What songs are honestly about John?
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So, I read today that many think Little Lamb Dragon Fly is about John. It seems rather far fetched to me that every time he mentions missing someone or something in a song that it's about John. I'm voting no on that one. For sure the following are about John - Too many people, Dear Friend, Here Today, the songs we were singing. I suspect This One to be about John. What else you got? Confirmed or suspected songs about John
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I always thought "Tug of War" (a masterpiece ditty) is about John, then found out some don't think so. Seemed obvious to me that it was.
: Or am I totally out to lunch on this one. Outa my tree (?) 
Or out on a limb, or clueless. A total dingbat on this one 
ops: 
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I've never for a moment thought This One was about John and can't fathom thinking so. I think a couple lines in Some People Never Know clearly reference John, who had released How Do You Sleep a few months before: Some people can sleep at night time Believing that love is a lie
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Bruce M.:
I've never for a moment thought This One was about John and can't fathom thinking so. I think a couple lines in Some People Never Know clearly reference John, who had released How Do You Sleep a few months before: Some people can sleep at night time Believing that love is a lie
This one is about telling your feelings to someone before it's too late. Something Paul has regretted not doing with John. Also, "what kind of magic might have worked if we had stayed calm..." Maybe not about John per se, but inspired by the sentiment of not having closure at his death.
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Bruce M.:
I think a couple lines in Some People Never Know clearly reference John, who had released How Do You Sleep a few months before:
SPNK was recorded in August 1971, but John's Imagine album (where HDYS is found) wasn't released until September (in the US) and October (in the UK). Those lines could still have been about John though even if not directly inspired by How Do You Sleep.
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prudence1964:
Bruce M.:
I've never for a moment thought This One was about John and can't fathom thinking so. I think a couple lines in Some People Never Know clearly reference John, who had released How Do You Sleep a few months before: Some people can sleep at night time Believing that love is a lie
This one is about telling your feelings to someone before it's too late. Something Paul has regretted not doing with John. Also, "what kind of magic might have worked if we had stayed calm..." Maybe not about John per se, but inspired by the sentiment of not having closure at his death.
I must say I was never a huge fan of "This One".... but I never thought it a message to John either.... Maybe if it was "What kind of MORE magic.... ".... but nah.... average song... no message being conveyed.... in the order of my ears, at least.... an interesting film clip, but not really my cup of chow, that/this one.
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- Somebody Who Cares has John's references, as Paul said in an interview in 1982. - Some People Never Know: he denied definitely when he was asked back i 1971.
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Kestrel:
Bruce M.:
I think a couple lines in Some People Never Know clearly reference John, who had released How Do You Sleep a few months before:
SPNK was recorded in August 1971, but John's Imagine album (where HDYS is found) wasn't released until September (in the US) and October (in the UK). Those lines could still have been about John though even if not directly inspired by How Do You Sleep.
He started it off on 'Ram' though. Lennon slammed back with 'How Do You Sleep?' and of course the 'Ram' sleeve imitation, by holding a pig, enclosed as post card. 'Too Many People' was a direct reference to johnandyoko: "He'd been doing a lot of preaching, and it got up my nose a little bit. In one song, I wrote, "Too many people preaching practices," I think is the line. I mean, that was a little dig at John and Yoko. There wasn't anything else on it that was about them. Oh, there was "You took your lucky break and broke it in two."" - Playboy, 1984 "Piss off, cake. Like, a piece of cake becomes piss off cake, And it's nothing, it's so harmless really, just little digs. But the first line is about "too many people preaching practices." I felt John and Yoko were telling everyone what to do. And I felt we didn't need to be told what to do. The whole tenor of the Beatles thing had been, like, each to his own. Freedom. Suddenly it was "You should do this." It was just a bit the wagging finger, and I was pissed off with it. So that one got to be a thing about them." - Mojo, 2001 Lennon even reacted to it directly in an interview: "There were all the bits at the beginning of 'Ram' like 'too many people going underground'. Well that was us, Yoko and me. And 'you took your lucky break', that was considering we had a lucky break to be with him." And from Crawdaddy, 1971: "I heard Paul's messages in Ram - yes there are dear reader! Too many people going where? Missed our lucky what? What was our first mistake? Can't be wrong? Huh! I mean Yoko, me, and other friends can't all be hearing things. There's also a sound snippet of Lennon singing the bit from 'Back Seat' during an interview. Since, often people tried to read between the lines of every lyric on 'Ram': "When I thought you was my friend/But you laid me down, put my heart around the bend" "I was walking down the street the other day/Who did I meet/I met a friend of mine and he did say/Man I can smell your feet a mile away" The whole of 'Monkberry Moon Delight', cryptic, metaphoric, about the whole break-up, the lawsuits, the press drama. I always like to think that 'Little Lamb Dragonfly' and Lennon's 'I Know (I Know)', from 2 years after the public fights, were make-up call-and-answer songs, with 'Let Me Roll It' and 'Beef Jerky' to top it off'.
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John got it wrong about the lucky break! It was not just to have been with Paul, but the entire Beatles thing was the lucky break that John "broke in two."
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Paul would never have left or split off from the other 3 if John had not already said "I want a divorce" and basically "checked out" of the band. And of course the Klein crap was the nail in the coffin.
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nobodytoldme:
Kestrel:
Bruce M.:
I think a couple lines in Some People Never Know clearly reference John, who had released How Do You Sleep a few months before:
SPNK was recorded in August 1971, but John's Imagine album (where HDYS is found) wasn't released until September (in the US) and October (in the UK). Those lines could still have been about John though even if not directly inspired by How Do You Sleep.
He started it off on 'Ram' though. Lennon slammed back with 'How Do You Sleep?' and of course the 'Ram' sleeve imitation, by holding a pig, enclosed as post card. 'Too Many People' was a direct reference to johnandyoko: "He'd been doing a lot of preaching, and it got up my nose a little bit. In one song, I wrote, "Too many people preaching practices," I think is the line. I mean, that was a little dig at John and Yoko. There wasn't anything else on it that was about them. Oh, there was "You took your lucky break and broke it in two."" - Playboy, 1984 "Piss off, cake. Like, a piece of cake becomes piss off cake, And it's nothing, it's so harmless really, just little digs. But the first line is about "too many people preaching practices." I felt John and Yoko were telling everyone what to do. And I felt we didn't need to be told what to do. The whole tenor of the Beatles thing had been, like, each to his own. Freedom. Suddenly it was "You should do this." It was just a bit the wagging finger, and I was pissed off with it. So that one got to be a thing about them." - Mojo, 2001 Lennon even reacted to it directly in an interview: "There were all the bits at the beginning of 'Ram' like 'too many people going underground'. Well that was us, Yoko and me. And 'you took your lucky break', that was considering we had a lucky break to be with him." And from Crawdaddy, 1971: "I heard Paul's messages in Ram - yes there are dear reader! Too many people going where? Missed our lucky what? What was our first mistake? Can't be wrong? Huh! I mean Yoko, me, and other friends can't all be hearing things. There's also a sound snippet of Lennon singing the bit from 'Back Seat' during an interview. Since, often people tried to read between the lines of every lyric on 'Ram': "When I thought you was my friend/But you laid me down, put my heart around the bend" "I was walking down the street the other day/Who did I meet/I met a friend of mine and he did say/Man I can smell your feet a mile away" The whole of 'Monkberry Moon Delight', cryptic, metaphoric, about the whole break-up, the lawsuits, the press drama. I always like to think that 'Little Lamb Dragonfly' and Lennon's 'I Know (I Know)', from 2 years after the public fights, were make-up call-and-answer songs, with 'Let Me Roll It' and 'Beef Jerky' to top it off'.
A great summary
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prudence1964:
So, I read today that many think Little Lamb Dragon Fly is about John. It seems rather far fetched to me that every time he mentions missing someone or something in a song that it's about John. I'm voting no on that one. For sure the following are about John - Too many people, Dear Friend, Here Today, the songs we were singing. I suspect This One to be about John. What else you got? Confirmed or suspected songs about John
Early Days
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Kestrel:
Bruce M.:
I think a couple lines in Some People Never Know clearly reference John, who had released How Do You Sleep a few months before:
SPNK was recorded in August 1971, but John's Imagine album (where HDYS is found) wasn't released until September (in the US) and October (in the UK). Those lines could still have been about John though even if not directly inspired by How Do You Sleep.
That doesn't mean Paul hadn't heard it or at least heard of it. It's not like he and John didn't know the same people. In fact, it would be rather shocking if word hadn't reached Paul.
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I believe '3 Legs' was another clever dig by Paul on John.
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Bruce M.:
Kestrel:
Bruce M.:
I think a couple lines in Some People Never Know clearly reference John, who had released How Do You Sleep a few months before:
SPNK was recorded in August 1971, but John's Imagine album (where HDYS is found) wasn't released until September (in the US) and October (in the UK). Those lines could still have been about John though even if not directly inspired by How Do You Sleep.
That doesn't mean Paul hadn't heard it or at least heard of it. It's not like he and John didn't know the same people. In fact, it would be rather shocking if word hadn't reached Paul.
Yes, besides, the digs already started before. Also, "I seen religion from Jesus to Paul" in Lennon's 'I Found Out', recorded and released late 1970.
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JoeySmith:
I believe '3 Legs' was another clever dig by Paul on John.
In what way?
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Bruce M.:
Kestrel:
Bruce M.:
I think a couple lines in Some People Never Know clearly reference John, who had released How Do You Sleep a few months before:
SPNK was recorded in August 1971, but John's Imagine album (where HDYS is found) wasn't released until September (in the US) and October (in the UK). Those lines could still have been about John though even if not directly inspired by How Do You Sleep.
That doesn't mean Paul hadn't heard it or at least heard of it. It's not like he and John didn't know the same people. In fact, it would be rather shocking if word hadn't reached Paul.
Its possible I guess as there was about six weeks between the recording of the two songs, although SPNK could have pre-dated HDYS as far as being written. Just as likely though Paul could have been simply responding gently to John having lobbed a brick through his front window !!!
.....assuming that little event actually happened of course. 
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I don't know why people want Paul's songs to be about John, especially all these years later. Wouldn't that make him a bad songwriter?
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Kestrel:
Bruce M.:
Kestrel:
Bruce M.:
I think a couple lines in Some People Never Know clearly reference John, who had released How Do You Sleep a few months before:
SPNK was recorded in August 1971, but John's Imagine album (where HDYS is found) wasn't released until September (in the US) and October (in the UK). Those lines could still have been about John though even if not directly inspired by How Do You Sleep.
That doesn't mean Paul hadn't heard it or at least heard of it. It's not like he and John didn't know the same people. In fact, it would be rather shocking if word hadn't reached Paul.
Its possible I guess as there was about six weeks between the recording of the two songs, although SPNK could have pre-dated HDYS as far as being written. Just as likely though Paul could have been simply responding gently to John having lobbed a brick through his front window !!!
.....assuming that little event actually happened of course. As far as I know, it did.
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prudence1964:
JoeySmith:
I believe '3 Legs' was another clever dig by Paul on John.
In what way?
Something about the "3 Legs" being the 3 other Beatles (John, George and Ringo) Anyone know more?
