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)
Long Lost John
John Lennon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, he's long, long, lost John
Long, long, lost John
Lost john standing by the railroad track
A-waitin' for the freight train to come back
The freight train come back but never made a stop
Well, he's long, long, lost John
Yeah, long, long, lost John
Well, lost john standing by the railroad track
A-waitin' for the freight train to come back
The freight train come back but never made a stop
Lost john thought he'd have to ride the top
Well, he's long, long, long lost John
Well, he's long, long, lost John
Well, lost john standing by the railroad track
A-waitin' for the freight train to come back
The freight train come back but never made a stop
Lost john thought he'd have to ride the
Well, long, long, long John
Well, oh yeah
I got it about at half past three
You don't look out, she's gonna spew on me
I'm gonna run, railroad bill
I'm gonna run
"Hello, Richard? Mo, Mo, I'm different, that's one of the problems with it"
The song "Long Lost John" by John Lennon is a tribute to the traditional African-American folk song "Lost John", which was popularized by the folk and blues musician Lead Belly. The song tells the story of a man named Lost John who stands by a railroad track, waiting for a freight train to come back. When the train finally comes, it doesn't stop, and Lost John has to ride on top. The repeated refrain of "long, long, lost John" emphasizes the sense of isolation and loneliness that Lost John feels as he waits for the train.
The lyrics are somewhat cryptic, with fragmented phrases and disjointed references to other people and situations. The line "I got it about at half past three" could refer to Lennon's realization that a piano would be a better instrument for the song, or it could be a reference to something else entirely. The line "You don't look out, she's gonna spew on me" is similarly unclear, although it may be a reference to a vomiting woman.
Overall, "Long Lost John" is a tribute to a traditional folk song, but it also reflects Lennon's interest in exploring different musical genres and styles. The song is raw and unpolished, with a sense of spontaneity and improvisation that is characteristic of Lennon's solo work.
Line by Line Meaning
Hmm, I think the piano maybe is better, I just realised the...? ...hmm... hello, Yoko... yeah!
John is interrupted mid-sentence by a thought, and then he greets Yoko on the phone. He seems to be considering whether he should choose the piano for his music.
Well, he's long, long, lost John
Long, long, lost John
John is referring to a man named Long Lost John who is lost and alone.
Lost john standing by the railroad track
A-waitin' for the freight train to come back
The freight train come back but never made a stop
Lost john thought he'd have to ride the top
Long Lost John waits by the tracks, hoping to catch a ride on a freight train. When it finally passes by, it doesn't stop, so he considers riding on top of it.
Well, he's long, long, long lost John
Well, he's long, long, lost John
Well, lost john standing by the railroad track
A-waitin' for the freight train to come back
The freight train come back but never made a stop
Lost john thought he'd have to ride the
John repeats the same lines to emphasise that Long Lost John is truly lost and alone and has no way to move forward.
Well, long, long, long John
Well, oh yeah
John emphasises Long Lost John's name as a way to remember him.
I got it about at half past three
You don't look out, she's gonna spew on me
I'm gonna run, railroad bill
I'm gonna run
The sudden change in the lyrics from Long Lost John's story to another dialogue is perplexing. It seems like John was having a conversation with someone named Railroad Bill and then warns them about someone who is going to throw up on him. He then says he is going to run from Railroad Bill, for unknown reasons.
"Hello, Richard? Mo, Mo, I'm different, that's one of the problems with it"
John is seemingly talking to Richard or someone named Richard. The next two lines contradict each other, but it seems like John is acknowledging that he is different and that it is problematic.
Contributed by Peyton E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Locutus Borg
Oh man, this takes me back to my teen years when I first heard this on the John Lennon Anthology. Love you John. Thanks for uploading!!
Mike L
Love these anthology recordings
westfield90
I just discovered this and love it
Ed Madrid
John Lennon: Vocals, Acoustic guitar, Producer
Klaus Voormann: Bass guitar
Ringo Starr: Drums
Yoko Ono: "Wind", Producer
Phil Spector: Producer
Mal Evans: "Tea and Sympathy"
PTPOP
Ooooh Yoko! Ooooh Yoko. My love for
You is real.
John T. Pickering
I was the ghost of John Lennon in a Franz cromer film at Ohio State
倉地哲郎
この曲もブロックしないで残して下さい。
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