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Telegraph
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
John Lennon used N-word in poem before becoming famous
wrote a poem using the N-word before he became famous. The former Beatle penned a racist verse during the band's Hamburg residency in 1961. In the short poem, he uses the term several times when describing the story of an unemployed boy named Tom. It reads: 'One time upon a tom a little negro who had lost his mother was looking for a job. Maybe I will be a shoe shine boy, says the negro who was black and dirty. But no – unluckily as luck would have it he could not a job find.' The poem ends: 'No job for a n-----.' Lennon, who was in his early 20s at the time, wrote the poem in an A5 notebook that he kept in the Hamburg flat of Astrid Kirchherr, a German photographer and friend of the band. A year after it was written, the Beatles released their first single, Love Me Do. They were then propelled to stardom with the release of their first album, Please Please Me, in March 1963. Kirchherr later gifted Lennon's poem to another source before it fell into the hands of a collector, who is selling it at an auction this month. The poem, which stands in stark contrast to his later songs preaching love and tolerance, such as Imagine, is being sold by Hollywood's Julien's Auctions. The 6.5in by 8.5in piece of paper containing the poem is estimated to sell for up to $20,000 (£15,000) on May 30. Giles Moon, the head of music at Julien's Auctions, said: 'John Lennon was a complicated and complex artist whom we discovered through his public and private personas had his share of issues. 'His writings, music and appearances revealed his struggles and journey to becoming a more understanding person.' It would not be the only controversy involving Lennon and the N-word. He released a single in 1972 titled Woman is the N----- of the World, which caused outrage. Billboard called it 'the most controversial record of the year', but Lennon explained that the track – which lambasts how society treats women – was an attempt to declare his belief that women were the most exploited members of society. 'I agree that a lot of people, black and white, are slaves in the world,' he explained, adding: 'But each of them has his own slaves, and that's usually the wife.' 'I think the word n----- has changed and it does not have the same meaning that it used to,' Lennon said, adding that the song's main point was to shine a light on women's rights. The former Beatle said: 'I really believe that women have [it] the worst. Whatever it is, however badly or poor people are, it's the woman who takes it when they get home from work.' Lennon a 'hypocrite' However, in a story published two days before he was assassinated in 1980, Lennon admitted that he beat women including Cynthia Powell, his first wife. In an interview with Playboy, he admitted: 'I used to be cruel to my woman, and physically ... any woman. I was a hitter. I couldn't express myself, and I hit.' The musician was also accused by Julian Lennon, his first son, of being a 'hypocrite' who had a family 'in bits and pieces'. In an interview with The Telegraph in the late 90s, he said: 'Dad could talk about peace and love out loud to the world but he could never show it to the people who supposedly meant the most to him: his wife and son.' Archive footage of the Beatles star mocking disabled people during a performance also caused controversy when it was re-aired by the TV show It Was Alright in the 1960s. The show, which documented changing societal attitudes and norms, showed Lennon encouraging a screaming crowd to clap their hands and stomp their feet as he spoke with a speech impediment while making awkward clapping and stomping movements.
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
John Lennon's racist poem revealed 64 years later: How The Beatles' front man used N-word in shocking verses scrawled in notebook
A shocking racist poem penned by John Lennon has been discovered after 64 years. The Beatle told the story of an unemployed boy named Tom who was 'black and dirty' and looking for work. He used the shocking N-word several times in the poem that was penned during the band's Hamburg residency in 1961, when they were little-known. The offensive words are in stark contrast to the beautiful songs Lennon penned in his epic songwriting partnership with Paul McCartney. The poem was removed from an A5 notebook he kept in the Hamburg flat of German photographer Astrid Kirchherr, who was a friend of the band. It reads in black ink: 'One time upon a tom a little negro who had lost his mother was looking for a job. 'Maybe I will be a shoe shine boy - says the negro who was black and dirty. 'But no - unluckily as luck would have it he could not a job find. 'No job for a n****r.' A year after the poem was written the Beatles, now with their classic Fab Four line up of Lennon, McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison, released their first single, Love Me Do. They were then propelled to superstardom with the success of their first album, Please Please Me, which was released in March 1963. Kirchherr gifted the poem to another source and it then passed into the hands of a collector, who is selling it via Julien's Auctions, of Los Angeles, US. The 6.5ins by 8.5ins piece of paper containing the poem is tipped to sell for £15,000 ($20,000). Giles Moon, head of music at Julien's Auctions, said: 'John Lennon was a complicated and complex artist whom we discovered through his public and private personas had his share of issues. 'His writings, music and appearances revealed his struggles and journey to becoming a more understanding person.' It has been well documented that John Lennon had a darker side to his personality. He admitted to beating women, with his first wife Cynthia saying how he once slapped her in the face in a moment of jealousy. Lennon was also accused of emotionally abusing his son Julian, once stating he how he was an unplanned child 'born out of a bottle of whiskey'. He was also filmed mocking disabled people and was accused of violently attacking the Cavern Club's MC Bob Wooler after he jokingly suggested Lennon had an intimate relationship with Brian Epstein. Lennon was murdered by obsessed fan Mark Chapman outside his apartment building in New York in 1980, a decade after The Beatles formally parted ways. The sale of the poem takes place on May 30.
