“Hey Jude” Lyrics & Meaning (The Beatles)

The Beatles have not released new music as a band since 1970.

But they still have more number one hits than any other artist in history.

And Hey Jude tops them all.

It is the most successful single from the most successful band of all time.

Everyone knows this song, but despite that, the Hey Jude lyrics meaning is still shrouded in a bit of mystery.

What exactly was Paul McCartney writing about? More accurately, to whom was he writing?

Keep reading to learn exactly what Hey Jude is about and to whom is was directed. And did you know it began life with a slightly different title?

 

Hey Jude Lyrics And Meaning

Hey Jude is a song by The Beatles which was released as a non-album single in August 1968. The song was written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It became the year’s top-selling single in the UK, US, Australia, and Canada.

Hey Jude’s release fell between the releases of the albums The Magical Mystery Tour and The White Album, yet it was included on neither. The song was released as a single and featured Revolution on its B-side.

Its nine-week run at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 tied the all-time record in 1968 for the longest run at the top, a record it held for nine years. The song’s long runtime, at over seven minutes, made it the longest single to top the British charts up to that time.

During the recording sessions, producer George Martin voiced his concern with the abnormal song length. The seven-minute runtime included a four-minute outro, and Martin was worried that radio DJs at the time would not give the song much airtime.

John Lennon is said to have responded, “They will if it’s us.” We will now look at the complete lyrics, including the long outro, before getting into the meaning of the song.

 

Hey Jude Lyrics

Verse 1

Hey, Jude, don’t make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

Verse 2

Hey, Jude, don’t be afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better

Chorus

And anytime you feel the pain, hey, Jude, refrain
Don’t carry the world upon your shoulders
For well you know that it’s a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder
Na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na

Verse 3

Hey, Jude, don’t let me down
You have found her, now go and get her
(Let it out and let it in)
Remember (Hey, Jude) to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

Chorus

So let it out and let it in, hey, Jude, begin
You’re waiting for someone to perform with
And don’t you know that it’s just you, hey, Jude, you’ll do
The movement you need is on your shoulder
Na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, yeah

Verse 4

Hey, Jude, don’t make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her under your skin
Then you’ll begin to make it (Woah, fucking hell!)
Better, better, better, better, better, better, oh

Outro

Yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, hey, Jude
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, hey, Jude
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, hey, Jude
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, hey, Jude
(Jude, Judy, Judy, Judy, Judy, Judy, ow wow)
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na (Na-na-na), na-na-na-na, hey, Jude
(Jude, Jude, Jude, Jude, Jude)
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na (Yeah yeah yeah), na-na-na-na, hey, Jude
(You know you can make, Jude, Jude, You’re not gonna break it)
Na-na (Don’t make it bad, Jude) na-na-na-na-na (Take a sad song and make it better), na-na-na-na, hey, Jude
Hey, Jude, hey, Jude wow
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, hey, Jude
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, hey, Jude
Jude, Jude, Jude, Jude, Jude, Jude
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, hey, Jude
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, hey, Jude
(Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na)
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, hey, Jude
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, hey, Jude
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na (Make it, Jude), na-na-na-na, hey, Jude
(Yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, hey, Jude
(Go listen to ya ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma)
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, hey, Jude
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, hey, Jude

 

Hey Jude Meaning

Hey Jude evolved from a song McCartney wrote to comfort John Lennon’s young son Julian, Hey Jules. John Lennon had recently left his first wife and Julian’s mother, Cynthia, for Yoko Ono, and the song’s lyrics encourage a positive outlook on a sad situation.

Lennon had met Cynthia Powell when they were both students at the Liverpool College of Art in 1957, and when he learned that Cynthia was pregnant in July 1962, he is reported to have said, “There’s only one thing for it, Cyn. We’ll have to get married.” The couple wed in August 1962 and their son Julian was born on the 8th April 1963.

John Lennon first met Yoko Ono on the 9th of November in 1966. They were introduced by John Dunbar, who owned the Indica Gallery in London, where Yoko was exhibiting her artwork.

They began a relationship, which signaled the end of Lennon’s marriage to Cynthia. It was during this period of personal turmoil for John Lennon that Paul McCartney wrote what was then titled Hey Jules.

A short while after John and Cynthia split, Paul McCartney drove out to visit the Lennons at their home in Weybridge. Cynthia had been part of the Beatles’ social circle since before the band shot to fame in 1963, and McCartney later said he found it difficult that Cynthia was suddenly absent.

Cynthia Lennon spoke of McCartney’s surprise visit, saying, “I was touched by his obvious concern for our welfare. On the journey down, he composed Hey Jude in the car. I will never forget Paul’s gesture of care and concern in coming to see us.”

Although Paul McCartney originally wrote Hey Jude for Julian, John Lennon thought it had actually been surreptitiously written for him. In a 1980 interview, Lennon said that he “always heard it as a song to me” and contended that McCartney was giving his blessing to his relationship with Yoko Ono.

Other people, including John Lennon, speculated that McCartney’s lyrics to Hey Jude also include a message to himself. At the time, his own long-term relationship with Jane Asher was also on the rocks, due to McCartney having recently begun an affair with his future wife Linda Eastman.

The overall consensus is that, although Hey Jude was written with Julian Lennon in mind and as a message of encouragement to him, the song’s lyrics also contain subtle messages to John Lennon and, indeed, to McCartney himself.

 

Hey Jude Lyrics Meaning: Final Thoughts

Hey Jude began life as Hey Jules, because Paul McCartney wrote it to comfort John Lennon’s son Julian while his parents were going through a divorce. McCartney himself has made this clear.

But, as mentioned, many believe that the song also contains messages from Paul to Lennon and from Paul to himself. Whether you choose to believe that is up to you. In looking at the lyrics, we do believe there is some truth to this.

If you enjoyed learning about the Hey Jude lyrics meaning, we give the same treatment to two other songs by The Beatles: Blackbird and Come Together. We also included a Beatles song in our post on songs about abusive relationships. Many consider it one of their worst songs. Can you guess what it is?

Another Brit who enjoys a similar popularity among young women today as the Beatles did back then is Harry Styles. His first solo single is about a mother comforting and encouraging her unborn son, knowing she will not live to meet him. Learn more in our breakdown of the lyrics and meaning of Sign Of The Times.