I'm Only Sleeping

I'm Only Sleeping is one of Lennon's most Lennonesque songs: the chords keep meandering up and down, the lyrics look simple at first, but become more mysterious as you try to interpret them.

The theme is a well-known Lennon view: Lennon is right and the world is wrong. In this case, he contrasts his own relaxed approach to life, to the senseless business of the rest of us. (as in Strawberry Fields, "Nothing is real, nothing to get hung about....")

Lennon seems to have a thing with sleeping and waking up: I'm So Tired is also about a sleep/wake state, then there's the Bed-In ritual with Yoko, no. 9 Dream etc. There's A Place can also be seen in this light ('there's a place where I can go, and it's my mind'). Sleeping/lying in bed is then for Lennon a 'safe place' where the Bad World can't touch him. A typcially childish feeling, but we know Lennon was abit mixed-up......

This version combines an early take (from Anthology) with the Revolver Lyrics, and a George Martin backing track.

The lossless version is available on the compilation 'Beatle Blends".