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)
Walking On Thin Ice
John Lennon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm paying the price
For throwing the dice in the air
Why must we learn it the hard way
And play the game of life with your heart?
I gave you my knife
You gave me my life
Why do we forget what's been said
And play the game of life with our hearts?
I may cry some day
But the tears will dry whichever way
And when our hearts return to ashes
It'll be just a story
It'll be just a story
I knew a girl who tried to walk across the lake
Course it was winter when all this was ice
That's a hell of a thing to do, you know
They say the lake is as big as the ocean
I wonder if she knew about it?
The song "Walking On Thin Ice" by John Lennon is a reflection on the consequences of living life on the edge, taking risks, and the price that we sometimes pay for it. The lyrics are a lament for the way that we "play the game of life with our hearts," making decisions based on impulse and desire, rather than careful thought.
The opening lines of the song speak to the theme of risk and reward: "Walking on thin ice, I'm paying the price for throwing the dice in the air." This is a metaphor for the way that we take chances in life, putting ourselves out there and risking everything for a chance at success. The song acknowledges that while there are rewards to be gained from such behavior, there is also a heavy cost to pay.
The lines "Why must we learn it the hard way and play the game of life with your heart?" speak to the idea that our hearts are often our biggest liabilities. We let our emotions guide us, leading us to take risks that we know are unwise or even dangerous. In the end, we pay the price for our impulsiveness and our willingness to throw caution to the wind.
Overall, the song is a poignant reflection on the human condition, on the way that we are constantly striving and reaching for more, taking risks to get ahead, but ultimately paying a price for our desire to live life to the fullest.
Line by Line Meaning
Walking on thin ice
Living dangerously, taking chances
I'm paying the price
Experiencing the consequences of my actions
For throwing the dice in the air
Taking a risk, leaving the outcome to chance
Why must we learn it the hard way
Questioning why we have to suffer to acquire knowledge
And play the game of life with your heart?
Why do we put everything on the line in our pursuit of happiness?
I gave you my knife
Giving all one has to offer to a loved one
You gave me my life
A loved one granting the singer a reason for living, a new perspective on life
Like a gush of wind in my hair
Feeling reinvigorated, alive and free
Why do we forget what's been said
Questioning why we ignore the lessons we have been taught
And play the game of life with our hearts?
Why do we put everything on the line in our pursuit of happiness?
I may cry some day
Acknowledging that pain and sadness are inevitable in life
But the tears will dry whichever way
Knowing that, eventually, time will heal even the deepest wounds
And when our hearts return to ashes
Recognizing the impermanence of life
It'll be just a story
Realizing that everything, including our struggles, will pass and become a distant memory
I knew a girl who tried to walk across the lake
Recalling a true story of daring and risk-taking
Course it was winter when all this was ice
Highlighting the extreme danger of the situation and the girl's bravery
That's a hell of a thing to do, you know
Expressing awe and admiration at the girl's boldness
They say the lake is as big as the ocean
Emphasizing the magnitude of the task and the girl's courage
I wonder if she knew about it?
Wondering if the girl fully comprehended the enormity of what she was attempting
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: YOKO ONO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Baroque Guitarist
This was Lennon’s final track he ever recorded. John supposedly used his original 1958 Rickenbacker 325 he used at the cavern club and the first Ed Sullivan appearance to record the surf like vibrato bar guitar parts with his Bigsby. Those guitar parts were the last thing John ever recorded before he passed away. Which is poetic because that 1958 Rickenbacker 325 was his first main electric guitar he recorded all the earliest beatle songs with and it was also the last instrument John ever recorded with coming full circle. John was all excited upon finishing this track telling Yoko and the studio engineers that Yoko has her first hit. I don’t know if I would go that far but this song is definitely the best piece of music with Yoko on it and too this day one of my favorites to listen too. Which makes the lyrics about walking on a thin ice a bit of an omen in hindsight. Such a pointless tragedy... the world got robbed of so much future music and getting to watch Johns character age and react to the changes in times after 1980. R.I.P John you are missed
red door
The Beatles will be remembered by future generations as much on the same level as Mozart, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky
Joshua Ross
It was confirmed about three years ago by Earl Slick at Winter NAMM ( 2019 ) that John Used his New Strat not his 58 Rickenbacker
Alan Tompas
This song gives us a glimmer of what the decade held for John if he got home from recording this in one piece. We were robbed of some great new work down the line. I tear up listening to this now.
Kent Huang
Actually Yoko wrote the song. John only played the guitar and produced it
Josh Diaz
@Kent Huang this song was John’s last recording session ever so that’s his point.
Jack Sano
His last work..on that day in 1980 a weighed driving to 72nd street and waiting for them so I could ask them for a job on the dairy farm they just bought. At the time I worked as a caretaker for jp Morgan's granddaughter in upstate new York. I didn't have the gas money to run down to the Manhattan and have gas for week. So I dint go . .
Rip John. I know you would've hired me if had stopped that demon .
May he rot in jail .
District 97
@Jack Sano that's a crazy story! Had you ever met them before?
Jack Sano
@District 97 sadly no. However in 1978 while deer hunting outside Delhi ny. I came out of the woods onto a dirt road. (OLD DIRT ROAD). IMAGINE I look up and see a black pick up coming . Not sure if I was on my friends land still. I said to myself. Look like you belong here keep your cool. As the truck approached I looked up and waved . Got a wave and pleasant smile back .
TO MY SHOCK. IT WAS JOHN . SAD TO SAY HE HAD TO SEE ME WITH A GUN. HAPPINESS WASN'T A WARM GUN AFTER ALL .
Bill Goerger
Don't care what anyone says. Her songs on Double Fantasy are very good and this single is fantastic. Haunting.