According to John Lennon, Instant Karma may have been one of his most spontaneous musical creations. The song was written in an hour, recorded that very day and released just 10 days later. Lennon boasted that he “wrote it for breakfast, recorded it for lunch and we’re putting it out for dinner.”
Instant Karma (We All Shine On)
Instant Karma’s gonna get you
Gonna knock you right on the head
You better get yourself together
Pretty soon you’re gonna be dead
What in the world you thinking of
Laughing in the face of love
What on earth you tryin’ to do
It’s up to you, yeah you.
Instant Karma’s gonna get you
Gonna look you right in the face
Better get yourself together darlin’
Join the human race
How in the world you gonna see
Laughin’ at fools like me
Who in the hell d’you think you are
A super star.
Well, right you are.
Well we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Well we all shine on
Ev’ryone come on
Instant Karma’s gonna get you
Gonna knock you off your feet
Better recognize your brothers
Ev’ryone you meet
Why in the world are we here
Surely not to live in pain and fear
Why on earth are you there
When you’re ev’rywhere
Come and get your share
Well we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Yeah we all shine on
Come on and on and on on on
Yeah yeah, alright, uh huh, ah
Well we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Yeah we all shine on
On and on and on on and on
Well we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Well we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Well we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Yeah we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars
and the sun
Enjoy Instant Karma performed
by The Plastic Ono Band.
In 1970 “Instant Karma!” peaked at number 3 on America’s Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 2 in Canada, and number 5 on the UK Singles Chart. The philosophical background of this catchy little tune is explained in the WIKPEDIA Instant Karma entry and may be helpful to anyone who was not alive or conscious during Vietnam War era. Let’s just say John Lennon and Yoko Ono played a large part in the anti-war movement. Instant Karma along with Give Peace a Chance and Imagine may be Lennon’s three most spiritual contributions to those troubled times.
By the way, if you are not familiar with the expression “Instant Karma” it basically means that the nature of our actions affect our lives and often you can can see it working out right in front of you. Karma works like a boomerang that sooner or later comes back to you. It’s simply a matter of time until you are presented with your unfinished business. Karma is a fundamental concept in the Buddhist and Hindi traditions and is not nearly as simple as presented here.
By the way this very perceptive photograph of Lennon was taken by Bob Gruen in 1974. It projects all the rebellious energy of Lennon in his early days but with a softness that simply wasn’t possible then. As a young man he was angry at the pain that he had experienced, but after tasting everything that the OUTER World could offer, he began seeing things from a wider and gentler perspective. This song is a message to other head strong individuals.
Enjoy this performance of Instant Karma
by John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band.
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  #43 WED LIB 10/9/1940 John Lennon |
John Lennon was born on a Wednesday in Libra. His INNER Self was ruled by Mercury and his OUTER Self by Venus. Individuals with the #43 WED LIB Dayology Signature are here to become more conscious about the big decisions in their lives, particularly those regarding relationships.
While Lennon may not have handled his personal life that well, but he was clearly concerned about humanity and its future. He was creating authentic peace in his life when he was killed by a disturbed fan. The perpetrator and victim in this tragic scene have very different INNER natures, but there is a possibility of OUTER identification regarding seeing the matters of values and approval as important. Both of their Sun Signs, Libra and Taurus, are ruled by Venus, but air and earth would definitely have a hard time understanding the values of the another.
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  #26 TUE TAU 5/10/1955 Mark David Chapman |
Mark David Chapman was born on Tuesday in Taurus. His INNER Self was ruled by Mars and his OUTER Self by Venus. Those with the #26 TUE TAU Dayology Signature are inherently restless with intense feelings that things must be changed. Not all individuals with this signature chose to kill those who think differently, but a high percentage might consider the possibility.
Chapman had fanaticized killing a number of famous people. He projected that his personal role model, Holden Caufield from Catcher in the Rye, would have also viewed Lennon as a “phony.” Chapman was very upset about Lennon’s remark that Lennon the Beatles were more popular than Jesus. When Chapman discovered that Lennon was accessible, he fulfilled his dream.
Here are two different kinds of people. Lennon is bright, perceptive, and creative. He is finished with the “bullshit” of being a celebrity. Chapman feels impatient, trapped and vindictive. Lost in his emotional dissatisfactions he hasn’t allowed himself to have a truly active life. Then came the moment for him to be recognized for trying something that no one had ever dared to do.
Lennon was only forty when he died. He had formed genuine attachments to his second wife and child. He had also made worthy contributions to the musical and political scenes. Perhaps he had achieved his soul’s aims for this life and having to depart in some manner, allowed a disturbed fan live out his crazed fantasies and learn the harsh lessons about lifetime incarceration. Could the interplay of energies between these two may have caused this instance of instant karma?
