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)

Old Dirt Road
John Lennon Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ain't no people on the old dirt road
No more weather on the old dirt road
It's better than a mudslide, mama, when the dry spell come, yeah
Oh, oh, oh, oh, old dirt road

Ain't no difference on the old dirt road
Tarred and feathered on the old dirt road
Trying to shovel smoke with a pitchfork in the wind, yeah, yeah, yeah

Breezing through the deadwood on a hot summer day
I saw a human being lazybonin' out in the hay
I said, "Uh, hey Mr. Human, can ya rainmaker too?"
He said, "I guess it's okay, ya know, the only thing we need is water
Cool, clear water, water, water, water

Ain't no people on the old dirt road
No more weather on the old dirt road
Better than a mudslide, mama, when the morning comes, yeah
Oh, oh, oh, oh, old dirt road

Keep on keeping on
Keep on keeping on
Keep on keeping on
Keep on keeping on
Keep on keeping on
Keep on keeping on
So long, so long
Bye, bye
Bye, bye
Keep on keeping on

Keep on, keep on, keep on, keep on, keep on, keep on, keep on
Keep on, keep on, keep on, keep on

Overall Meaning

In John Lennon's song Old Dirt Road, Lennon is speaking about the simple life as compared to the modern world. He insists that the old dirt road is a place without people or weather, but it is still better than the alternative of a mudslide when the dry spell arrives. He suggests that living on the old dirt road is a way of returning to a more natural state that is less affected by the changes of modernization.

The chorus of the song seems to suggest that life on the old dirt road is ideal, stating that there is no difference between being tarred and feathered and simply living on the old dirt road. Lennon then describes seeing a human being resting in the hay, and asks if he can bring rain. The person responds that all they need is water, indicating that life can be simple and self-sufficient.

Overall, Lennon's Old Dirt Road is a reflection on the modern world and the desire to return to a simpler life without the complexity of society. It is a call to embrace nature and a return to a more natural and sustainable way of living.

Line by Line Meaning

Ain't no people on the old dirt road
There's nobody else around on the old dirt road.

No more weather on the old dirt road
There's no more storms/weather on the old dirt road.

It's better than a mudslide, mama, when the dry spell come, yeah
The old dirt road is better than a mudslide when there's a drought.

Oh, oh, oh, oh, old dirt road
The old dirt road is the same as it's always been.

Ain't no difference on the old dirt road
There's no difference between things on the old dirt road.

Tarred and feathered on the old dirt road
People have been persecuted and punished on the old dirt road.

Trying to shovel smoke with a pitchfork in the wind, yeah, yeah, yeah
Attempting something impossible is like trying to shovel smoke with a pitchfork in the wind.

Breezing through the deadwood on a hot summer day
Traveling through life with ease on a hot summer day.

I saw a human being lazybonin' out in the hay
A person was lying lazily in the hay.

I said, "Uh, hey Mr. Human, can ya rainmaker too?"
Asking if the person had the power to make it rain.

He said, "I guess it's okay, ya know, the only thing we need is water Cool, clear water, water, water, water
Replying in agreement and emphasizing the necessity of water.

Ain't no people on the old dirt road
There's nobody else around on the old dirt road.

No more weather on the old dirt road
There's no more storms/weather on the old dirt road.

Better than a mudslide, mama, when the morning comes, yeah
The old dirt road is better than a mudslide when it's morning.

Oh, oh, oh, oh, old dirt road
The old dirt road is the same as it's always been.

Keep on keeping on
Stay strong and persevere through life's challenges.

So long, so long
Goodbye for now.

Bye, bye
Farewell.

Keep on keeping on
Keep on persevering through life's challenges.

Keep on, keep on, keep on, keep on, keep on, keep on, keep on
Emphasizing the importance of perseverance.

Keep on, keep on, keep on, keep on
Continuing to emphasize perseverance.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Harry Nilsson, John Lennon

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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