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)

Mother
John Lennon Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Mother, you had me
But I never had you
I, I wanted you
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
You didn't need me
So, I
I just got to tell you, mm
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

Mama don't go
Daddy come home

Overall Meaning

"Mother" is a song by John Lennon, released in 1970 on his debut solo album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. The song reflects Lennon's childhood experiences and his relationship with his parents. In the first verse, he sings about his mother who gave birth to him but didn't want him. Lennon's parents separated when he was young, and his father left him with his aunt Mimi. He felt abandoned and rejected by his mother who chose to stay with her new husband instead of taking care of him.

In the second verse, Lennon sings about his father who left him when he was a child. He felt like he needed his father, but his father didn't need him. He felt like his father didn't care about him and didn't want to be a part of his life. The chorus of the song is a message to his children telling them not to make the same mistakes he did.

The song ends with a repetition of the lines "Mama don't go, Daddy come home." It shows Lennon's longing for his parents and his wish for them to be together and care for him. The song is a powerful expression of Lennon's emotions and highlights the deep pain and anguish he felt because of his childhood experiences.

Line by Line Meaning

Mother, you had me
You birthed me into this world

But I never had you
But we never had a true mother-son relationship

I, I wanted you
I longed for that connection with you, Mother

You didn't want me
But you didn't reciprocate those feelings

So, I
Therefore, I

I just got to tell you
I need to say it to you

Goodbye
Goodbye

Father, you left me
You abandoned me, Father

But I never left you
But I was still here for you, despite your absence

I needed you
I yearned for your presence and support

You didn't need me
But you didn't feel the same way about me