"Yellow Submarine"

This week, I've decided to decipher the song "Yellow Submarine." "Yellow Submarine," was written in 1966 by Paul McCartney, with Ringo Starr leading the vocals, on their Revolver album. The single went to number 1 on every major British chart, and  remained at number 1 for four weeks and charted for 13 weeks. Paul's original intention was for the lead vocals to be for Ringo, which they did. I was thinking of it as a song for Ringo, which it eventually turned out to be, so Paul wrote it as he started making a story,  telling the  young kids where he'd lived. It was a song that he wanted the children to pick up on easily. The song was originally written about many different colored submarines, but eventually became only yellow.

 He explained shortly after it was released in 1966: "'Yellow Submarine' is very simple but very different. It's a fun song, a children's song. Originally we intended it to be 'Sparky' a children's record. But now it's the idea of a yellow submarine where all the kids went to have fun. I was just going to sleep one night and thinking if we had a children's song, it would be nice to be on a yellow submarine where all your friends are with a band."  Paul purposely used short words in the lyrics because he wanted kids to pick it up early and sing along. Ringo sang lead, as he did on many of the lighter Beatles songs, including "Octopus's Garden" and "Act Naturally." Originally, Ringo had a spoken intro to go with the children's story theme, but this was discarded. Ringo did eventually get his chance to narrate for children: he was voice talent on the UK cartoon Thomas The Tank Engine.

A very basic deciphering of this song for a more higher level of thinking, can be concluded by the lyrics. The Beatles opened their minds to the world ("So we sailed up to the sun") and capitalized on their knowledge through their insightful music ("Till we found the sea of green"). Unlike the wavering beliefs of individuals(which is represented through the waves), they stayed true to what they believed in (beneath the waves) ("And we lived beneath the waves"). Though they received a lot of attention (bright yellow), the Beatles were the ones looking out at the people (submarines) ("In our yellow submarine"). They need each other to maintain the power they have achieved ("As we live a life of ease, Everyone of us has all we need"). They're watching you as they interpret you. ("We all live in our yellow submarine").

In the town where I was born
Lived a man who sailed to sea
And he told us of his life
In the land of submarines
So we sailed on to the sun
Till we found a sea of green
And we lived beneath the waves
In our yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
And our friends are all aboard
Many more of them live next door
And the band begins to play
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
{Full speed ahead Mr. Boatswain, full speed ahead
Full speed ahead it is, Sgt.
Cut the cable, drop the cable
Aye, aye, Sir, aye, aye
Captain, captain}
As we live a life of ease
Every one of us has all we need
(One of us, has all we need)
Sky of blue and sea of green
(Sky of blue, sea of green)
In our yellow submarine
(In our yellow, submarine, aha)
We all live in a yellow submarine
A yellow submarine, yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
A yellow submarine, yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine