Let me tell you a bit about the life of John Lennon. He was married twice, and everyone knows who his second wife was. You can be forgiven if you know nothing about his first wife Cynthia, because even John tried to hide her existence early in his fame. They met in art school, and they had one son together, Julian, just as the Beatles took off and took John with them into Beatlemania.
John was physically abusive and a drug addict. His fame enabled him to an unlimited degree. One night in 1967, his wife powerlessly argued with him, and she inspired the opening line of this song: "Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup."
They divorced a year later.
Even as his marriage was ending, John Lennon appeared to be trying to take ownership of his abusive behavior. He had already written in songs like "Getting Better" about how he had beaten his wife but wanted to change.
So maybe as "Across the Universe" repeatedly intones a meditative mantra (Jai Guru Deva. Om.), the idea is that Lennon is learning to cope with an argument in a way other than violence. The alternative is that he turns to the mantra (and the drugs that contribute to the cosmic feel of the song) to drown out his wife's criticisms.
Want to know what's really frustrating? The song is so catchy that I will probably singing it in my head for the next 24 hours. It doesn't matter how potentially dismissive and belittling his lyrics are toward his wife as he looks above her to the cosmos. This is one of my favorite songs on the Let It Be album.
The melodies are undeniable. You can sing along and pick out 10 different harmonies for yourself.
Melody was John Lennon's gift. It took him far. It also took him here.