John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 1940 – 8 Decem… Read Full Bio ↴John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame as the founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. His work included music, writing, drawings and film. His songwriting partnership with Paul McCartney remains the most successful in history.

Born in Liverpool, Lennon became involved in the skiffle craze as a teenager. In 1956, he formed The Quarrymen, which evolved into the Beatles in 1960. Sometimes called "the smart Beatle", Lennon initially was the group's de facto leader, a role he gradually ceded to McCartney. Through his songwriting in the Beatles, he embraced myriad musical influences, initially writing and co-writing rock and pop-oriented hit songs in the band's early years, then later incorporating experimental elements into his compositions in the latter half of the Beatles' career as his songs became known for their increasing innovation. Lennon soon expanded his work into other media by participating in numerous films, including How I Won the War, and authoring In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works, both collections of nonsense writings and line drawings. Starting with "All You Need Is Love", his songs were adopted as anthems by the anti-war movement and the larger counterculture of the 1960s. In 1969, he started the Plastic Ono Band with his second wife, multimedia artist Yoko Ono, held the two-week-long anti-war demonstration Bed-ins for Peace and left the Beatles to embark on a solo career.

Between 1968 and 1972, Lennon and Ono collaborated on many works, including a trilogy of avant-garde albums, several more films, his solo debut John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and the international top-10 singles "Give Peace a Chance", "Instant Karma!", "Imagine", and "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)". Moving to New York City in 1971, his criticism of the Vietnam War resulted in a three-year deportation attempt by the Nixon administration. Lennon and Ono separated from 1973 to 1975, during which time he produced Harry Nilsson's album Pussy Cats. He also had chart-topping collaborations with Elton John ("Whatever Gets You thru the Night") and David Bowie ("Fame"). Following a five-year hiatus, Lennon returned to music in 1980 with the Ono collaboration Double Fantasy. He was murdered by a Beatles fan, Mark David Chapman, three weeks after the album's release.

As a performer, writer or co-writer, Lennon had 25 number-one singles in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Double Fantasy, his best-selling album, won the 1981 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. That year, he won the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 2002, Lennon was voted eighth in a BBC history poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. Rolling Stone ranked him the fifth-greatest singer and 38th greatest artist of all time. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (in 1997) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (twice, as a member of the Beatles in 1988 and as a solo artist in 1994).

Studio albums
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970)
Imagine (1971)
Some Time in New York City (with Yoko Ono, 1972)
Mind Games (1973)
Walls and Bridges (1974)
Rock 'n' Roll (1975)
Double Fantasy (with Yoko Ono, 1980)
Milk and Honey (Posthumous with Yoko Ono, 1984)

Experimental studio albums with Yoko Ono
Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins (1968)
Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions (1969)
Wedding Album (1969)

6. Baby Please Don't Go
John Lennon Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You know I love you, baby, please don't go, well, well;
you know I love you, baby, please don't go.
Oh, you know I love you, honey child,
there's nothing that I wouldn't do for you right now.
You know I love you, baby, please don't go, well, well.

You know I need you, honey, please don't go, well, well;
you know I love you, baby, please don't go.

And you know I love you, honey child,
there's nothing that I wouldn't do for you right now.
You know I love you, baby, please don't go.

You know I want you, honey, please don't go, well;
you know I want you, baby, please don't go,
you know I love you, honey child,
there's nothing that I wouldn't do for you right now.
You know I love you, baby, please don't go, well.
Honey!
Well,
well, you know I want you, honey, please don't go,
you know I want you, honey, please don't go,
you know I want you, honey child,

there's nothing that I wouldn't do for you right now.
I know I want you, honey, please don't go.

Overall Meaning

John Lennon's "Baby Please Don't Go" is a love song that reflects the emotional pleading of a man to his lover. He expresses his love for her, saying that he wouldn't do anything to let her go. The lyrics are simple but powerful, as they reflect the vulnerability and desperation of a man who is begging for the love of his life to stay with him. The repetition of the line "you know I love you, baby, please don't go" emphasizes the desperation and the pain that the singer is feeling.

The song also showcases Lennon's vocal range and his ability to sing with depth and conviction. The song has a slow, seductive, and bluesy rhythm, which adds to the emotional intensity of the song. The combination of Lennon's powerful vocals and the slow rhythm evokes a sense of longing and sadness.

In conclusion, "Baby Please Don't Go" is a moving love song that is powerful in its simplicity. It reflects the universal emotions of love, longing, and desperation that cut across cultures and time. The song showcases John Lennon's talent as a songwriter and a vocalist, and remains a classic love song to this day.

Line by Line Meaning

You know I love you, baby, please don't go, well, well;
I truly love you and I beg you to stay with me, my dearest.

Oh, you know I love you, honey child, there's nothing that I wouldn't do for you right now.
You are the person I most care about and I would do absolutely anything to make you happy.

You know I need you, honey, please don't go, well, well;
You are essential to my life and I can't bear the thought of you leaving me.

You know I want you, honey, please don't go, well;
I desire you deeply and I'm afraid of losing you, my sweet love.

Honey! Well, well, you know I want you, honey, please don't go,
My beloved, please listen to me, I sincerely want you to stay by my side.

you know I want you, honey, please don't go, you know I want you, honey child, there's nothing that I wouldn't do for you right now.
I yearn for your presence and I will do everything in my power to please you, my darling.

I know I want you, honey, please don't go.
I am fully aware of my feelings for you and I'm begging you to stay with me, my dear.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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