John Lennon
By:
Autumn Thomas
The Life of John Lennon
• If John Lennon had only ever been one of the Beatles, his
artistic immortality would already have been assured. His
work was not only a profound musical and literary sensibility,
but a vision of life that was simultaneously reflective and
realistic. John's mother, Julia, drifted in and out of his life
during his childhood, and then died in a car accident when he
was seventeen. Lennon's father disappeared for good when
John was five, but returned when his son became famous.
Both of these events contributed to John's fear of
abandonment. Imagery played a big role in John’s lyrics and
tied with the tragedy of his murder in 1980, often leads to his
being referred to as a ``gentle prince of peace gazing off into
the distance at an Eden only he could see.``
The Life of John Lennon C`td
• John Lennon married Yoko Ono in 1969, leaving
his first wife, Cynthia, and their son Julian in
order to do so. John reunited with Yoko in 1975,
and their son Sean was born a year later. For the
first five years of Sean`s life, Lennon withdrew
himself from public life, and he focused on his
family. Then in 1980, he and Yoko made a
comeback, only to have John shot to death on
December 8, 1980. His death broke the hearts of
many and shocked everyone. Though he is gone,
his music will live on forever. It has only grown
since then.
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
IMAGINE
by John Lennon
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Questions
1. What do you think John Lennon was thinking
when he wrote this song?
2. Does this song reveal John’s feelings on the
how the world works?
3. Do you think John thought that this song
could still be applied today? Do you think
that he thought people would still be acting
the way they do?
Analysis of Imagine
• What John is trying to say in this song is that
there could be a world like that described in
the song. People just have to come together
and agree with one another.
• There is the repetition of the word imagine
throughout the poem, but no other literary
devices. It is more known as a war anthem.
• My opinion of the poem is that it is very
inspirational and can be used in many
different situations.
Ooh I need your love babe
Guess you know it's true
Hope you need my love babe
Just like I need you
Hold me, love me, hold me, love me
Ain't got nothing but love babe
Eight days a week
Love you every day girl
Always on my mind
One thing I can say girl
Love you all the time
Hold me, love me, hold me, love me
Ain't got nothing but love babe
Eight days a week
Eight days a week
I love you
Eight days a week
Is not enough to show I care
Eight Days A
Week
Ooh I need your love babe
Guess you know it's true
Hope you need my love babe
Just like I need you
Hold me, love me, hold me, love
me
Ain't got nothing but love babe
Eight days a week
Eight days a week
I love you
Eight days a week
Is not enough to show I care
Love you every day girl
Always on my mind
One thing I can say girl
Love you all the time
Hold me, love me, hold me, love me
Ain't got nothing but love babe
Eight days a week
Eight days a week
Eight days a week
Picture yourself in a boat on a river
Newpaper taxis appear on the shore
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies
Waiting to take you away
Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly
Climb in the back with your head in the clouds
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes
And you're gone
Cellophane flowers of yellow and green
Towering over your head
Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes
And she's gone
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Aaaaahhhhh...
Follow her down to a
bridge by a fountain
Where rocking horse
people eat
marshmellow pies
Everyone smiles as you
drift past the flowers
That grow so incredibly
high.
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Aaaaahhhhh...
Picture yourself on a train in a station
With plasticine porters with looking glass ties
Suddenly someone is there at the turnstyle
The girl with the kaleidoscope eyes
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Aaaaahhhhh...(repeat two more times)
Lucy In The Sky With
Diamonds
Original drawing of “Lucy in the Sky
with Diamonds”