New York City
John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with Elephant's Memory & Invisible Strings Lyrics
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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"
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?
The song "New York City" by John Lennon and Yoko Ono takes us on a journey through the vibrant and diverse culture of New York City during the 1970s. The song begins with the duo and Yoko's friend, Jerry Rubin, waiting for David Peel, a street musician who sings about marijuana and claims that the Pope smokes dope every day. A policeman then arrives and forcefully pushes them away. This is followed by a trip to Max's Kansas City, a famous venue for underground rock and roll. The song mentions Elephants Memory Band, a group that played with John and Yoko at the time, and highlights their funky boogie and rendition of Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally." The song then takes a dig at the hypocrisy and pretentiousness of some religious leaders with the line, "God's a red herring in drag!"
The song continues with a description of John and Yoko's experiences living in the city, where they ride the Staten Island Ferry, make movies for TV, and played at venues such as the Fillmore and Apollo Theater. They also express their desire to shake off their image and start fresh in the Village, only to realize that they had left their past behind in London. Despite this, they still found New York City to be a welcoming and accepting place where they could call home. They end with a call to the Statue of Liberty, who invites them to stay and "come" to the city.
Line by Line Meaning
Standing on the corner
John and Yoko were at a street corner in New York City.
Just me and Yoko Ono
John was with his wife, Yoko Ono.
We was waiting for Jerry to land
They were waiting for Jerry Rubin to arrive.
Up come a man with a guitar in his hand
A man arrived with a guitar.
Singing, "Have a marijuana if you can"
He was singing about smoking marijuana.
His name was David Peel
The man's name was David Peel.
And we found that he was real
John and Yoko discovered that he was a real person.
He sang, "The Pope smokes dope every day"
David Peel sang about the Pope smoking marijuana every day.
Up come a policeman shoved us up the street
A police officer arrived and pushed them up the street.
Singing, "Power to the people today!"
The police officer was singing about giving power to the people.
Que pasa, New York?
They were asking what was happening in New York City.
Well down to Max's Kansas City
They went to Max's Kansas City.
Got down the nitty gritty
They got down to the basics.
With the Elephants Memory Band
They performed with the Elephants Memory Band.
Laid something down
They played some music.
As the news spread around
Word spread about their performance.
About the Plastic Ono Elephants Memory Band!
People were talking about the Plastic Ono Elephants Memory Band.
And we played some funky boogie
They played some funky music.
And laid some tutti frutti
They played some rock and roll music.
Singing, "Long Tall Sally's a man."
They sang a song about a man named Long Tall Sally.
Up come a preacher man trying to be a teacher
A preacher man arrived and tried to teach them something.
Singing, "God's a red herring in drag!"
The preacher man sang a song about God being a misleading distraction.
New York City, back in New York City, New York City
They were back in New York City.
Que pasa, New York?
They were still curious about what was happening in New York City.
Well we did the Staten Island Ferry
They rode on the Staten Island Ferry.
Making movies for the telly
They were making movies for television.
Played the Fillmore and Apollo for freedom
They performed at the Fillmore and Apollo theaters to promote freedom.
Tried to shake our image
They attempted to change their public perception.
Just a cycling through the Village
They were just riding bicycles through the Village.
But found that we had left it back in London
They realized that they had left something behind in London.
Well nobody came to bug us
They were not bothered by anyone.
Hustle us or shove us
They were not being pushed around.
So we decided to make it our home
They decided to make New York City their home.
If the Man wants to shove us out
If the authorities try to remove them,
We gonna jump and shout
They will resist and protest.
The Statue of Liberty said, "Come!"
They felt welcome by the Statue of Liberty.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Winston Lennon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind