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
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 people
Living life in peace
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
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
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 live as one
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
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
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
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 live as one
Although the two songwriters have an extremely similar message, they present them in different tones and styles. In "Imagine," an ethereal portrait of an alternative world is presented within the lyrics, while "Belief" harshly points to belief in something (whether a religion, moral code, cultural superiority, etc.) as the root cause of conflict and war.
From the first time I heard "Imagine," something bothered me about it, something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Superficially, the message within the song is one of peace among all people--in itself, a good thing. However, if one looks deeper into the lyrics, this peace comes at the cost of religious freedom, personal property, and statehood. When one peels away the layers of mysticism and sanguinity, the stark planks of pure socialism are revealed. As even the World Socialist Movement itself declares,
"Imagine is a humanistic song par excellence, denying humans the place they often accord themselves in the spiritual universe, and instead relegating them to their material and exquisitely beautiful home of Earth. This Lennon does to urge his fellow men and women to unite in creating a world fit to live upon, one without countries, war, religion, or private property. Sharing this world together as a true 'brotherhood of man,' some in the World Socialist Movement have wondered if he wrote this song after reading a copy of the Socialist Standard, which is not impossible considering his extensive reading of radical journals following the demise of the Beatles, although it is not known if he actually read the Standard, a journal that has also been advocating a nationless, classless, moneyless society of common ownership since 1904."
In the same way, John Mayer's song "Belief" also denys humans the right to individualiity and investigation, asking that, for the goal of peace, we refuse our innate desire to form a personal worldview and instead must accept perfect, absolute, indisputible equality in all things. What is it that separartes humans from other creatures? Probably a multitude of different elements, but in this list, must not creativity and individuality be included?
In closing, I would like to say that I do not personally advocate conflict and war. I also believe that a peaceful world would be the best, but my conscience does not allow me to sacrifice liberty and independence for the sake of a utopia; there simply must be another way to achieve peace without stripping away each human being to a naked and empty shell of humanity.
Sources:
http://www.worldsocialism.org/articles/imagine_by_john_lennon.php
http://www.metrolyrics.com/imagine-lyrics-john-lennon.html
"Imagine is a humanistic song par excellence, denying humans the place they often accord themselves in the spiritual universe, and instead relegating them to their material and exquisitely beautiful home of Earth. This Lennon does to urge his fellow men and women to unite in creating a world fit to live upon, one without countries, war, religion, or private property. Sharing this world together as a true 'brotherhood of man,' some in the World Socialist Movement have wondered if he wrote this song after reading a copy of the Socialist Standard, which is not impossible considering his extensive reading of radical journals following the demise of the Beatles, although it is not known if he actually read the Standard, a journal that has also been advocating a nationless, classless, moneyless society of common ownership since 1904."
In the same way, John Mayer's song "Belief" also denys humans the right to individualiity and investigation, asking that, for the goal of peace, we refuse our innate desire to form a personal worldview and instead must accept perfect, absolute, indisputible equality in all things. What is it that separartes humans from other creatures? Probably a multitude of different elements, but in this list, must not creativity and individuality be included?
In closing, I would like to say that I do not personally advocate conflict and war. I also believe that a peaceful world would be the best, but my conscience does not allow me to sacrifice liberty and independence for the sake of a utopia; there simply must be another way to achieve peace without stripping away each human being to a naked and empty shell of humanity.
Sources:
http://www.worldsocialism.org/articles/imagine_by_john_lennon.php
http://www.metrolyrics.com/imagine-lyrics-john-lennon.html
