Happiness is a Warm Gun
Producer
Happiness is a Warm Gun Lyrics
[Verse 1: John Lennon, John Lennon & Paul McCartney]
She's not a girl who misses much
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
[Part II: The Junkie – 00:43-01:35]
[Guitar Solo]
[Verse 2: John Lennon]
(Down)
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
[Bridge: John Lennon & Paul McCartney]
Mother Superior jumped the gun
Mother Superior jumped the gun
Mother Superior jumped the gun
Mother Superior jumped the gun
Mother Superior jumped the gun
Mother Superior jumped the gun
[Chorus]
Happiness is a warm gun (Bang, bang, shoot, shoot)
Happiness is a warm gun, mama (Bang, bang, shoot, shoot)
[Verse 3]
When I hold you in my arms (Ooh, oh, yeah)
And I feel my finger on your trigger (Ooh, oh, yeah)
I know nobody can do me no harm (Ooh, oh, yeah)
Because
[Outro]
(Happiness) Is a warm gun, mama (Bang, bang, shoot, shoot)
Happiness is a warm gun, yes, it is (Bang, bang, shoot, shoot)
Happiness is a warm, yes, it is, gun (Happiness, bang, bang, shoot, shoot)
Well, don't you know that happiness is a warm gun, mama?
(Is a warm gun, yeah)
About
“Happiness is a Warm Gun” was another one which was banned on the radio – they said it was about shooting up drugs. But they were advertising guns and I thought it was so crazy that I made a song out of it. It wasn’t about ‘H’ at all.
- John Lennon, Anthology
The title “Happiness is a Warm Gun” was inspired by a headline on a gun magazine which producer George Martin had shown Lennon.
The song was extremely difficult for the band to record with its multiple tempo and style changes – it took 70 takes, all in all. However, Paul McCartney later went on to call it his favorite song of the White Album sessions. Lennon, too, was extremely proud of this song, especially the way it seemed to encompass several different styles of rock music at once.
In spite of Lennon’s denial, the song was recorded while Lennon was addicted to heroin, and many of the lines have been interpreted by fans as being allusions to this addiction.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
It was put together from bits of about three different songs and just seemed to run the gamut of many types of rock music. […] I consider it one of my best. It’s a beautiful song, and I really like all the things that are happening in it.
—John Lennon
I like it. It’s a favorite of mine. […] It’s just such a great line, “Happiness Is A Warm Gun,” that John sort of took that and used that as a chorus. And the rest of the words, I think they’re great words, you know. […] It’s just good poetry.
—Paul McCartney
- 2.Misery
- 4.Chains
- 5.Boys
- 6.Ask Me Why
- 10.Baby It’s You
- 12.A Taste of Honey
- 13.There’s a Place
- 14.Twist and Shout
- 16.It Won’t Be Long
- 18.All My Loving
- 19.Don’t Bother Me
- 20.Little Child
- 24.Hold Me Tight
- 33.If I Fell
- 35.And I Love Her
- 36.Tell Me Why
- 38.Any Time at All
- 39.I’ll Cry Instead
- 41.When I Get Home
- 43.I’ll Be Back
- 45.No Reply
- 46.I’m a Loser
- 47.Baby’s in Black
- 50.Mr. Moonlight
- 53.Words of Love
- 54.Honey Don’t
- 60.Help!
- 61.The Night Before
- 63.I Need You
- 64.Another Girl
- 66.Ticket to Ride
- 67.Act Naturally
- 68.It’s Only Love
- 72.Yesterday
- 73.Dizzy Miss Lizzy
- 75.Drive My Car
- 77.You Won’t See Me
- 78.Nowhere Man
- 80.The Word
- 81.Michelle
- 82.What Goes On
- 83.Girl
- 85.In My Life
- 86.Wait
- 90.Taxman
- 91.Eleanor Rigby
- 93.Love You To
- 99.For No One
- 100.Doctor Robert
- 101.I Want to Tell You
- 103.Tomorrow Never Knows
- 108.Getting Better
- 109.Fixing a Hole
- 110.She’s Leaving Home
- 113.When I’m Sixty-Four
- 114.Lovely Rita
- 117.A Day in the Life
- 119.Magical Mystery Tour
- 120.The Fool on the Hill
- 121.Flying
- 122.Blue Jay Way
- 124.I Am the Walrus
- 125.Hello, Goodbye
- 127.Penny Lane
- 131.Back in the U.S.S.R.
- 132.Dear Prudence
- 133.Glass Onion
- 134.Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
- 135.Wild Honey Pie
- 138.Happiness is a Warm Gun
- 139.Martha My Dear
- 140.I’m So Tired
- 141.Blackbird
- 142.Piggies
- 143.Rocky Raccoon
- 144.Don’t Pass Me By
- 146.I Will
- 147.Julia
- 148.Birthday
- 149.Yer Blues
- 150.Mother Nature’s Son
- 152.Sexy Sadie
- 153.Helter Skelter
- 154.Long, Long, Long
- 155.Revolution 1
- 156.Honey Pie
- 157.Savoy Truffle
- 158.Cry Baby Cry
- 159.Revolution 9
- 160.Good Night
- 162.Yellow Submarine
- 163.Only a Northern Song
- 164.All Together Now
- 165.Hey Bulldog
- 166.It’s All Too Much
- 167.All You Need Is Love
- 168.Pepperland
- 169.Sea of Time
- 170.Sea of Holes
- 171.Sea of Monsters
- 172.March of the Meanies
- 176.Come Together
- 177.Something
- 179.Oh! Darling
- 180.Octopus’s Garden
- 182.Here Comes the Sun
- 183.Because
- 185.Sun King
- 186.Mean Mr. Mustard
- 187.Polythene Pam
- 189.Golden Slumbers
- 190.Carry That Weight
- 191.The End
- 192.Her Majesty
- 194.Two of Us
- 195.Dig a Pony
- 196.Across the Universe
- 197.I Me Mine
- 198.Dig It
- 199.Let It Be
- 200.Maggie Mae
- 201.I’ve Got a Feeling
- 202.One After 909
- 204.For You Blue
- 205.Get Back
- 207.Love Me Do
- 208.From Me to You
- 209.Thank You Girl
- 210.She Loves You
- 211.I’ll Get You
- 213.This Boy
- 215.Sie Liebt Dich
- 216.Long Tall Sally
- 217.I Call Your Name
- 218.Slow Down
- 219.Matchbox
- 220.I Feel Fine
- 221.She’s a Woman
- 222.Bad Boy
- 223.Yes It Is
- 224.I’m Down
- 225.Day Tripper
- 226.We Can Work It Out
- 227.Paperback Writer
- 228.Rain
- 229.Lady Madonna
- 230.The Inner Light
- 231.Hey Jude
- 232.Revolution
- 234.Don’t Let Me Down
- 236.Old Brown Shoe
