the lyrics to I Found Out

[matt5]

I love this song but have to admit that I find the lyrics to be insanely over the top. I have a hard time believeing that it's actually Lennon speaking directly to us. It sounds more like a parody of a person with 'angry young man syndrome' than anything else. Or is this song done tongue in cheek? Or perhaps Lennon really is deadly serious? Who knows?

[LovinLennon909]

Like John was writing as "post-Beatles, angry Lennon character?" Yeah, I can easily see that.

[SandySunshine]

Sometimes I've listened to this song and had a chuckle at how mad some of the lyrics are!!!!!

[twovirgins]

i love the music and ringos drumming so much in this song its is angry!!

[matt5]

Come to think of it, it would have made a good White Album track.

[SandySunshine]

Come to think of it, it would have made a good White Album track.
It would have been just perfect on the White Album!!!!!!

[twovirgins]

yeah kinda in the "yer blues" vein

[theWoRd]

Wasnt it made while John was going through the primal scream therapy? I think it was a way of just getting any crazy mad thought he had out of his head. I know I say some pretty crazy things when Im mad.

[Nowheregirl]

Wasnt it made while John was going through the primal scream therapy? I think it was a way of just getting any crazy mad thought he had out of his head. I know I say some pretty crazy things when Im mad.
It sounds like he was disappointed with everything. "God" is in the same way. He always sang, what he thought.

[darkhorse]

I (honestly) believe it was serious... come to think about it, it was a hard period and this was his sort of 'exorcizing' album, trying to get away from all of his demons, including his 'I hate myself and everyone else' part. I find these verses:


I heard something 'bout my ma and my pa
They didn't want me so they made me a star


very indicative of the 'truth' on this song. In the Anthology ('Ascot') version of this, he sings "your" instead of "my" trying to get away from the subject point of view. But in the end he's speaking about himself anyway.

[Hari's Chick]

Maybe, too, John was reacting to being with George on the India trip a little. He'd invested his faith and trust and been let down by Maharishi (yes, a while before, but...) he felt disgusted and I think was trying to distance himself from everything he could be mocked for. Paul was kind of mocking him, in Let It Be movie, where he is saying about John and Maharishi 'it just wasn't you' and all this. So John was regrounding at ground zero?

But then years later life has shown him it's beauty again and he is singing 'before you go to sleep, say a little prayer...' :smile1:

It is kind of cool in one way he hit this kind of 'rock bottom' because thereafter he can know his beliefs are his true perceptions and not unformulated, unfounded 'pie in the sky' as he says here. Once you don't 'need' it all to be real or make sense, and yet it does... then it's beyond what Jesus or Krishna or Paul or parents (all mentioned in the song) have said, it is in your own self, that knowledge.

[ABCKO]

Come to think of it, it would have made a good White Album track.

Well, you already have Ringo and John on it... and, yes, I could well see Paul and George adding their contributions to this one !

... though I'm so not sure they would have WANTED to record it (as The Beatles), finding the soo too "angry", not to mention the naughty bits...

Heck, if "Cold Turkey" was vetoed by The Beatles, you never know...

[bobdude]

John was indeed angry at this time. Consider these things..... his band was breaking up(one had to completely humiliate oneself to be what the Beatles were) and not very amicably, there was a huge amount of negativity towards John and his wife (from the public and his closest associates) none of his venture were readily acceptable(from bagism, to bed-ins to the seizing of his so called pornographic lithographs) he had a recent drug bust(which was a set up in the first place) he was under going primal scream therapy(which was forcing him to deal with his anger at not having his parents) and most people wanted him to remain the cute,witty lovable mop-top that we had grown to love in A Hard Days Night. Also consider the problems in the Phillipines and the furor over the " We are bigger than Jesus" statement and all the the problems that brought upon him and his mates.( Beatle burnings and numerous death threats)Witness the lyrics to God..... I don't believe in Beatles. The dream is over. I'd say Mr. Lennon had a lot to be angry about.