John Lennon: Imagine Meaning

Song Released: 1971

Imagine Lyrics

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the...

1. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Mar 29th 2011 !⃝

   ok in my opinion and others i HATE! this song im a christian and war has started not only bc of religion but bc of money! land! and everyone is saying they want this and when they cant have it they will go to war! i do not like this song i think if u bealive in christ then dont even say jst stop and think abt if there is a god or heaven or hell. in the bible it says IF U BELIVE DO NOT DOUBT ME! MEANS DONT EVEN THINK ABT ANOTHER PLACE WITHOUT HEAVEN OR HELL BC WHEN U DO THT UR BASICALLY DOUBTING IT! AND ALSO U CNT THINK ABT ANOTHER PERFECT WORLD BC A. NOTHING IS PERFECT EXCEPT FOR CHRIST AND B. HOW DO U THINK WE GOT INTO THIS WORLD BC GOD IN HEAVEN CREATED US, AND SATAN WAS A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST UNTIL HE WANTED TO TAKE OVER AND THATS HOW THERE IS A HELL! EVEN SATAN KNOW'S THERES A JESUS AND A HEAVEN! COME ON PEOPLE HOLD ON TO UR SEATS AND FACE REALALITY BC IM SURE WHEN U DIE AND U THINK THIS IS SUCH A WONDERFUL SONG AND U GO TO HELL UR GUNNA REGRET IT! ALSO JOHN LENNON SAID HE'S BIGGER THEN CHRIST! HOW THE HECK DO U THINK HE GOT ON THIS WORLD BC GOD CREATED HIM, AND LOOK HE DIED GUESS WHERE HE IS NOW! HMM THINK BEFORE U WRITE SOMTHING AND ALSO IF U BELIVE IN SOMETHING DONT STOP FOR A SEC AND THINK ABT WELL WHT IF THTS NOT TRUE JST BC A BIG FAMOUS GUY SAID IT! IM A 8TH GRADE GIRL IN CHOIR WHO YELLED AT MY CHOIR TEACHER TAKING A STAND AND SAYING IM NOT SINGING THIS! AND BASICALLY THR THE MUSIC IN HER FACE! AND U KNOW WHAT MY FRIENDS, MY BOYFRIEND, AND EVEN PEOPLE I DONT TALK TO THINK IM RIGHT BC U CNT SAY IMAGINE THIS AND THAT IF U BELIVE IN IT ITS LIKE UR DOUBTING ITS REAL SO IF U DO THAT WHY WASTE UR TIME EVEN BELIEVEING IN ANYTHING ANYWAYS AND WHEN U DIE HOPE TO GO TO THT FAKE LITTLE PLACE! BC THERES ONLY TWO PLACES TO GO TO H. E. A.V.E.N. OR H. E. L. L. !!!!! in my opinion

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
2. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Feb 22nd 2011 !⃝

   The song is pleasing to the ears with a mild and melodic tune. Lennon's voice is soft and reassuring with a certain type of warmth and gentleness. That's where the songs positive attributes end for me.
   
   The very first line of the song is an attack on religion almost as if he's telling people to stop asking the oldest question in the world. "Why are we here and where did we come from?"
   
   I have no problem with those who choose to be athiest or agnostic, but let's call it like he says it. "Imagine there's no Heaven." Imagine life without God or for me...Imagine life without Christ. So the song starts out with an anti-Christian overtone for me PERSONALLY.
   
   He follows that up with "Imagine all the people living for today." Easy for John Lennon to do when he had more money than he could ever spend. What message is he sending to us working class stiffs? Just live for today and everything will be fine? Gimme a break. Why don't we all go out and plant a tree while we're at it.
   
   So now that Lennon has suggested we removed God from our lives and simply live within the moment. He goes on to imagine live without boarders. Give up aligence to the system and embrace one world, one people, communal living, no responsibility socialistic lifestyle. I guess that by doing this, we will then receive total enlightenment (without God) and then decide to all live in peace. The problem that I have with this verse is that Lennon is now describing "HEAVEN" which is what he asked us to "IMAGINE" didn't exist!!! Just some more idealistic, touchy-feely blah blah blah!
   
   His chorus is the only part of the song that seems to wake up out of this dreamy, make believe, fairy tale that he sings about. That is when he calls himself a "Dreamer". To me, the meaning of the song is that we need to embrace the realities of the world. A world that will never change...but we can still dream!!!
3. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Feb 21st 2011 !⃝

   Imagine: Lyrics Bill Maher would have written if he had talent.
4. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Jan 4th 2011 !⃝

   In my opinion, this world is hell, and there never will be a Utopia here. Yes, poor John... he was a DREAMER! Period. Too bad he himself, rarely lived up to what he sang about. I still loved his music though. ;-)
5. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Jan 1st 2011 !⃝

   The song Imagine by John Lennon he's singing about the new world order. The lyrics speak for itself
6. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Dec 30th 2010 !⃝

   You need to listen to lyrics carefully and understand them what he is singing about is the new world order. Here are some lyrics: the world will live as one, imagine there no religion. You need to read between the lines the whole song is a story.
7. victork

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Oct 27th 2010 !⃝

   I enjoyed everyone's interpretation of this profound song. I think this song is widely misunderstood by many as a promotion of anarchy and atheism, which it is not. The song, in my opinion, is about freedom. Lennon isn't saying that God doesn't exist in the song, he simply is asking us to "Imagine" a place where we could be free to believe or not to believe any god or religion, and by extension, a place where we wouldn't have to worry about others imposing their own moral or religious views upon us. He also sings about a place that is free of war and poverty, a place where people are free to freely live life in peace and pursue their interests, hopes and dreams.
   
   The fact is, this utopia, ideally (and that's the key word) should already exist. It's called the United States of America - a place in which people are free to do all of these things. So in essence, Lennon is actually singing about what America should be as opposed to what it actually is. By doing so, he's also asking the most important question without really asking it: "America can be an ideal place to live, so how did we screw it up so badly?" I suppose greed, lust for wealth and power, and peoples' tendency to impose their moral and religious views upon others has turned America in to a hegemony rather than a democracy. Essentially, America has become a playground in which the wealthy and powerful are only allowed to play in, while the rest of us simply are forced to watch them. If we disagree with them in any way, we're either declared crazy or arrested. So the song, in essence, is also about the tragedy of how far America has strayed from its ideals.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
8. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Oct 17th 2010 !⃝

   Imagine? Marx, Lenin,and Stalin did. The song sounds so nice (imagine all the people sharing all the word)- how sweet. This concept is why millions upon millions have died trying to create such a "Utopia". To create a world with "no possessions", means having to give up anything you've worked for (ask the Russian peasants after they were forced into collectivized farming or killed for resisting). God was effectively eliminated in this nihilistic society too. A world that could only be realized by KILLING anyone that didn't want to partake in this experiment. No free will permitted. No god. No possessions. Brotherhood of man. North Korea is still trying. Yeah, imagine.
9. anonymous

   • 1
   • 2
   • 3
   • 4
   • 5

   click a star to vote

   Sep 24th 2010 !⃝

   This song is so simple but means so much to all of us. It's really a great song.
   *peace*
10. dusty_htv

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5

    click a star to vote

    Aug 26th 2010 !⃝

    This is what I think ...
    
    John used " Imagine " to avoid making people offended . He was imagine things that can't be true but he still believed that it could happen .
    
    No hell and no heaven = He doesn't believe in religion . Religions usually use " hell " for people who have done bad according to those religions and heaven for those who follow God ( people see God in different ways ) or according to those religions. John didn't say anything about God but did about religion . Maybe there is a God but God doesn't need a religion . When there is no religion ( although there is God ) , there is no rule and so ... So people will not fight because of different believes . *** Wait , example in Buddhism , Buddha is not a God . He doesn't set rules and put people in Hell or whatever lol ... John may have talked about some Abrahamic religions like Christianity , Judaism ,Islam .
    
    There is no country so there won't be war cause there is no country to belong to anyone lol for people to make war and get the land . As we know , no war = no killing = no dying.
    
    There is no possession ? Country is a kind of possession . That is why people fight for their country . It is a not - so - nice ideal if there is no possession like the money is the same for all whether you work hard or in a lazy way lol. Neither it's not about not having a house or having a car lol . I think " no possession " here is a way to add the meaning for " no country " . If there is no country , there is no possession of anyone related to country => Everywhere will be one so people don't have to make war anymore . Also , there is no country ... no different political views => no fight ( again ) . But all people have to think so peacefully like John did otherwise this world would be a chaos LOL
    
    What a crap I've written !

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
11. anonymous

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5

    click a star to vote

    Aug 12th 2010 !⃝

    did anyone of you know about the group illuminati?? they're the group who wants to have a new world order meaning a one world one government. . . and john lennon and the beatles are a member of this group. .in the line "you may say I'm a dreamer but I'm not the only one, I hope someday you'll join us and the world will be as one. . " it is quite obvious in this lines right? pls. search more about this group. . then you'll know something scary. .
12. Tyler77

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5

    click a star to vote

    Jul 20th 2010 !⃝

    John Lennon preaching from his mansion about how people should forget about real life and be more like him.
    
    "Imagine there's no Heaven"
    
    I don't need to Imagine that John, it's simply a fact.
    
    "It's easy if you try"
    
    Easy for you maybe. Less easy for brainwashed religious types.
    
    "No hell below us"
    
    Again, the only thing below me is the planet Earth.
    
    "Above us only sky"
    
    And a bunch of spy satellites and polluting jet planes.
    
    "Imagine there's no countries"
    
    Ah yes, like there was when we lived as nomads and speared our food and each other, living to the age of 20 if we were lucky.
    
    "It isn't hard to do."
    
    No, it isn't. We only have to turn on the news and look at Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, to see what happens when there is no government.
    
    "Nothing to kill or die for"
    
    Except finite resources in a short lifespan
    
    "And no religions too."
    
    Forgetting that religious war is always a disguise for a struggle over the finite resources.
    
    "Imagine all the people, living life in peace"
    
    Nobody lives their life in peace John. We must all fight to survive.
    
    "You may say that I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
    I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will be as one"
    
    In other words, join John's religion - it's the only true one. Oh hang on, that's what they all say...
    
    "Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can"
    
    Patronizing bastard.
    Most of the world doesn't need to imagine that John. It's their daily reality. They certainly can't afford consumer luxuries like Beatles records. And hang on, aren't you writing this on your grand piano in your mansion, with a gold-plated Rolls Royce in the garage?
    
    "No need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man"
    
    People are different John, you will never change that. It's a natural human survival trait to fight others, for we are animals in a hostile universe, competing for limited resources.
    
    "Imagine all the people, sharing all the world."
    
    We already do share the world. It's just some of us share more than others.
    
    This bloody song gets right on my tits.
13. jadedfeatures77

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5

    click a star to vote

    May 12th 2010 !⃝

    All of the comments here dont exactly interpret the song, you guys are just taking the lyrics as they are and putting them into explanations, most of this song is about the new world order, which is when the world will truely live as one, most celebrities do sing about this, you can find it in stairway to heaven "when all is one and one is all", for more info on the new world order and celebrities following it you can refer to youtube or google. he even denies heaven and saying no hell below us because one day earth will be hell and there wont be anymore skies as he also mentions "imagine no skies".
14. m320753

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5

    click a star to vote

    Apr 26th 2010 !⃝

    Unfortunately this beautiful song goes against my and many others tenet of faith.
15. mgzaw99

    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5

    click a star to vote

    Apr 25th 2010 !⃝

    If John Lennon were alive today,what would he say about the world with terrorism & nuclear weapons.The controversial image of John Lennon was destroyed by his masterpiece IMAGINE.This song is modern classic.John Lennon is genius.Also a Legend.

Latest Articles

• 
  Anime to watch for the soundtracks… and other reasons you’re undateable
• 
  Dolly, we need you
• 
  The Stranger Things Effect: How new media is drawing Gen Z and Alpha's attention to aging media
• 
  The most underrated soundtrack of the early 2000s
• 
  Buy the Soundtrack, Skip the Movie: Brainscan (1994)
• 
  Let’s Go to the Hop - Ignore That Door’s Four Bunnies and a Beatbox