¶ … haunting piano melody and Lennon's characteristic vocals, "Imagine" is hard not to like. Lennon wrote the song in the early 1970s, during a time of tremendous social and political transformation. Liberal social ideologies competed with brutal manifestations of Western imperialism. "Imagine" captures the social and political tension that continues to pervade the world more than three decades after the song was written.

The lyrics reflect the counterculture movement of the late 1960s, urging listeners to "Imagine all the people living for today...living life in peace...and sharing all the world." Its idealistic message reflects true tenets of communism and the selfless, egoless state to which many mystics and sages have aspired to since the beginning of history. The message of "Imagine" is therefore nothing new, but rather, a continuation of the age-old longing for spiritual freedom and joy.

Imagine" contains references to Eastern mysticism. For example, in the first stanza, Lennon imagines no heaven and no hell: the only reality is the one in the here-and-now. "Imagine all the people / Living for today." The be-here-now tenet is at the core of Zen and other forms of Buddhism. Other Eastern religions like Taoism are devoid of the binary concepts of heaven and hell too. Lennon suggests that "living for today" releases the need for crippling religious dogma, which has been responsible for fomenting wars throughout human history.

Peace, suggests Lennon, is only possible when individuals are willing to let go of religious dogma ("And no religion too"), nationalism ("Imagine there's no countries"), and materialism ("Imagine no possessions"). When people are willing to surrender their demands there will be "Nothing to kill or die for."

Imagine" is therefore a profoundly sad song. Although filled with a sense of hope, "Imagine" is more about longing for a future that could not possibly exist on this earth. Until each person on the planet becomes willing to share in the dream, we must be content to "imagine" the possibility of peace and total freedom.