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)

All of my Life
John Lennon Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

My life, take it, it's mine to give
Take it, let me live in you
My life, take it, it's yours
Do what you will, I dedicate it to you

What's the use in waking
If you're not there to share the dreams and nightmares?

My life, take it, for better or worse
Why waste time?
We both know together is the only way
We'll make it any way
Take it, my life
My life is you

What's the use in waking
If you're not there to share the dreams and nightmares?

I've only myself to lose
I've only myself to lose in you

My life, take it, for better or worse
Why waste time?
When we both know together is the only way
We're gonna make it any way

Take it, my life
My life is you

Overall Meaning

In the song "My Life," John Lennon expresses his devotion to his lover and gives them ownership of his life. The lyrics convey a sense of vulnerability and a willingness to commit fully to the relationship, with lines like "take it, let me live in you" and "my life is you." Lennon acknowledges that there is no point in waking or living without his lover, as they are the only one he wants to share his dreams and nightmares with. He recognizes that sharing his life with them is the best way to make it through any struggles or hardships, as "together is the only way we'll make it any way." The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the importance and intensity of the message, driving home the idea that his life is truly dedicated to his lover.

The song was released in 1970 on Lennon's first solo album, "John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band." It is widely regarded as one of his most personal and heartfelt compositions, as it was written during a time of personal growth and self-reflection following the breakup of The Beatles and the death of his mother. The raw and emotional style of the album was a departure from The Beatles' more polished sound, and "My Life" epitomizes this new style with its simple, acoustic instrumentation and raw, unfiltered lyrics.

Line by Line Meaning

My life, take it, it's mine to give
I am offering my life to you as a gift, it is my own to give

Take it, let me live in you
Accept my gift so that I can be a part of your life

My life, take it, it's yours
My life now belongs to you if you accept my offer

Do what you will, I dedicate it to you
You have complete freedom to use my life as you wish. I dedicate it to you.

What's the use in waking If you're not there to share the dreams and nightmares?
Life is meaningless if you don't have someone to share both your good times and bad times with

My life, take it, for better or worse
Regardless of what happens, I am still offering you my life

Why waste time?
There's no need to delay, let's just make this happen

We both know together is the only way
We need to work together to make this work

We'll make it any way
No matter what happens, we'll make it through together

Take it, my life
I am still urging you to accept my gift

My life is you
My life is meaningless without you. You are now a part of me.

I've only myself to lose
If you reject my offer, I am the only one who loses.

I've only myself to lose in you
If you reject my offer, I am the only one who loses my chance to have a life with you.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN LENNON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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