The Beatles – ‘Happiness Is A Warm Gun’

Mother Superior, Jump the Gun…

The White Album by The Beatles is widely regarded as one of the best albums of the 20th century, and for good reason; with tracks like ‘Happiness Is A Warm Gun’ that showcase John Lennon’s gift as a composer and not just a lyricist, it’s incredibly difficult to overlook the contibution The Beatles made to the music world!

The title came from an article in a gun magazine John Lennon saw. “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” was the slogan of the National Rifle Association. It struck Lennon as “fantastic, insane… a warm gun means you’ve just shot something.”

What I love most about ‘Happiness Is A Warm Gun’ are the odd time signatures. As a composer, John Lennon had his work cut out for him; the song took over 15 hours and 100 takes to get to the end result, and the 6/8 middle section was made more convoluted by Ringo continuing to drum in 4/4 time. If The Beatles weren’t considered ahead of their time before this, then this is the song that changed peoples’ minds!

A (really good!) theatrical rendition of ‘Happiness Is A Warm Gun’ was featured in the 2005 epic Across The Universe, sung by Joe Anderson and Salma Hayek.

+ Happiness Is A Warm Gun lyrics +

She’s not a girl who misses much
Do do do do do do do do, oh yeah
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

Down
I need a fix cos I’m going down
Down to the bits that I left uptown
I need a fix cos I’m going down

Mother Superior jump the gun
Mother Superior jump the gun
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 bang, bang, shoot, shoot)
Happiness is a warm gun, mama (Happiness bang, bang, shoot, shoot)
When I hold you in my arms (Oo-oo oh yeah)
And I feel my finger on your trigger (Oo-oo oh yeah)
I know no one can do me no harm (Oo-oo oh yeah)
Because happiness is a warm gun, mama (Happiness bang, bang, shoot, shoot)
Happiness is a warm gun, yes it is (Happiness bang, bang, shoot, shoot)
Happiness is a warm, yes it is, gun (Happiness bang, bang, shoot, shoot)
Well, don’t you know happiness is a warm gun, mama? (Happiness is a warm gun, yeah)