come Together, Join The Party" was Leary's campaign slogan (a reference to the drug culture he supported) and was the original title of the song. Leary never had much of a campaign, but the slogan gave Lennon the idea for this song.

Answer 4

"The song's history began with Lennon writing a song for Timothy Leary's failed gubernatorial campaign in California against Ronald Reagan, one which promptly ended when Leary was sent to prison for possession of marijuana. It was transformed by Lennon into a track with digs at McCartney and Harrison interspersed alongside tales of his Bagism movement with wife Yoko Ono. It was the subject of a lawsuit brought against Lennon by Chuck Berry's music publisher, Morris Levy, due to the fact that one line in "Come Together" closely resembled a line of Berry's You Can't Catch Me: (i.e. The Beatles' "Here come ol' flattop, he come groovin' up slowly" vs. Berry's "Here come up flattop, he was groovin' up with me"). After settling out of court, Lennon promised to record other songs owned by Levy, all of which were released on Lennon's 1975 album Rock 'n' Roll.

Lennon played rhythm guitar in addition to singing the vocal. Each exclamation of 'shoot' one hears during the opening bass line is actually 'shoot me', although 'shoot' is immediately followed by a handclap which drowns out the word 'me'. Also, at approximately 2:17 in the song, Lennon can be heard shouting something indiscernible, though it is very faint. McCartney played bass and the electric piano (estimated as "southern" by John), Harrison lead guitar, and Ringo Starr drums and maracas. It was produced by George Martin and recorded at the end of July 1969 at Abbey Road Studios.

Rolling Stone ranked "Come Together" at #202 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

The famous Beatles Walrus from "I Am the Walrus" returns, in the line "He got walrus gumboot". He also appeared in Glass Onion.

On the compilation album Love, Come Together is the 19th track, with guitars and drums from the songs Dear Prudence and Cry Baby Cry in background. in the end of the track the guitar from Baby You're A Rich Man can be heard clearly."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Come_Together

Answer 5

I think it was just a protest to the war.
Many songs around that time were...

Answer 6

its about john lennon...he wrote it about himself

Answer 7

I thinks its called a circle something or other, hmmmmmmmm..............