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| The BBC may not have been the first to consider an acronym of the song's title (LSD) as a reference to drugs, but by banning airplay of the song they both affirmed the counter-cultural credentials of the Beatles and assured that even more people would go out and purchase the disk. The origin of the title can be found in a school painting by Jullian Lennon of his friend Lucy. As in other circumstances, John Lennon knew a good turn of phrase when he heard it and created this memorable Beatles tune in response. |
| The ethereal harmonic and acoustic qualities of the principal accompanying figure for the verse set in a waltz meter give this song a surreal feel, especially when combined with the text: cellophane flowers towering over your head, marshmallow people, etc. Newspaper taxis, on the other hand, refers to the practice of sending out the morning edition to local villages and towns in the back of a taxi. These were a fast and reliable way to catch a ride when a bus or train were inconvenient. |
| Sect | Time | Meas. | Description | Text | |
| Intro | — | 0:00 | 4 | Hammond organ (celeste stop?) arpeggiation in 3/4. | — |
| Verse 1 | A | 9 + 10 | Vocal solo over organ arpeggiation and bass; add cymbol.. | a | |
| Verse 2 | B | 16 | Guitar doubles vocal; drums break into 4/4 at end. | b | |
| Chorus | C | 12 | Doubled vocal breaking into 2-part harmony. | c | |
| Verse 1 | A | As in Verse 1 above. | d | ||
| Verse 2 | B | As in Verse 2 above. | e | ||
| Chorus | C | 2-part vocal harmonies over 4/4. | c | ||
| Verse 1 | A | As in Verse 1 above | f | ||
| Chorus | C | As above. Repeat and fade. | c |
| Text | |
| Picture
yourself in a boat on a river, with tangerine trees and marmalade skies. Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly, a girl with kaleidoscope eyes. |
a |
| Cellophane
flowers of yellow and green, towering over your head. Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes and she's gone. |
b |
| Lucy in the sky with diamonds, Lucy in the sky with diamonds, Lucy in the sky with diamonds, ahh. | c |
| Follow
her down to a bridge by a fountain where rocking horse people eat marshmallow
pies. Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers that grow so incredibly high. |
d |
| Newspaper
taxis appear on the shore, waiting to take you away. Climb in the back with your head in the clouds and you're gone. |
e |
| Picture
yourself on a train in a station with plasticine porters with looking
glass ties. Suddenly someone is there at the turnstile, the girl with kaleidoscope eyes. |
f |
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Go to | |
| Skidmore College | Outline | Sgt. Pepper's |