Entertainment For Lively Minds
The Sainted J.Winston Lennon
I heard this lyrically savage dirge as part of the Beatles weekend on Radio 2. Not Lennon's finest hour. I know they patched it up, but I think it still has the power to shock. Was there any excuse?
So Sgt. Pepper took you by surprise
You better see right through that mother's eyes
Those freaks was right when they said you was dead
The one mistake you made was in your head
How do you sleep?
How do you sleep at night?
You live with straights who tell you, you was king
Jump when your momma tell you anything
The only thing you done was yesterday
And since you've gone you're just another day
How do you sleep?
How do you sleep at night?
How do you sleep?
How do you sleep at night?
A pretty face may last a year or two
But pretty soon they'll see what you can do
The sound you make is muzak to my ears
You must have learned something in all those years
How do you sleep?
How do you sleep at night?
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Savage indeed
This is obviously related to daveross's thread. I think it must have been hard for Paul to feel he has to say in every interview what a great bloke John was. Sometimes he comes across as protesting too much. I think we've learned enough over the years (even excluding Goldman's hatchet job) to know that John could be a nasty piece of work. I would not blame Paul if he sometimes expressed this, but many would. They would immediately accuse him of 'rewriting history' or dancing on John's grave. he can't win either way.
About 15 years ago I went to...
...an advance screening of the Lennon "Imagine" documentary, a major highlight of which was a version of "How Do You Sleep", in which John sang "How Do You Sleep, you c**t".
By the time it hit release, or certainly in the version I saw, the makers had thought better of this & cut it slightly...
Irony upon irony
The whole premise of the song is wrong anyway. 'How do you sleep?' - what, for breaking up The Beatles? Lennon had wanted to do that for years - it was McCartney who wanted to keep the band together.
I always assumed
the title was a direct reference to Macca's 'Heart of The Country' from "Ram" ...
Heart Of The Country
Where The Holy People Grow,
Heart Of The Country,
Smell The Grass In The Meadow.
(Wo Wo Wo)
I Want Horse, I Want Sheep,
I Want To Get Me A Good Night's Sleep,
Livin ' In A Home
In The Heart Of The Country ...
He was in a bad place
Let's face it, the Beatles break-up was messy and protracted. Like any messy divorce, people say things that, in retrospect, they regret. The only difference here is that Lennon's rather raw diatribe is preserved in sound. Add to that the fact that Lennon was certainly psychologically damaged and didn't really come to terms with that until near his death. In a way that makes his life being cut short more poignant; he was just getting to grips with the things that had eaten away at him.
Still, he did at least have the good grace to say that he quite liked Band On Rhe Run, didn't he?
This was the excuse at the time ...
Too Many People Going Underground
Too Many Reaching For A Piece Of Cake
Too Many People Pulled And Pushed Around
Too Many Waiting For That Lucky Break
That Was Your First Mistake
You Took Your Lucky Break And Broke It In Two
Now What Can Be Done For You
You Broke It In Two
Too Many People Preaching Practices
Don't Let Them Tell You What You Wanna Be
Too Many People Holding Back, This Is
Crazy And Maybe It's Not Like Me
That Was Your Last Mistake
I Find My Love Awake And Waiting To Be
Now What Can Be Done For You
She's Waiting For Me
Lennon took 'Too Many People' as a personal attack, and Macca has subsequently admitted that there are a few lines aimed at JohnandYoko. An entire sub-genre exists of the HJH's writing about or making reference to each other in song in the early 1970s. Someday no doubt, many years from now, there will be a compilation.
Much more interesting is McCartney's 'response' in 'Dear Friend' recorded around the same time
Dear friend, what's the time?
Is this really the borderline?
Does it really mean so much to you?
Are you afraid, or is it true?
Dear friend, throw the wine,
Im in love with a friend of mine.
Really truly, young and newly wed.
Are you a fool, or is it true?
Are you afraid, or is it true?
It's been said that
Lennon took the 'She's waiting for me...' line to refer to Yoko's stalking of Paul. When he showed no interest in her she moved on to John. Now that might be a reason for the vitriol.
George had his say too
Wah-wah
You´ve given me a wah-wah
And I´m thinking of you
And all the things that we used to do
Wah-wah, wah-wah
Wah-wah
You made me such a big star
Being there at the right time
Cheaper than a dime
Wah-wah, youve given me your wah-wah, wah-wah
Oh, you don´t see me crying
Oh, you don´t hear me sighing
Wah-wah
I don´t need no wah-wah
And I know how sweet life can be
If I keep myself free from the wah-wah
I don´t need no wah-wah
Oh, you don´t see me crying
Hey baby, you don´t hear me sighing
Oh, no no-no no
Wah-wah
Now I don´t need no wah-wahs
And I know how sweet life can be
If I keep myself free of wah-wah
I don´t need no wah-wah
I´m leaving it to someone else to post Ringo´s take on the break-up.
Good call...
I'm off to listen to All Thing Must Pass the best post breakup album of all!
ATMP
one of my all time favourite records by anyone as well as the best solo Beatles album.
Ooh
the thought of turning the volume up on Wah Wah is suddenly rather appealing. Love those little brassy stabs, amongst so many other things. Niiiiice...
Early 1970
Lives on a farm, got plenty of charm, beep beep
He's got no cows, but he's sure gotta whol lotta sheep
A brand new wife and afamily, and when hecome to town | wonder if he'll play with me.
Laying in bed, watching tv, cookie! with his mamma by his side, she's Japanese,
They scream and they cried,now they're free
And when he comes to town, I know he's gonna play with me.
He's a longhaired, crosslegged guitar picking fool
With his long legged lady in his garden picking daisies for his soup.
A forty acre house he doesn't see, cause he's alway in town playing for you with me.
I play guitar, A, D, E, I don't play bass cause that's too hard for me
I play piano if it's in C, and when I go to town I wanna see all three
And when I go to town I wanna see all three, and when I got to town I wanna see all three.
Good old Ringo.
But nasty old Ringo too, having a pop at Paul ...
in 'Back Off Boogaloo'
(EDIT: As below. Oops!)
Fair point
but at least he didn't bear grudges for long.
That's
very good!
George again ...
You serve me
And I'll serve you
Swing your partners, all get screwed
Bring your lawyer
And I'll bring mine
Get together, and we could have
A bad time
It's affidavit swearing time
Sign it on the dotted line
Hold your Bible in your hand
Now all thats left is to
Find yourself a new band . . .
We're gonna play the sue me, sue
You blues
Were gonna play the sue me, sue
You blues
Hold the block on money flow
Move it into joint escrow
Court receiver, laughs, and thrills
But in the end we just pay those
Lawyers theit bills
When you serve me
And I serve you
Swing your partners, all get screwed
Bring your lawyer
And I'll bring mine
Get together, and we could have
A bad time
We're gonna play the sue me, sue
You blues
I'm tired of playing the
Sue me, sue you blues
Ringo's Riposte ????!!!
Go! Back off boogaloo, I said, back off boogaloo, I said, back off boogaloo.
Back of boogaloo, what ya think I’m gonna do? I got a flash right from the start.
Wake up, meat head, don't pretend that you are dead, get yourself up off the cart.
Get yourself together now and give me something tasty.
Everything you try to do, you know it sure sounds wasted.
Back off boogaloo, I said, back off boogaloo.
You think you're a groove, standing there in your wallpaper shoes
and your socks that match your eyes.
Back off boogaloo, I said, back off boogaloo, come on, back off boogaloo.
Get yourself together now and give me something tasty.
Everything you try to do, you know it sure sounds wasted.
Back off boogaloo, what ya think I’m gonna do? I got a flash right from the start.
Back off boogaloo, I said, back off boogaloo, come on, back off boogaloo.
Back off boogaloo, I said, back off boogaloo, come on, back off boogaloo.
Back, ba-ba-ba-back!
Back off boogaloo, I said, back off boogaloo, come on, back off boogaloo, boo.
Back off boogaloo, I said, back off boogaloo, come on, back off boogaloo, boo…
Anything You Can Do...
Wasn't McCartney's riposte "Let Me Roll It" from Band on the Run, in which he pretty much did a dead straight Lennon impression?
This would be my compilation
and I'd definitely include Macca's 'Let Me Roll It', and probably also Lennon's 'Steel and Glass' about Allen Klein if only to even out the numbers.
God
Wah-Wah
Too Many People
How Do You Sleep?
Dear Friend
Early 1970
Back Off Boogaloo
Sue Me, Sue You Blues
I’m The Greatest
Living In The Material World
Let Me Roll It
Steel And Glass
Here Today
All Those Years Ago
When We Was Fab
The Songs We Were Singing
Never Without You
Dear Friend
apparently was about Linda´s ex husband. Still quite a list though.
Dear Boy, I think for the ex ...
I guess you never knew, dear boy, what you had found,
I guess you never knew, dear boy,
That she was just the cutest thing around,
I guess you never knew what you had found,
Dear boy.
I guess you never saw, dear boy,
That love was there.
And maybe when you look too hard, dear boy,
You never do become aware,
I guess you never did become aware,
Dear boy.
When i stepped in, my heart was down and out,
But her love came through and brought me 'round,
Got me up and about.
Dear boy,
Dear boy, dear boy,
Dear boy.
When I stepped in, my heart was down and out,
But her love came through and brought me 'round,
Got me up and about.
I hope you never know, dear boy,
How much you missed.
And even when you fall in love, dear boy,
It won't be half as good as this.
I hope you never know how much you missed,
Dear boy, how much you missed,
Dear... boy.
well
in the version that's in the IMAGINE film he goes 'how do you sleep YA CUNT!'. that's not very nice is it?
Wasn't the original lyric
"The only thing you did was Yesterday/And you probably pinched that bitch anyway" until Klein advised him to change it for legal reasons?
And yes apart from when I've seen it on TV the Garenth Hunt line is still present and correct
That, as far as I know
is correct.
'I was never lovable, I was just Lennon'
He got that right.
Feckin Hell
But those lyrics, without exception, are all total crap.
Bloody good thing the Beatles music was good.
Son Of A Plumber and his song
I Never Quite Got Over The Fact That The Beatles Broke Up.
http://open.spotify.com/track/3BHYvgBCjeu3Q4I38quURA
That
is a lovely track!