The song comes from a Bob Dylan tune "Rainy Day Women #12 and #35 One of the verses goes like this: Well, they'll stone you when you're trying to be so good They'll stone you just like they said they would They'll stone you when trying to go home And they'll stone you when you're there all alone But I would not feel so all alone Everybody must get stoned There are four such verses. There are three possible interpretations: 1) 'Getting stoned' is slang, meaning to get high on drugs. He was telling people to get high. 2) Everyone must suffer criticism - having stones thrown at them as a metaphor 3) It was about the civil rights movement in the early 1960's, where many people campaigning for equal rights for African-Americans were literally pelted with stones thrown by angry racist mobs. Only Bob Dylan knows for sure and he's never said one way or the other.

Amusing question, although I do not advocate the use of illegal or dangerous substances. "To get stoned" or "to be stoned" means to be under the influence of drugs. This phrase usually refers specifically to marijuana, although occasionally it is used to describe other druges. To be under the influence of alcohol is "to be drunk". The phrase "to be high" can also be used. Someone else claimed that this phrase might have at one point been used to literally be pelted with stones. Personally I have never heard this phrase used to convey this meaning. This might be due to our age difference. He is in his 60's and I am 31. Nowadays I the phrase is almost univerally, in my experience, mean to be under the influence or drugs.

Thank you, Kat!

I remember that Bob Dylan song as a party song, and everybody would join in on the refrain, "Everybody must get STONED!" Of course, everyone was thinking of fdmaxey's first interpretation... >_<

Alex, thanxxxxx! ^)