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I Am the Walrus

The Beatles

I Am the Walrus Lyrics

[Verse 1]
I'm crying

[Verse 2]
Sitting on a cornflake, waiting for the van to come
Corporation tee-shirt, stupid bloody Tuesday
Man, you've been a naughty boy, you let your face grow long

I am the egg man, they are the egg men
I am the walrus, goo goo goo joob

[Verse 3]
Mister City policeman sitting
Pretty little policemen in a row

I'm crying, I'm crying
I'm crying, I'm crying

[Verse 4]
Yellow matter custard
Dripping from a dead dog's eye

Crabalocker fishwife, pornographic priestess

I am the egg man, they are the egg men
I am the walrus, goo goo goo joob

Sitting in an English garden waiting for the sun
If the sun don't come, you get a tan
From standing in the English rain

I am the egg man (now good sir, what are you?)
They are the egg men (a poor man, made tame to fortune's blows)
I am the walrus, goo goo goo joob (good pity)
G-goo goo goo joob

[Verse 5]
Expert, textpert, choking smokers
Don't you think the joker laughs at you?
(ho ho ho, hee hee hee, ha ha ha)

See how they smile like pigs in a sty
See how they snide
I'm crying

[Verse 6]
Semolina pilchard
Climbing up the Eiffel Tower
Elementary penguin singing Hare Krishna
Man, you should have seen them kicking Edgar Allan Poe

I am the egg man, they are the egg men
I am the walrus, goo goo goo joob g-goo goo goo joob
Goo goo goo joob g-goo goo goo joob, goo goo
Joob Joob Joob

Umpa, umpa, stick it up your jumper
Everybody's got one, everybody's got one
“Villain, take my Purse. If ever thou wilt thrive, bury my Body
And give the Letters which thou findst about me
To Edmund Earl of Gloucester: seek him out upon the English Party. Oh, untimely death, death–”
“I know thee well, a serviceable Villain; as duteous to the Vices of thy Mistress as badness would desire.”
“What, is he dead?”
“Sit you down, Father; rest you.”

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About “I Am the Walrus”

“‘I Am the Walrus’ was made up of three distinctly different songs–the first is the beginning of the song, which John was given the idea of by hearing a distant police siren. The second song was about John sitting in his garden at home ("sitting in an English garden…”). The third was a song which was invented after John learned that a teacher was having his students study Beatles songs for meaning. John created the song with nonsense lines such as “elementary penguins”, “sitting on a cornflake”, and “crabalocker”. John later said “Let (the students) work that one out.” “I Am the Walrus” is notorious for being one of the first rock songs to use an orchestra."


  • Was this released as a single?

    Lennon wanted it to be released as an A-side, but George Martin considered “Hello, Goodbye” to be more commercially viable. “I Am The Walrus” ended up on the B-side of “Hello, Goodbye” and on the Magical Mystery Tour EP. Lennon complained about becoming “Paul’s backup band”, even though their previous two singles contained Lennon-penned A-sides.

  • How is Giles Martin's "Love" remix different?

    “I Am The Walrus” is one of the more conservative Love remixes. Studio chatter is added to the intro and a screaming crowd is cross-faded in the outro to assist a smooth transition into “I Want To Hold Your Hand”. No elements from other songs are added.

  • What have the artists said about the song?

    John Lennon received a letter from a pupil at Quarry Bank High School, which he had attended. The writer mentioned that the English master was making his class analyse Beatles' lyrics. (Lennon wrote an answer, dated 1 September 1967, which was auctioned by Christie’s of London in 1992.) Lennon, amused that a teacher was putting so much effort into understanding the Beatles' lyrics, decided to write in his next song the most confusing lyrics that he could.




  • Were drugs used in the making of this song?

    Yes – the first two lines of the song were written on acid (LSD).

"I Am the Walrus" Track Info