[5] Mellers explains that the song's construction creates for the listener by using a vocal melody that has no line but is rather made up of pentatonic fragments, and by using odd tonality which moves between unrelated chords.

[10][4] Whereas Guy Fawkes had failed in his plot to launch a Catholic uprising against James I in November 1605, Lennon believed it was an effective joke to suggest "we should blow up the Houses of Parliament".

[13] Alf Lennon later recalled the meeting in a handwritten four-page statement, saying: He launched into an account of his recent visit to America, and as the story unfolded, so the self-inflicted torture began to show in his face, and his voice rose to a scream as he likened himself to "Jimi Hendrix" and other pop stars who had recently departed from the scene, ending in a crescendo as he admitted he was "Bloody Mad, Insane" and due for an early demise ...

[18] Pop historian Robert Rodriguez highlights the warm exchange between Lennon, Harrison and Starr as a sign of the "'us against Paul [McCartney]' zeitgeist" that prevailed in the months following the Beatles' break-up in April.

[6] Music critic Johnny Rogan raises similar issues, stating that the song addresses childhood years when morality is black and white and heroes and villains fit into their predefined roles with inevitable results.

[6] Rogan believes that the quicker tempo and more prominent piano and drum playing leading up to the conclusion increase the drama and humour of the Guy Fawkes explosion.

[5] Authors Ken Bielen and Ben Urish consider the explosion "a stark ending to a surprisingly poignant song, the rupture of childhood trauma echoing in the adult in the form of half-recalled nursery rhymes".

[23] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Nick DeRiso rated it as Lennon's 9th greatest solo political song, highlighting Ringo Starr's "angry, staccato musical backing" on drums.