March 05, 2004
Curious, George: nagging question... What is the song "Happiness is a Warm Gun" actually about?
Sex?
aforementioned lyrics:
Happiness is a Warm Gun
She's not a girl who misses much
Do do do do do do do do- oh yea!
She's well acquainted with the touch of the velvet hand
Like a lizard on a window pane
The man in the crowd with the multicoloured mirrors
On his hobnail boots
Lying with his eyes while his hands are busy
Working overtime
A soap impression of his wife which he ate
And donated to the National Trust
I need a fix 'cause I'm going down
Down to the bits that I left uptown
I need a fix cause I'm going down
Mother Superior jump the gun
Mother Superior jump the gun
Mother Superior jump the gun
Mother Superior jump the gun
Happiness is a warm gun
Happiness is a warm gun
When I hold you in my arms
And I feel my finger on your trigger
I know no one can do me no harm
Because happiness is a warm gun
-Yes it is.
I'm going for masturbation.
MotherSuperiorFilter.
According to a John Lennon Forum:
"Released: on "The Beatles": 22 Nov 68 (UK), 25 Nov 68 (US)
Notes: Title came from a gun ad with added sexual meaning. Phrases added by friends when on an acid trip. Derek Taylor suggested "She's not a girl who misses much." "Velvet touch" was about fellow wearing moleskin gloves for sex. Lizard on window was from events in LA. "Multicolored mirrors" was from a news story about a Manchester City soccer fan arrested for putting mirrors on his shoes to look up dresses. "Lying with his eyes while his hands were working overtime," was ostensibly from a shoplifter who had fake arms in his coat. "Donating to the National Trust," was slang for shitting (donating what you'd eaten) on National Trust (public park) property."
My take - You're pretty content after you've shot your load, whichever load that might be. The truly great song writers are able to layer meaning so well that songs can be interpreted in myriad ways.
Charles Manson thought it was a call for Blacks to arm themselves and kill whitey.
And before anyone tries to make a conceptual link by posting that Manson auditioned for the Monkees.. that's an UL.
Here's my analysis:
(on preview: disturbingly, I actually got one bit of this right...)
She's not a girl who misses much
She’s always staring lustfully at people, and stores away these illicit glances to fantasise about later
Do do do do do do do do- oh yea!
Wank wank wank wank wank wank wank wank – oh yes
She's well acquainted with the touch of the velvet hand
She masturbates a lot
Like a lizard on a window pane
Like a lizard on a window pane (?)
The man in the crowd with the multicoloured mirrors
On his hobnail boots
’Multicoloured mirrors’ is clearly a reference to ‘rose-tinted spectacles’, in other words seeing things as better than they are. The fact that they’re on his boots means that he’s using them to look up girl’s skirts
Lying with his eyes while his hands are busy
Masturbating
Working overtime
Masturbating
A soap impression of his wife which he ate
Rather than sleep with his wife, he masturbated in the bathroom
And donated to the National Trust
No, don't understand this bit
I need a fix 'cause I'm going down
I want to masturbate
Down to the bits that I left uptown
Mesturbate my penis, that is. ‘Left uptown’ probably refers to the filthy sights the narrator will be thinking about while masturbating.
I need a fix cause I'm going down
As before
Mother Superior jump the gun
Hold onto my penis with my hand. (‘Mother Superior’ = habit?)
Mother Superior jump the gun
As before
Mother Superior jump the gun
Ditto
Mother Superior jump the gun
Etc.
Happiness is a warm gun
Masturbating is brilliant
Happiness is a warm gun
Really, wanking is fantastic
When I hold you in my arms
When I hold my penis in my hands
And I feel my finger on your trigger
And feel my fingers on the most sensitive parts of my penis
I know no one can do me no harm
I like wanking
Because happiness is a warm gun
Because wanking is really great, it is
-Yes it is.
Probably
gosh, that ole charlie manson had it *all* figgered out, din't he?
Think I first read this one in the novel From Here To Eternity or possibly it was Battle Cry, where the story context is that one of the new men in a company fails to clean his rifle thoroughly, so the drill instructor makes him stand with his fly open and has him make appropriate gestures while uttering:
This one's my rifle, that one's my gun,
This one's for fighting, that one's for fun.
[Or words very like those.]
On later hearing the Beatles song I had no doubt 'gun' refers to the male member, and cursory rummaging on the net seems to indicate it had real currency among members of the Marine Corps.
As a possibly related sidenote, re Mother Superior -- old Victorian and pre-Victorian slang for a proprietress of a bawdyhouse was abbess, prioress, and also Mother of All Saints was a Victorian synonym for the female pudenda.
cue Full Metal Jacket
*damn*
I love you people.
(this is good)
Let me just go drop some acid, I'll listen to the song in about 45 minutes, then I'll let ya'll know exactly what it's all about. At that point not only will I be able to answer anyone's question with no small amount of brilliance but I will likely be seeing Mandelbrot sets everywhere I look.
Oh man, count me *in*
Interesting. I like flashboy's interpretation best.
(yes, this is very good)
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