Yoko Ono and John Lennon collaborated on many albums, beginning in 1968 whe… Read Full Bio ↴Yoko Ono and John Lennon collaborated on many albums, beginning in 1968 when Lennon was still a Beatle, with Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins, an album of experimental and difficult electronic music. Two less controversial, yet equally challenging and experimental albums were released in addition to Two Virgins; Unfinished Music No.2: Life with the Lions, and Wedding Album, both in 1969.

Several of their later albums were released under the name The Plastic Ono Band, and often featured other musicians such as Eric Clapton, Klaus Voorman, and Alan White. The Plastic Ono Band's first album, Live Peace in Toronto 1969, was recorded during the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival Festival. The first half of their performance consisted of rock standards, and during the second half, Ono took the microphone and along with the band performed what may be one of the first expressions of the avant garde during a rock concert. The set ended with music that consisted mainly of feedback, while Ono screamed and sang.

Their fifth album together, Some Time in New York City, released in 1972, is fiercely motivated by political issues the couple found themselves confronted with upon moving to New York City in September, 1971. The album was highly controversial but is generally seen as the beginning of Ono's emergence as a songwriter with "Sisters O Sisters", "Born In A Prison", and "We're All Water"

With the birth of their son Sean in 1975, Lennon put his career on hold to raise the boy and rekindle his relationship with his older son Julian. In the summer of 1980, both Lennon and Ono felt ready to resume to work and began composing. They made the decision to release their impending songs together on the same album. Subtitled "A Heart Play", Double Fantasy would be a collection of songs whereby John and Yoko would be singing to each other.

Released in 1984, Milk and Honey is notable for being Lennon's first posthumous release of music, having been recorded in the last months of his life during and following the sessions for Double Fantasy. Though Lennon's death caused a temporary shelving of the project, Ono was later capable of returning to complete it.

03 Cleanup Time
John Lennon & Yoko Ono Lyrics

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Bubble, bubble
Toil and-

Moonlight on the water
Sunlight on my face
You and me together
We are in our place

The gods are in the heavens
Angels treat us well
Oracle has spoken
We cast the perfect spell

The queen is in the counting house
Counting out the money
The king is in the kitchen
Making bread and honey
No friends and yet no enemies
Absolutely free
No rats aboard the magic ship
Of perfect harmony

Now it begins
Let it begin
Cleanup time
Hey, cleanup time
Cleanup time
Well, well, well

However far we travel
Wherever we may roam
The center of the circle
Will always be our home
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Yeah, cleanup time, yeah
Cleanup time (cleanup, cleanup)
Cleanup time (cleanup, cleanup)
Cleanup time (cleanup, cleanup)
Cleanup time (cleanup, cleanup)

Cleanup time (cleanup, cleanup)
Cleanup time (cleanup, cleanup)

Overall Meaning

"Clean Up Time" by John Lennon is a song with lyrics that are quite insightful. The song is about maintaining a perfect balance of harmony, love, and peace in the world. The song expresses the idea of cleaning up the mess and setting up a world where everybody is free, and there are no rats aboard the magic ship of perfect harmony.

The song starts with "Bubble, bubble, toil and-," which is a reference to Shakespeare's play "Macbeth." The song then mentions the beauty of both moonlight on the water and sunlight on the face. These natural elements, coupled with the reference to gods and angels treating people well, are used to emphasize the idea of a world with a perfect balance of nature and spirituality.

Lennon then mentions the queen counting money and the king making bread and honey, which is a reference to the traditional roles of power and wealth. The song mentions having no enemies, being free, and being on a ship of perfect harmony. These lines are representative of the ideals of the counterculture of the late '60s and early '70s.

The overall message of the song is that we need to create a world with better balance and harmony. We need to work together to clean up the mess and make the world a better place. The message is still relevant today and remains an inspiration for those fighting for a better world.

Line by Line Meaning

Bubble, bubble
We're starting to get to work.

Toil and-
There's going to be some hard work ahead.

Moonlight on the water
We're in a peaceful place.

Sunlight on my face
We're in a happy place.

You and me together
We're working together.

We are in our place
We're where we belong.

The gods are in the heavens
Everything is in its right place.

Angels treat us well
We're being blessed with good luck.

Oracle has spoken
We know what we need to do.

We cast the perfect spell
We're going to make everything work out perfectly.

The queen is in the counting house
We're taking care of our finances.