John Lennon gave an interview (Rolling Stone, I think) in which he explained that his daughter came home from school with a picture she had painted -- something typically unrecognizable to an adult eye -- and he asked her what it was. "Lucy in the sky with diamonds" was her response, and the song was inspired by his imagination of the world she was coloring. He quite denies that it has anything to do with LSD, and I tend to believe him.

Who was Lucy? The Lucy referred to in the song was probably a classmate of Julian's at Heath House School named Lucy O'Donnell, born in Weybridge in 1963.[2] She has met up with him on a few occasions in the last few years, and occasionally appears on daytime shows for the anniversary of the "Sgt. Pepper's" album. She is featured in the book "A Hard Days Write". She now lives in Surbiton in Surrey, and owned a nanny agency for children with special needs until she was taken ill with psoriatic arthritis and lupus some years ago. There is another candidate for the original Lucy: British comedian Peter Cook's daughter, Lucy. Lennon and Cook were seeing quite a bit of each other at the time (Lennon made a guest appearance on Cook's TV show Not Only... But Also as a doorman). According to Cook's biographer, Harry Thompson, Lennon told Cook's then wife, Wendy, that the song was inspired by Lucy Cook. [edit] Reference to drugs and the title of the song While Lennon and the Beatles were often frank about their drug use, for decades they denied that "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" had anything to do with LSD. In a 2004 interview, however, Paul McCartney spoke openly about his Beatles-era drug use, revealing that songs such as "Day Tripper" and "Got To Get You Into My Life" were written directly about LSD and marijuana. When questioned about "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," he noted that Julian's painting had inspired the song, but that it was "pretty obvious" that the song was inspired by LSD.[3] In a 1971 interview, Lennon recalled hearing about how the initials of the title spelled out "LSD", then checking if the same thing had happened with other Beatles songs and finding "they didn't spell out anything." In that same interview, he stated the song was composed in a conscious attempt to craft poetry, and in 1980 he confirmed the images were taken from Alice in Wonderland. In The Beatles Anthology (2000), Ringo Starr claimed he was present when Julian showed his "crazy little painting". McCartney recounted the time he and Lennon spent in Lennon's music room, swapping suggestions for lyrics, saying, "We never noticed the LSD initial until it was pointed out later, by which point people didn't believe us."[4] Although the Beatles say they did not name the song after LSD, the song was conceived and recorded during a time when the Beatles were experimenting with LSD frequently. George Martin also denied the song was about LSD in the book The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions by Mark Lewisohn. However, Lewisohn goes on to say "there can be little doubt that this was the very substance that provoked such colourful word imagery to flow out of Lennon's head and onto paper." [5] Probably no clearer after that.

Apparently it's meant to be about drugs and LSD. That's just what I heard.

John Lennons son, sean, was at his grandma's. Her name was lucy. He drew a picture of her and had stars and quite amazing for a little boy. That's how John thought of the words, HE had that fingerpainting framed in his studio.

It might have been writtin under the influence but many are forgetting that the picture originated from the child who was not aware of his advanced phrophetic thinking. Also, the person it was based on from what I know was sick and Julian was afraid she was going to die. However that same lady takes care of children in a special daycare and from what I hear recently has been sick. Remember, hallucinogenics were used to gain a higher state of consciouness. It also was being used in military and scientific experiments. 3 dimensions are in play here folks; look into hindu mysticism. Have fun it is a bag full of mysteries but there have been mostly revealed just recently.