God is a
concept
by which we measure
our pain
I’ll say it again
God is a concept
by which we measure
our pain…
– Singer/Songwriter: John Winston Lennon
AND BEFORE you start screaming blasphemy and curse Moi with eternal damnation, this column has nothing to do with religion, yours or mine, whether you have one or don’t believe there is a God. This is a commentary about an artist’s song.
This is about the message the artist is expressing and his reasons, motivations and inspirations for writing this song. It just so happens he mentions God and incidentally is also the song’s title.
Basically, the song is about what the artist believes and no longer believes in, and what he holds true in his life.
On a personal note, I really don’t care what your beliefs are, you can identify yourself as a fig tree or a female penguin in heat, believe in them. Just don’t impose your beliefs on other people.
From that free online encyclopedia a.k.a. the internet:
“God” is a song from John Lennon’s first post-Beatles solo album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. The album was released on Dec. 11, 1970 in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The song was considered controversial upon release, dealing with supposedly anti-religious themes.
There are three sections in the song:
In the first section, John Lennon describes God as “a concept by which we measure our pain”.
In the second, Lennon lists many movements that he does not believe in, ending by stating that he just believes in himself (individuality) and Yoko (his wife).
The final section describes Lennon’s change since the break-up of the Beatles. While the Beatles were basically his family throughout the 1960s, he states that he is no longer the “Dreamweaver” or “The Walrus”, but just “John”. The final line of the song, “The dream is over,” in effect officially declared the end of the 1960s and its quest for meaning in utopian movements. Lennon is saying that meaning lies within oneself. “If there is a God,” Lennon explained, “we’re all it.”
This is what www.songmeanings.com has to say about this song:
John opens the song with the
declaration that God is only an idea created by man, and the more pain we feel,
the more we produce the legend of God for our own superficial comfort and
hopes. A clever device devised by man to avoid the work of dealing with our
internal personal psychological and emotional battles, which too often seems
too painful to acknowledge.
John stresses the point that no human,
especially political and/or spiritual leaders can pave the way for others. Each
person has got to realize their own inner truths through self awareness.
John knew that praying for a savior is a waste
of time and avoids the personal issues within that we each must look at and
deal with if we expect individual peace and love, which could then blossom and
flower worldwide. He had become “one” with himself, and thus had a more
meaningful, purposeful, and fulfilling relationship with his fans and Yoko.
I quite agree with this and
singer/songwriter George Michael’s line from his song “You Have Been Loved” perfectly confirms this:
“It’s a cruel world you have so much to prove and heaven help those who wait for you”
And we segue back to John Lennon’s “God”:
From www.songfacts.com:
Lennon wrote this about the worship of false idols. He felt organized religion did more harm than good. In “Imagine”, he sang about a better world where there was “no religion”.
And from www.beatlesbible.com:
On his debut solo album John Lennon closed the book on many aspects of his past. Much of the record was devoted to his troubled relationship with his parents, but The Beatles – in many ways his surrogate family throughout the 1960s – still loomed large in his life and career. On the song ‘God’ he finally broke the spell, telling the world that the dream was over with his stark revelation: “I don’t believe in Beatles”.
I just believe
in me
Yoko and me
And that’s reality
The dream is
over
what can I say?
The dream is over
Yesterday
I was the dream weaver
but now I’m reborn
I was the Walrus
But now I’m John
And so dear friends
You just have to carry on
The dream is over…
The dream finally ended on Dec. 8, 1980 when John Lennon was shot outside his apartment in New York City and died on arrival at the hospital… Imagine there’s no heaven above us only sky. (brotherlouie16@gmail.com/PN)
