Beatles - Come Together Lyrics Meaning

Here's the answer key:
Yes, Come Together started out as a Timothy Leary campaign song. But in Lennon's own words "I never got around to it and wrote 'Come Together' instead."

Each verse is John's view of each member.
verse 1 George 2 Ringo 3 John 4 Paul

verse 1 George
Here comes old flattop - George collected guitars and nicknamed his Fender Stratacaster Flattop Guitar Rocky.

He comes grooving up slowly - George's personality: Calm, collected and under control. He's in tune and moving at his own pace.

He got joo joo eyeball - Eyeball singular refers to the 3rd eye of spiritual awareness. Joo Joo means magic in the Voo Doo religion. The mystical magical 3rd eye of Kirshna spiritual awareness.

He's one holy roller - George's spiritual awareness was not Christian. Harrison embraced Indian culture and Hinduism in the mid 60's.

He got hair down to his knees - when sitting in the yoga position to meditate
his hair nearly touched his knees.

He got to be a Joker he just do what he please. - not a joker in the prankster sense, remember this is from John's point of view. John was an emotional hipster, George was cool, calm and collected. John ran hot, George ran cool. John marveling at how things that upset him seemingly rolled off George like water off a duck. Really? Paul's antics don't upset you, you got to be joking!...You got to be a Joker to just take it and go about your business and just do what you please.

verse 2 Ringo
He wears no shoeshine - unpolished, what you see is what you get kind of guy.

He got monkey finger - he's kind of clumsy

He got toe jam football - likes soccer [sport of the common man in England]

He shoot coca cola - Ringo's favorite drink was Scotch & Coke. In 1969 coca-cola approached the Beatles to shoot commercials.
Though a commercial was never made, still shots from photo shoot still exist. To John's artistic sense shooting a commercial would be selling out. This song was written in 1969 Ringo's willingness to endorse coca-cola is fresh in John's mind. Absolutely nobody was shooting cocaine in the 60's certainly not any of the Beatles. The drugs of the 60's grass, heroin and LSD. Cocaine came later in the 70's.

He say "I know you you know me" - Ringo filled in for Peter Best on drumms when Best would miss gigs, when Best finally quit, Ringo was his replacement because of his familiarity not because of his talent.
"I know you you know me" sums up why he was their drummer. At the time he wasn't the best drummer available, but he was dependable. In John's view Ringo was a reliable common man, a bit crude and clumsy, but he got the job done.

One thing I can tell you is you got to be free - common sense advice by Ringo when Paul and John each talked about going solo or because John subconsciously thought of himself as better than the other 3 especially Ringo, he subconsciously inserts his excuse for his own bad behavior. Afterall it is the only line in the entire song using "I" as though the writer is speaking. In a playboy interview John humbly stated he grew up a 1/2 class higher than the others because they grew up in public housing and his parents owned their own home with a yard. Doing a magazine interview he knows anything he says will be public, so of course he would down play class difference. My analysis is subconsciously John thought of himself as at least 1 and a 1/2 classes better than Scotch & Coke drinking Ringo.

verse 3 John
He bag production - John saying "Nailed it" I bagged it as in a big game hunter bagging a trophy buck.

He got walrus gumboot - John was proud he wrote I am the Walrus.

He got Ono sideboard - Yoko Ono was his wife, his sideboard or support.

He's one spinal cracker - a back breaker, a hard man.

He got feet down below his knees - stands on his own two feet, bows a knee to no man or thing. A direct contrast to George in verse 1 sitting, meditating [bended knees] with hair down to his knees.

Hold you in his arm chair - perhaps hold you in his arms yeah [still same meaning]
You can feel his disease -
Holding one in your arms you could feel them sobbing when they cry. Crying is a symptom of emotional illness. The sickness is from the strife and turmoil within the group. Sick & tired of all the in fighting.
In his presence you can feel his disease, those close to him can feel his pain.

Come together - calling the group to unite.
Right now - time is of the essence
Over Me - subconsciously John thinks only of himself....it's all about ME.

John was not as good a man as what he thought himself to be. He basicly abandoned his 1st wife Cynthia and his 4 year old son Julian. He gave her a lump sum out of court divorce settlement of less than $200,000. He saw so little of Julian growing up that Julian later stated Paul was more of a father figure in his life than John.

Of the 4 verses the only verse that didn't contain anything negative about the person was the verse he wrote about himself. His "disease" was John being a "poor me baby" look what I have to put up with, he plays the martyr. John views himself as a self made, back breaker of a man, standing on his own two feet and bends no knee to anyone with no need of God. Remember his infamous quote about the Beatles being bigger than Jesus? Clearly he likes George the best of the other 3, but he views him as his opposite, but weak and not his equal.
He's dismissive of Ringo as ordinary and not as evolved as him
self. Paul has talent and John knows it, but doesn't like him, saying what good is it to follow a leader that goes in a circle. That he saves his harshest criticism for Paul to end the song speaks volumes.

verse 4 Paul
He roller coaster - he has a roller coaster personality

He got early warning - right from the start when they met as teenagers

He got muddy water - he's got the blues

He's one mojo filter - Paul's buzz kill attitude interferes with the band's creative juices.

He say "One and one and one is three" - Paul had already talked about going solo, and said IF he did, the 3 remaining could carry on just fine without him.

Got to be good looking 'cause he's so hard to see. - Paul was known as the cute Beatle. John is saying it's a good thing Paul is good looking because there is little inside him to see or worth seeing, that Paul lacks depth as a human.

Come Together is a favorite of mine. It's an example of the sum being greater than it's individual parts. Ringo's drumming is super, George's guitar, always good but especially at the end, John's voice, Paul's aid in composing it all just blends so well together.

If anyone feels I missed something, I'm willing to listen.

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