3 Songs With Lyrics That Just Don’t Make Sense (Or Do They?)

Nonsensical lyrics are everywhere in music. At times, lyrics are simply a meaningless placeholder to bolster the melody. At other times, the songwriter purposefully writes arbitrary words to completely throw off the listener. When this happens, it’s hard to decipher if there is any subtext behind the words, and even if they are “meaningless,” one’s own meaning can still be pulled from it.

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That being so, no song truly has entirely empty lyrics. However, some songs have lyrics that make little to no sense at all, or at least that’s what the majority agree upon. With that in mind, here are three songs with lyrics that just don’t make sense…or do they?

“I Am The Walrus” by The Beatles

Ever since The Beatles released “I Am The Walrus” in 1967 on the Magical Mystery Tour, fans, critics, and scholars have been trying to decode the cryptic meaning in the song. Though it’s hard, as the lyrics are as arbitrary as falling raindrops. On the surface, and even underneath the first layer, this song makes no sense, but that is what John Lennon reportedly aimed for.

Speculation and over-analysis have led to fan theories that are, to an extent, fairly empty and overly ambitious. Nevertheless, given the randomness of these lyrics, you can make this song mean whatever you want it to mean, and that is one of its many beauties.

“Tutti Frutti” by Little Richard

Little Richard‘s 1957 single “Tutti Frutti” is seemingly one of those songs that incorporates lyrics merely so the track can be something other than an instrumental, and so the melody can be more apparent. The majority of the song uses one lyric Tutti Frutti and when Richard is not singing that lyric, he is singing repetitive and empty lines just because they sound good.

There is no shame or scrutiny to be given for this tactic, as it’s a common one in songwriting. Before this version, Richard’s lyrics were reportedly too sexually explicit. That sexual undertone still resides under the surface of the new lyrics, but not explicitly enough to pull out a definitive meaning. So what is this song about? Well, in the most general sense, romance and sex. Though maybe there is something you see that we don’t.

“Rock Lobster” by The B-52’s

Alright, The B-52’s 1978 single “Rock Lobster” does have a story running through its lyrics. In short, the story is about people encountering a lobster at a beach party. The song goes on to list off beach imagery and make sea animal impersonations. Needless to say, it is bizarre in every sense of the word, and consequently, seemingly empty.

Even though this does have a story, what is the meaning of this story other than a recollection? Is there any? To some, sure, to others, no, but the foundation of these arbitrary lyrics is seemingly that of a fun-loving and mindless nature meant to merely entertain.

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