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.
Scumbag
John Lennon & Yoko Ono Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Scumbag, scumbag,
Scumbag, scumbag.
Scumbag, yeah! scumbag,
Scumbag, scumbag, ho!
Scumbag, scumbag.
Scumbag, scumbag,
Scumbag, scumbag.
Scumbag, scumbag,
Scumbag, scumbag.
Scumbag, scumbag,
Scumbag, scumbag.
Scumbag, scumbag,
Scumbag.
Scumbag, scumbag, scumbag.
Scumbag.
Scumbag, scumbag,
Scumbag, scumbag.
Scum, scum, scumbag,
Scumbag, scumbag, scumbag, scumbag,
Scumbag, scumbag, scumbag, scumbag.
-"hey, listen! I don't know whether you can tell what
the words are to this song but there's only two of them and i'd
Like to have you sing along 'cause it's real easy.
anybody who comes to the fillmore east can sing this song. the name
Of the song is 'scumbag'. ok? and all you gotta do is sing 'scumbag'.
Right on, brothers and sister let's hear it for the 'scumbag'!"
Scumbag! scumbag! scumbag! scumbag! scumbag!
Scumbag! scumbag! scumbag! scumbag!
Scumbag, scumbag, scumbag, scumbag, scumbag,
Scumbag, scumbag, scumbag, scumbag, scumbag,
Scumbag, scumbag, scumbag, scumbag, scumbag,
Scum,
Scumbag, baby, scumbag,
Scumbag.
Scumbag, baby,
Scumbag, baby, (scumbag, baby)
Scumbag, baby, (scumbag, baby)
Scumbag, (scumbag, baby)
Scumbag, (scumbag, baby)
Scumbag, oh yeah, (scumbag)
Scumbag (scumbag)
Scumbag (scumbag) (who's scumbag? )
Hey, scumbag, (scumbag)
Scumbag (scumbag)
Scumbag (scumbag)
Scumbag, scumbag,
Scum, uh!
Scumbag,
Scumbag,
Scumbag (scumbag)
Scumbag,
Scumbag,
Scumbag,
Scumbag.
(oh, oh, oh, yeah)
-"good night, boys and girls!"
The lyrics to John Lennon and Yoko Ono's song Scumbag are quite simple, consisting of only two words, "scumbag" and "ho." This seemingly meaningless phrase is repeated over and over throughout the song, sometimes with added variations such as "scum" or "baby." The song was recorded live at New York's Fillmore East in 1971, and during the performance, Lennon invites the audience to join in and sing along since it's such an easy song. The song seems to be a commentary on the use of meaningless or derogatory language in popular culture, as well as a way to get the audience involved in the performance.
While the lyrics to Scumbag may seem simplistic and nonsensical, there are several possible interpretations of the song's meaning. Some see it as a critique of the use of derogatory language in music and culture, while others see it as a reflection of Lennon's rebellious and anti-establishment attitudes. The repetition of the word "scumbag" could also be seen as a way to strip language of its meaning and potency, rendering it meaningless and powerless.
Line by Line Meaning
Scumbag, scumbag,
We don't like you and think you're a terrible person.
Scumbag, yeah! scumbag,
We really don't like you and want to emphasize it with a 'yeah!'
Scum, scum, scumbag,
You're disgusting and despicable, like scum.
-"hey, listen! I don't know whether you can tell what the words are to this song but there's only two of them and i'd Like to have you sing along 'cause it's real easy. anybody who comes to the fillmore east can sing this song. the name Of the song is 'scumbag'. ok? and all you gotta do is sing 'scumbag'. Right on, brothers and sister let's hear it for the 'scumbag'!"
Our song is so simple that anyone can sing it, and we want you to join us in insulting someone by calling them a scumbag. Let's hear it for insulting someone!
Scumbag! scumbag! scumbag! scumbag! scumbag!
We really, really don't like this person and want to keep shouting it.
Scumbag, baby, scumbag,
We're trying to be cool by using 'baby' but we still really don't like you.
Scumbag.
We'll end the song by restating how much we don't like this person.
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