The Beatles – ‘Day Tripper’

Got a good reason…

The Beatles were great at saying things that many bands during the 60s and early 70s were afraid to say, and tackled subjects that other groups wouldn’t. ‘Day Tripper’ is no different!

John Lennon had a killer sense of humor, and penned the lyrics to The Beatles’ ‘Day Tripper’ both appease the band’s label who demanded a hot, new single and also to poke fun at the straight laced Paul McCartney who’d never even tried LSD. However, the song is actually about what John referred to as, ‘weekend hippies’.

What Is A Day Tripper, Exactly?

John Lennon explained, “Day trippers are people who go on a day trip, right? Usually on a ferryboat or something. But the song was kind of – you’re just a weekend hippie. Get it?”

I love this song because it’s one of the first songs with a direct reference to LSD usage, a pretty taboo subject to discuss publicly during the 60s. While we can all agree that John’s ego was a little ridiculous at times, you have to love the fact that he always said what others were thinking, whether you really wanted to hear it or not!

+ Day Tripper lyrics +

Got a good reason for taking the easy way out
Got a good reason for taking the easy way out now
She was a day tripper, a one way ticket yeah
It took me so long to find out, and I found out

She’s a big teaser, she took me half the way there
She’s a big teaser, she took me half the way there now
She was a day tripper, a one way ticket yeah
It took me so long to find out, and I found out

Tried to please her, she only played one night stands
Tried to please her, she only played one night stands now
She was a day tripper, a Sunday driver yeah
It took me so long to find out, and I found out

Day tripper
Day tripper yeah
Day tripper
Day tripper yeah
Day tripper