Working Class Hero is an amazing portrayal of how the capitalist system disadvantages the working class but I often see it be misinterpreted by many so I’ve decided I want to clear a few things up.

The meaning of Working Class Hero by John Lennon — a thread 1/16

I often see people criticise this song on the fact that John himself did not grow up working class (he grew up middle/upper middle class) therefore the content of this song is false. A lie. But that’s simply not true. 2/16

John didn’t write this song about himself. It’s written in the second person. It’s addressed to the listener.

“As soon as *you’re* born they make *you* feel small.”

This isn’t a song about a personal struggle like jealous guy or cold turkey. It’s something more universal. 3/16

So if the song isn’t autobiographical what’s it actually about?

Well, my interpretation of the song is that it’s a meditation on the way the ruling class controls the working class. Each verse exposing a different way in which this is done. 4/16

The first two verses speak to the rigid expectations of the education system.

As seen below John makes claim that intimidation tactics are used to break the spirit of children. The cane was still legal at the time so this issue was especially prevalent. 5/16

This leads to the next verse where John explains because of this, by the time someone is expected to go into the work force, their will to fight authority has already been broken down, meaning they have no will to fight against the system that is exploiting them 6/16

Religion, the values aspoused on tv, and the way society talks about sex are all ways in which the working class is conditioned to accept their oppression by the ruling class. 7/16

This is where the myth of the American dream comes in.

The American dream which has come to represent the ideals of capitalism as a whole is that *anyone* is able to become rich. This creates a hope that if you work hard enough, your poverty will be temporary. 8/16

Said hope leads many people to believe that capitalism is one of the freest systems on earth. Because you’re not confined to the class you were born into unlike feudalism. You can move up, you can move down. In a way it is “classless.” 9/16

“But you’re still fucking peasants as far as I can see.”

But the idea that the state of the working class is temporary isn’t true for most people. Most people die poor. anyone can become rich but not *everyone* can. Most people will die trying. They’ll still be peasants 10/16

But say you are one of the lucky few that makes it out. You make it to the top. Capitalism is still a system based on exploitation of the working class. Becoming rich is going from being the exploited to the exploiter. You have to become the oppressor 11/16

These ideas lead to the meaning of the repeated line “a working class hero is something to be.”

It’s sarcastic. There is no working class hero.

A working class hero is someone who embodies the American dream. Someone who was born working class and became rich 12/16

But as we’ve already discussed, to become rich, is to become the exploiter. The idea of a working class hero is a lie. It’s capitalist propaganda giving people hope. Despite growing up poor the working class hero no longer shares the same class interest the real working class 13/

This leads into the outro which is also cynical and sarcastic.

John doesn’t see himself as a hero. He may not have grown up working class but he didn’t grow up in the ruling class either. He now is apart of the ruling class 14/16

John is telling them listener that there isn’t anything admirable about his story, that they shouldn’t strive to follow in his footsteps because 1) many will be set to fail and 2) if they succeed, they will sacrifice morality in the process. It’s a condemnation of this path 15/16

John Lennon’s “Working Class Hero” is not a celebration of those who live out the capitalist success story, but rather a condemnation of it and how it is used to control and silence actual working class people.

End of thread ;