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)
Mother -
John Lennon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I never had you
I wanted you
But you didn't want me
So
I, I just got to tell you
Goodbye
Goodbye
Father, you left me
But I never left you
I needed you
But you didn't need me
So
I, I just got to tell you
Goodbye
Goodbye
Children, don't do
What I have done
I couldn't walk
And I tried to run
So
I, I just got to tell you
Goodbye
Goodbye
Mama don't go
Daddy come home
Mama don't go
Daddy come home
Mama don't go
Daddy come home
Mama don't go
Daddy come home
Mama don't go
Daddy come home
Mama don't go
Daddy come home
Mama don't go
Daddy come home
Mama don't go
Daddy come home
Mama don't go
Daddy come home
In "Mother", John Lennon is expressing his feelings of abandonment and rejection from his parents. He confirms that his mother gave birth to him, but he never felt that she was there for him emotionally. He wanted her love and attention, but it was never reciprocated. He then turns to his father, who physically left him, but Lennon still felt the need for his father's affection and guidance, which was also never given. In both cases, Lennon has come to accept that he cannot continue to wait for their love and must say goodbye to them.
The song ends with a plea to future generations to not repeat his mistakes, as he explains that he was unable to walk in life and instead tried to run, leading to his own pain and rejection. The "Mama don't go, Daddy come home" chorus at the end is an emotional outpouring of his desire for love and belonging, a final plea for his parents to come back and be there for him.
Line by Line Meaning
Mother, you had me
My existence came from you, but we never had a true mother-son relationship
But I never had you
Despite being your child, I never felt emotionally connected to you
I wanted you
I craved your love and attention
But you didn't want me
You didn't reciprocate my desire for a close relationship
So
Therefore, I have to say
I, I just got to tell you
I need to express to you
Goodbye
That it's time for us to part ways
Father, you left me
My father physically left, but emotionally he was never with me
But I never left you
Despite not having a true connection, I never abandoned the idea of having a father figure
I needed you
Desperately, I craved your love, attention and guidance
But you didn't need me
However, you never reciprocated my desire for a close father-child relationship
Children, don't do
Dear children, don't follow in my footsteps
What I have done
I tried to do things that my mind and body were not capable of
I couldn't walk
I couldn't handle the weight of the world on my shoulders
And I tried to run
So I tried to escape from reality, but that only made things worse
Mama don't go
Please, Mom, don't leave me
Daddy come home
Dad, please come home and be there for me
Mama don't go
Please, Mom, don't leave me
Daddy come home
Dad, please come home and be there for me
Mama don't go
Please, Mom, don't leave me
Daddy come home
Dad, please come home and be there for me
Mama don't go
Please, Mom, don't leave me
Daddy come home
Dad, please come home and be there for me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHNNY CUBA, OLIVER TRATTLES, JACOB WHERRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ctmcdonaldmusic6787
The most heart wrenching song ever written- Lennon sings and imitates himself as a 5year old child screaming out for his parents who left him. Only Lennon could write this. This is what makes him a a great song writer.
@bigmuggs123
Perfectly put.
@dyeselayento2384
8 1:05
@adamdorgant9454
Agreed!!!
@violamartini2108
I am so sad.
@cfrnserrano21
You just feel the hurt in his words
@mattbutler3852
It must be one of the saddest songs ever written. The pleas of a grown up child.
@zootsoot2006
Thank god for Mimi. Did he ever write a song about her?
@BrianJohnstonTrombone
Not sure. He did buy a very nice home for her as a thank you for her love.
@maryfurnish5353
It’s the pleas and pain of a little boy, not a grown person. Those of us who have experienced Primal Therapy, as John did, can understand the exquisite poignancy of those screams. This songs still takes me back to the deep yearning of a small girl who desperately needed the love of my parents.