About the Song

Give Peace A Chance is a song written by former Beatle John Lennon in 1969. It became an anthem of the Vietnam War protest movement. The song was written during John and Yoko's Bed-In honeymoon. The Bed-In consisted of John and Yoko staying in a hotel room and inviting the press in at two times during the day. When the press came in, they would be sitting calmly on the bed. These Bed-Ins were a way of promoting peace. The song was sparked when a reporter asked John what he was trying to achieve by staying in bed. John simply responded "All we are saying is give peace a chance.", which later became the chorus of the song. The song was recorded in the hotel room that they stayed in during the Bed-In on June 1st, 1969. It was recorded using a setup of a four-track recorder and four microphones, which were rented from a nearby studio. This song was one of the last John wrote before the Beatles split, even though he wrote it for his solo career and not for the band. It was a song recorded with only vocals and acoustic guitar.
One of the phrases in this song that I love is "Integrations, mediations, United Nations, congratulations." It has a very serious feel to it, but it also seems like it's kind of poking fun at politics. I also love the "revolution, evolution" part. It reminds me of the song Revolution, and I think it was a bit of a nod to his Beatle days. I also enjoy the phrase "bishops, fishops". I think it is poking fun at religion and wars over religion.
I think John Lennon is definitely opposed to the Vietnam War. I think the people that would most agree with him would be college-age people, and the people who would least agree would be the government.
Minister- a person authorized to conduct religious worship; member of the clergy; pastor. In this song I think it refers not only to a religious minister but also the government, the "ministers" of war.
Sinister- bad, evil, base, or wicked. I think it is referring to the war and all its evils.
Canister- a small box or jar, often one of a kitchen set, for holding tea, coffee, flour, and sugar. In this song, I think it is referring to the canisters on gas masks that filter out chemicals in the air to make it breathable. It also makes me think of a gun.

Lyrics:

Ev'rybody's talkin' 'bout
Bagism, Shagism, Dragism, Madism, Ragism, Tagism
This-ism, that-ism, ism ism ism
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

(C'mon)
Ev'rybody's talkin' 'bout
Minister, Sinister, Banisters and Canisters,
Bishops, Fishops, Rabbis, and Pop Eyes, Bye bye, Bye byes
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

(Let me tell you now)
Ev'rybody's talkin' 'bout
Revolution, Evolution, Mastication, Flagellation, Regulation,
Integrations, mediations, United Nations, congratulations
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

Ev'rybody's talkin' 'bout
John and Yoko, Timmy Leary, Rosemary,
Tommy Smothers, Bobby Dylan, Tommy Cooper,
Derek Taylor, Norman Mailer, Alan Ginsberg, Hare Krishna
Hare Hare Krishna
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkZC7sqImaM