Animals appear as characters, symbols, or central metaphors within the lyrics
The Animals motif is on 2 of the 33 songs the Beatles released in 1965, and 13 of 34 by 1968.
Song count per year
% of each member's catalogue with this tag (by writing credit)
'Like a dog', 'like a log'
'This bird had flown'
'And your bird can sing'
Fish
Outro SFX (referenced obliquely)
'men and horses', Henry the Horse
Horse
'pigs', 'walrus', 'penguin', 'dead dog'
Named after McCartney's sheepdog Martha
Lizard
Raccoon
'Blackbird singing'
Dogs, cats, birds, fish
'Little piggies crawling in the dirt'
"The eagle picks my eye, the worm he licks my bones"
Maharishi lecture-source mentions; not in lyric
Walrus
Birds
'Tiger', 'elephant'
Bird, bee
'Me and my monkey'
'Sheepdog', 'bullfrog', 'bulldog'
Octopus
Monkey, walrus
'Pony', 'road hog', 'moon dog'
'Free as a bird'
Updated
Book
The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics
Alan Aldridge
Book
Revolution in the Head
Ian MacDonald
Course
Nas – Teaches Hip-Hop Storytelling
MasterClass · Lyric-writing + narrative craft.
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