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)

Going Down on Love
John Lennon Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Got to get down, down on my knees
Got to get down, down on my knees
Doo-doo-doo, doo
Doo-doo-doo, doo
Going down on love
Going down on love
Going down, going down, going down

When the real thing goes wrong
And you can't get it on
And your love, she has gone
And you got to carry on
And you shoot out the light
Ain't coming home for the night
You know you got to, got to, got to pay the price

Somebody please, please help me
You know I'm drowning in the sea of hatred

I got to get down, down on my knees
I got to get down, down on my knees
Doo-doo-doo, doo
Doo-doo-doo, doo
Going down on love
Going down on love
Going down, going down, going down

Something precious and rare
Disappears in thin air
And it seems so unfair
Nothing doin' nowhere
Well, you burn all your boats
And you sow your wild oats
Well, you know, you know, you know the price is right

Got to get down, down on my knees
Got to get down, down on my knees

Got to get down, down on my knees
Got to get down, down on my knees

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of John Lennon's song "Going Down on Love" sound like a plea for forgiveness or help. The repetition of the phrase "got to get down, down on my knees" seems almost like a mantra, a way to focus the mind and bestow power on the singer. The title itself gives us an idea of what this song is about - going down on the concept of love. But Lennon's lyrics aren't all sunshine and rainbows. He paints a picture of someone whose world has fallen apart. When the "real thing" goes wrong, when a person can't connect with the one they love, life can feel like an uphill battle. As the song progresses, we learn more and more about the person's struggles. They are drowning in a "sea of hatred", desperate for someone to help them.

The verses of "Going Down on Love" are written in a very direct style. Lennon doesn't mince words or hide behind metaphors. He tells us exactly what is happening to the person in the song. When their love is gone, they have to "carry on". When they can't get it on, they feel lost and alone. This is a song about vulnerability and the struggle to keep going when faced with crushing disappointment. The chorus, with its repetition of "going down" and "down on my knees", creates a sense of urgency. The person in the song knows they have to take action if they want to survive. They have to humble themselves, to reach out for help, to recognize their own weakness.

Line by Line Meaning

Got to get down, down on my knees
I have to show humbleness and submission because I am helpless and struggling.

Going down on love
I am experiencing difficulties and disappointments in my love life.

Going down, going down, going down
My situation is getting worse and worse, and I feel like I am falling down into a hole.

When the real thing goes wrong
When my relationship with the one I truly love falls apart.

And you can't get it on
And I can't seem to find a way to make it work.

And your love she has gone
And the one I love has left me.

And you got to carry on
I have to keep going despite the pain and disappointment.

And you shoot out the light
And I try to numb the pain with whatever means possible.

Ain't coming home for the night
And I know I won't find solace in my own bed tonight.

You know you got to, got to, got to pay the price
My actions have consequences, and I have to face them no matter how difficult it may be.

Somebody please, please help me
I desperately need someone to assist me in overcoming the difficulties of my love life.

You know I'm drowning in the sea of hatred
I feel like I'm being overwhelmed by negative emotions such as anger and resentment.

Something precious and rare
Something special and irreplaceable.

Disappears in thin air
Has disappeared without a trace.

And it seems so unfair
And I can't help feeling like this is unjust.

Nothing doin' nowhere
And I'm left with nothing, nowhere to go.

Well you burn all your boats
And I've burned all my bridges, with no way to return to the past.

And you sow your wild oats
And I've been reckless and frivolous with my love life.

Well you know, you know, you know the price is right!
But deep down, I know that I have to face the consequences of my actions, no matter how painful it is.

Got to get down, down on my knees
I have to show humbleness and submission because I am helpless and struggling.