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)

What You Got
John Lennon Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

One
Hey, hey

Don't wanna be a drag
Everybody gotta pay
I know you know
'Bout the emperor's clothes

You don't know what you got, until you lose it
You don't know what you got, until you lose it
You don't know what you got, until you lose it
Oh baby, baby, baby, give me one more chance

Ooh
Alright
Hey

Well, it's Saturday night and I just gotta rip it up
Sunday morning, I just gotta give it up, hey
Come Monday, mama, and I just gotta run away
You know it's such a drag to face another day

You don't know what you got, until you lose it
You don't know what you got, until you lose it
You don't know what you got, until you lose it
Oh baby, baby, baby give me one more chance

Hey, hey
Alright
Ow

You know the more it change
The more it stays the same
You gotta hang on in,
You gotta cut the string

You don't know what you got, until you lose it
You don't know what you got, until you lose it
You don't know, you don't know what you got, until you lose it
Oh baby, baby, baby give me one more chance

Come on, baby
Hey, hey
Alright

Hey, hey
Alright

Overall Meaning

In John Lennon's song "What You Got," the singer is cautioning listeners to appreciate what they have while they have it, as they may not realize what they have had until it is gone. He says that nobody wants to be a drag, but everyone has to pay their dues. He alludes to the story of the emperor's new clothes, implying that we all have tendencies to follow one another blindly, and we may not realize when we are being fooled.

The first verse mentions how we don't appreciate what we have until it is taken from us. Lennon says that sometimes we just have to face reality and accept that we don't know what we have until we lose it. The second verse talks about how life can be monotonous and difficult, but we have to hang on and appreciate it while we can. The chorus is a repetition of the idea that we often do not realize the value of what we have until it is gone, and Lennon is asking for one more chance to appreciate it.

Overall, the song seems to be a reflection on the nature of life and how important it is to appreciate what we have while we have it. It is a reminder that we often take things for granted, and we may not realize their value until they are gone.

Line by Line Meaning

One
I am starting this song

Hey, hey
An informal greeting or attention grabber

Don't wanna be a drag
I don't want to be a burden or nuisance to anyone

Everybody gotta pay
Everyone has to face the consequences of their actions

I know you know
I am aware that you already know

'Bout the emperor's clothes
About the truth behind a facade or deception

You don't know what you got, until you lose it
You only appreciate the value of something once it is gone

Oh baby, baby, baby, give me one more chance
I am pleading for another opportunity to make things right

Well, it's Saturday night and I just gotta rip it up
I am excited to have fun and live it up on the weekend

Sunday morning, I just gotta give it up, hey
I am willing to make sacrifices and let go of my wild side come Sunday

Come Monday, mama, and I just gotta run away
I am feeling stuck and want to escape from my responsibilities