What songs are honestly about John?
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Nancy R:
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?
I read somewhere that "3 Legs" was one of the songs on Ram John thought was a dig at him. Don't remember where I read that though! Yeah, I think it had something to do with the 3 legs being the other Beatles ganging up on him. Once you lost just 1 of the "legs", you cant run (i.e., the dream was over). Also the line "When I thought you was my friend. But you let me down. Put my heart around the bend" is pretty self explanatory.
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Nancy R:
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?
I always took that as a declaration that he didn't need those 3 other guys. Bear in mind that the "Ram" album cover had a picture of 2 beetles -- ahem -- making love. There are several "the hell with those other guys" moments on "Ram," and I think most people heard them that way.
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was "dear friend" the only make up song?
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prudence1964:
was "dear friend" the only make up song?
Then we come back at 'Let Me Roll It' (which he loud and clear denied) and 'Little Lamb Dragonfly'. Keep in mind the latter is from the 'Ram'-sessions, early 1971, though... Also, there's 'Coming Up', which famously triggered John Lennon out of retirement, a song he loved and is on record saying so: "You want some peace and understanding/so everybody can be free. I know that we can get together/we can make it, stick with me." There is also talk about 'Venus & Mars' being originally written about John & Yoko, but I take that with a truckload of salt.
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Darn the luck, can't get anyone to comment on this--but I still think "Tug of War" at least in part was written for and about his mate Lennon
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SusyLuvsPaul:
Darn the luck, can't get anyone to comment on this--but I still think "Tug of War" at least in part was written for and about his mate Lennon
I've thought that, especially since John was clearly on his mind during that album. I have a tendency to imagine everything being about John, but never considered little lamb dragonfly, so was surprised to see that mentioned elsewhere. I always took that one one pretty literally,
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prudence1964:
SusyLuvsPaul:
Darn the luck, can't get anyone to comment on this--but I still think "Tug of War" at least in part was written for and about his mate Lennon
I've thought that, especially since John was clearly on his mind during that album. I have a tendency to imagine everything being about John, but never considered little lamb dragonfly, so was surprised to see that mentioned elsewhere. I always took that one one pretty literally,
Dear Prudence, thank yew ! Finally !
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SusyLuvsPaul:
prudence1964:
SusyLuvsPaul:
Darn the luck, can't get anyone to comment on this--but I still think "Tug of War" at least in part was written for and about his mate Lennon
I've thought that, especially since John was clearly on his mind during that album. I have a tendency to imagine everything being about John, but never considered little lamb dragonfly, so was surprised to see that mentioned elsewhere. I always took that one one pretty literally,
Dear Prudence, thank yew ! Finally !
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=17225 I agree with this analysis that it's about John, but also more -
Bruce M.:
Nancy R:
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?
I always took that as a declaration that he didn't need those 3 other guys. Bear in mind that the "Ram" album cover had a picture of 2 beetles -- ahem -- making love. There are several "the hell with those other guys" moments on "Ram," and I think most people heard them that way.
Yeah, tell it like it is, the one beetle was f@#&ing the other one! Paul felt like he was the one being screwed. (He was not doing the screwing in his opinion) I'm with Joey Smith about 3 Legs. Paul was sad about what had happened.
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prudence1964:
SusyLuvsPaul:
Darn the luck, can't get anyone to comment on this--but I still think "Tug of War" at least in part was written for and about his mate Lennon
I've thought that, especially since John was clearly on his mind during that album. I have a tendency to imagine everything being about John, but never considered little lamb dragonfly, so was surprised to see that mentioned elsewhere. I always took that one one pretty literally,
I've never thought Tug of War was directly about John, but it surely is the produce of the state of Paul was in after John's murder. The deep streak of melancholy that runs through the album is starkly different from any post-Beatle Paul album. You can almost feel John's ghost -- and the pain of losing him in such an appalling way -- hovering in the recording studio.
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nobodytoldme:
The whole of 'Monkberry Moon Delight', cryptic, metaphoric, about the whole break-up, the lawsuits, the press drama.
I'm not hearing or reading that in these lyrics which seem free flowing and fun. The only quote I could find from Paul is: When my kids were young they used to call milk 'monk' for whatever reason that kids do - I think it's magical the way that kids can develop better names for things than the real ones. In fact, as a joke, Linda and I still occasionally refer to an object by that child-language name. So, monk was always milk, and monkberry moon delight was a fantasy drink, rather like Love Potion No. 9, hence the line in the song, 'sipping monkberry moon delight'. It was a fantasy milk shake. Can you explain
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That's a charming description, "it was a fantasy milk shake"
His children's verbal flight of fancy inspired that song with its totally wild sounding vocals 
like "Love Potion No. 9" --he sounds so high singing this as if under the spell of a potent concoction of combinations of brewskys 
: 
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From Tug of War: "Trying to outdo each other (or one another?)" in a "Tug of War"--was about John and Paul, wasn't it, their dynamics toward the end of the Beatles
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How about "a good friend of mine follows the stars...."?
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dcshark:
nobodytoldme:
The whole of 'Monkberry Moon Delight', cryptic, metaphoric, about the whole break-up, the lawsuits, the press drama.
I'm not hearing or reading that in these lyrics which seem free flowing and fun. The only quote I could find from Paul is: When my kids were young they used to call milk 'monk' for whatever reason that kids do - I think it's magical the way that kids can develop better names for things than the real ones. In fact, as a joke, Linda and I still occasionally refer to an object by that child-language name. So, monk was always milk, and monkberry moon delight was a fantasy drink, rather like Love Potion No. 9, hence the line in the song, 'sipping monkberry moon delight'. It was a fantasy milk shake. Can you explain
"Sore was I from the crack of an enemy's hose" "When a rattle of rats had awoken" "I stood with a knot in my stomach" * "Two youngsters concealed in a barrel" "I don't get the gist of your letter" and so on. *Paul McCartney on the Beatles' break-up: "We had to go and fight, which I didn't want, really. [..] It was murderous. I had a knot in my stomach all summer." - Richard Meryman, Life Magazine, April 1971
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I vote no on monk berry.
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SusyLuvsPaul:
From Tug of War: "Trying to outdo each other (or one another?)" in a "Tug of War"--was about John and Paul, wasn't it, their dynamics toward the end of the Beatles
This sounds a lot like what's known as "confirmation bias" -- seeing in things what you expect to see. Lots and lots of people, groups, etc., try to outdo each other. It could be a reference to John, but could easily about a thousand other things.
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prudence1964:
I vote no on monk berry.
Just because it's not spelled out? It's barely a stretch. The lawsuits, the angry letters, the betrayal, the time frame, the subject of more on the album. Regardless, one of his best lyrics ever, he could really bring it when he wanted to. The fact we are 45 years on discussing about the meaning says a lot.
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nobodytoldme:
prudence1964:
I vote no on monk berry.
Just because it's not spelled out? It's barely a stretch. The lawsuits, the angry letters, the betrayal, the time frame, the subject of more on the album. Regardless, one of his best lyrics ever, he could really bring it when he wanted to. The fact we are 45 years on discussing about the meaning says a lot.
I don't read anything into those lyrics whatsoever.
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nobodytoldme:
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.
When one listens to the Lennon Anthology version, John really punctuates the word "Paul"
