The title of “I am the Walrus” also nods emphatically to Carroll’s poem “The Walrus and the Carpenter” — specifically to the walrus character, who expresses his remorse after devouring helpless oysters by crying at the poem’s end. Lennon confessed in an interview with Playboy that he felt they should have instead sided with the carpenter after learning of the possible political connotations of the poem (the walrus could represent unrepentant capitalists replete with crocodile tears). He admitted, though, that “I am the carpenter” just wouldn’t have had the same ring.
In honor of Paul McCartney’s 72nd birthday, The Airship published an ode to the symbiotic relationship between The Beatles and literature.
