In New York
Invisibles Lyrics


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Standing on the corner
Just me and Yoko Ono
We was waiting for Jerry to land
Up come a man with a guitar in his hand
Singing, "Have a marijuana if you can"
His name was David Peel
And we found that he was real
He sang, "The Pope smokes dope every day"
Up come a policeman shoved us up the street
Singing, "Power to the people today!"

New York City, back in New York City, New York City
Que pasa, New York?
Que pasa, New York?

Well down to Max's Kansas City
Got down the nitty gritty
With the Elephants Memory Band
Laid something down
As the news spread around
About the Plastic Ono Elephants Memory Band!
And we played some funky boogie
And laid some tutti frutti
Singing, "Long Tall Sally's a man."
Up come a preacher man trying to be a teacher
Singing, "God's a red herring in drag!"

New York City, back in New York City, New York City
Que pasa, New York?
Que pasa, New York?

New York City, back in New York City, New York City
Que pasa, New York?
Que pasa, New York?

Well we did the Staten Island Ferry
Making movies for the telly
Played the Fillmore and Apollo for freedom
Tried to shake our image
Just a cycling through the Village
But found that we had left it back in London
Well nobody came to bug us
Hustle us or shove us
So we decided to make it our home
If the Man wants to shove us out
We gonna jump and shout
The Statue of Liberty said, "Come!"

New York City, back in New York City, New York City
Que pasa, New York?
Que pasa, New York?

New York City, back in New York City, New York City




Que pasa, New York?
Que pasa, New York?

Overall Meaning

The song "New York" speaks about the experiences of John Lennon and Yoko Ono during their move to New York City in the early 1970s. In the first verse, the lyrics mention the encounter with David Peel, a street musician who David Bowie referred to as the "King of the Lower East Side." Peel sings about cannabis and satirizes the Catholic Church by singing that the Pope smokes dope. The lyrics also mention a police officer, symbolizing the oppressive nature of authority figures in America. The phrase "Power to the people" is a reference to the Black Panther Party, which was a revolutionary socialist organization that was active in the 1960s and 1970s in America.


The second verse of the song references Max's Kansas City, a nightclub that was popular among musicians and artists in New York in the 1970s. John and Yoko frequently performed there with their band, the Plastic Ono Elephants Memory Band. They also played at the Fillmore and Apollo stages for freedom. The lyrics mention how the band tried to distance themselves from their image, but realized their rock and roll roots could not be ignored.


The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "New York City" multiple times, with "qué pasa" (what's happening?) interjected between each repetition, symbolizing the diversity and vibrancy of the city.


Line by Line Meaning

Standing on the corner
Standing on the street corner in New York City


Just me and Yoko Ono
Accompanied by Yoko Ono, my partner


We was waiting for Jerry to land
We were waiting for our friend Jerry to arrive from somewhere else


Up come a man with a guitar in his hand
A man carrying a guitar approached us


Singing, "Have a marijuana if you can"
He offered us some marijuana


His name was David Peel
The man's name was David Peel


And we found that he was real
We realized that he was not pretending to be someone else


He sang, "The Pope smokes dope every day"
He sang a provocative song implying that even the Pope uses drugs


Up come a policeman shoved us up the street
A police officer aggressively asked us to move along


Singing, "Power to the people today!"
The officer expressed support for the idea of empowering ordinary citizens


Well down to Max's Kansas City
We went to a club called Max's Kansas City


Got down the nitty gritty
We had a good time enjoying the music and the atmosphere


With the Elephants Memory Band
We listened to a band called Elephants Memory


Laid something down
The band played music that was memorable to us


As the news spread around
People started talking about us and the music we were listening to


About the Plastic Ono Elephants Memory Band!
People started calling our group "Plastic Ono Elephants Memory Band"


And we played some funky boogie
We danced and enjoyed the music


And laid some tutti frutti
We sang along to some well-known rock songs


Singing, "Long Tall Sally's a man."
We sang a silly and irreverent song that played with gender stereotypes


Up come a preacher man trying to be a teacher
A preacher tried to give us a lesson on morality and spirituality


Singing, "God's a red herring in drag!"
The preacher used a clever and irreverent phrase to question the existence of God


Well we did the Staten Island Ferry
We took a ferry to Staten Island


Making movies for the telly
We filmed some footage for a TV program


Played the Fillmore and Apollo for freedom
We performed at two historic music venues known for promoting artistic freedom


Tried to shake our image
We attempted to change the way people thought about us


Just a cycling through the Village
We rode bicycles through Greenwich Village, a neighborhood famous for its artistic associations


But found that we had left it back in London
We realized that we had already left behind the things we were trying to escape from in London


Well nobody came to bug us
We weren't bothered by anyone while we were in New York City


Hustle us or shove us
We weren't subjected to scams or pushy behavior


So we decided to make it our home
We decided to stay in New York City and make it our new home


If the Man wants to shove us out
If the authorities try to force us out of the city


We gonna jump and shout
We will express our outrage and protest


The Statue of Liberty said, "Come!"
We felt welcomed by the iconic symbol of freedom, the Statue of Liberty


New York City, back in New York City, New York City
We are back in New York City and happy to be here


Que pasa, New York?
What's up, New York?


Que pasa, New York?
What's up, New York?


New York City, back in New York City, New York City
We are back in New York City and happy to be here


Que pasa, New York?
What's up, New York?


Que pasa, New York?
What's up, New York?




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Winston Lennon

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Brooklynn Graves

Thanks for speaking out for those of us who are on the fringes, forgotten, and ignored.

Ron Hanson

Great segment! A country that doesn't prioritize the well-being of its people....cannot call itself just.

S M

Caring for the well-being of others is what life is truly about.😊

nickj12

Depressing and sad. I look forward to reading the book.

Lynn Sonmor

Andrea has the most soulful eyes . Caring and a good heart makes an attractive woman stunningly beautiful ! 👏🏼👏🏼🥰

fruitofthespirit galatians522kiyee

Great reporting!!! Need a copy!!

Louis Tully

Prosecutorial Misconduct: Rittenhouse Could Walk After Prosecution Grossly Mishandles Questioning

Keith Johnson

and the Judge in this Case was appointed by Democrats.

the Judge was Commended by Conservatives for up-Holding the Constitution.

Biden Sucks

Kyle's acquittal is coming up fast

Christian Reinisch

once a mum is flagged as poor, child support is taking away her kids, no matter what.
I would be all for general child support at around 500 Dollars per Month.
Surely fully taxable for some people.
Bottom line is, when you can afford so much money towards foster families, why not support all kids 🙂

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