Misdummer New York
John Lennon Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Standing on the corner
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"
Up come a policeman shoved us up the street
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?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to John Lennon's "New York City" capture the excitement and energy of the city that he and Yoko Ono had made their home after leaving London. The song tells the story of their arrival in the city, their encounters with local musicians and activists, and their attempts to make a new life for themselves.


The first verse describes Lennon and Ono waiting for Jerry Rubin, a political activist and one of the leaders of the counterculture movement of the 1960s. As they wait, they are approached by David Peel, a musician known for his street performances and political activism. Peel sings about the pope smoking marijuana, a reference to the controversy surrounding the Catholic Church's stance on drug use at the time. The encounter is cut short by a police officer, who sings "Power to the people" as he pushes the group up the street.


The second verse describes Lennon's experiences playing with the Elephants Memory Band, a group of local musicians that he had met in New York. They perform at Max's Kansas City, a famous club in the city, and attract attention from the media and fans. The verse also references a preacher who sings about religion and politics, implying that he is just another person trying to capitalize on the counterculture movement.


The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Que pasa, New York?" which means "What's happening, New York?" in Spanish. This reflects the multiculturalism of the city and the influence it had on Lennon and Ono's music and worldview.


Overall, "New York City" is a celebration of the culture and energy of the city that Lennon and Ono loved. The song captures the excitement of the counterculture movement of the 1960s and the political and social issues that were important to Lennon.


Line by Line Meaning

Standing on the corner
John Lennon and Yoko Ono were waiting on a street corner


Just me and Yoko Ono
John Lennon and Yoko Ono were together


We was waiting for Jerry to land
John Lennon and Yoko Ono were waiting for their friend Jerry to arrive


Up come a man with a guitar in his hand
A man approached them with a guitar


Singing, "Have a marijuana if you can"
The man offered them marijuana


His name was David Peel
The man's name was David Peel


And we found that he was real
They realized that David Peel was genuine


He sang, "The Pope smokes dope every day"
David Peel sang a song about the Pope smoking marijuana


Up come a policeman shoved us up the street
A police officer pushed them up the street


Singing, "Power to the people today!"
The police officer was chanting a phrase about supporting the people


New York City, back in New York City, New York City
The song is about New York City


Que pasa, New York?
The phrase "Que pasa" means "What's happening?", and the song is asking what's happening in New York


Well down to Max's Kansas City
John Lennon and Yoko Ono went to Max's Kansas City


Got down the nitty gritty
They experienced the raw reality of the place


With the Elephants Memory Band
They were with the band Elephants Memory


Laid something down
They recorded something


As the news spread around
Word about them began to circulate


About the Plastic Ono Elephants Memory Band!
People were starting to learn about the band and their music


And we played some funky boogie
They played some funky music


And laid some tutti frutti
They sang the lyrics to a song called "Tutti Frutti"


Singing, "Long Tall Sally's a man."
They sang a line from the song "Long Tall Sally"


Up come a preacher man trying to be a teacher
A preacher approached them, trying to teach them something


Singing, "God's a red herring in drag!"
The preacher was saying that the idea of God is a deception


New York City, back in New York City, New York City
The song is still about New York City


Que pasa, New York?
The song is still asking what's happening in New York


Well we did the Staten Island Ferry
They rode the Staten Island Ferry


Making movies for the telly
They were making films for television


Played the Fillmore and Apollo for freedom
They played at the Fillmore and the Apollo Theater to promote the idea of freedom


Tried to shake our image
They were attempting to change the way people saw them


Just a cycling through the Village
They were casually biking through the Greenwich Village neighborhood


But found that we had left it back in London
They realized that the identity they had created for themselves belonged to their past in London


Well nobody came to bug us
They weren't bothered or harassed by anyone


Hustle us or shove us
They weren't pressured or forced to do anything


So we decided to make it our home
They chose to make New York City their home


If the Man wants to shove us out
If someone in power tries to remove them from the city


We gonna jump and shout
They'll protest and make a scene


The Statue of Liberty said, "Come!"
They felt that the Statue of Liberty was welcoming them to the city


New York City, back in New York City, New York City
The song ends by repeating the chorus


Que pasa, New York?
The song ends by repeating the question about what's happening in New York




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Winston Lennon

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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