Great rabble-rousing bitch-session of a song by John Lennon, from his 1971 album,
Imagine. What we're left to imagine about that version, however, is why he chose
to sabotage it with a sludgy, tired-sounding tempo. The production is bright enough,
but the true source of Lennon's pain here sounds like too many weary hours in the studio.
It was left to Billy Idol and Generation X, seven years later on their eponymously-titled
first album, to bring out the savage,
simple-minded (this is rock'n'roll, that's a good thing!) rage that this song had
all along by speeding it up and slurring the invective. Lennon wrote "Gimme Some Truth"
as a worn-out refugee from pop political
activism; Gen X re-made it as a punk retort to those from Lennon's generation who
had slipped away from the battle.
I'm sick and tired of hearing things
from uptight, short-sighted, narrow-minded hypocritics!
All I want is the truth.
Just gimme some truth.
I've had enough of reading things
by neurotic, psychotic, pig-headed politicians!
All I want is the truth.
Just gimme some truth.
No short-haired, yellow-bellied, son of tricky dicky
is gonna mother hubbard soft soap me
with just a pocketful of hope!
Money for dope.
Money for rope.
(Nice guitar solo here--seems misplaced, though. I must be getting old: can't tell
if it's George Harrison, or Eric Clapton, or what, and I don't have the jacket.) (Later: Two Sheds says, "The guitar solo is likely George Harrison. I do have the jacket, and George plays lead guitar, John plays other guitars, and Rod Linton and Andy play acoustic guitars. So it's George." Thanks, boss!
No short-haired, yellow-bellied, son of tricky dicky
is gonna mother hubbard soft soap me
with just a pocketful of soap!
Money for dope.
Money for rope.
I'm sick to death of seeing things
from tight-lipped, condescending, mama's little chauvinists!
All I want is the truth.
Just gimme some truth, now.
I've had enough of watching scenes
of schizophrenic, ego-centric, paranoiac, prima-donnas!
All I want is the truth, now.
Just gimme some truth.
No short-haired, yellow-bellied, son of tricky dicky
is gonna mother hubbard soft soap me
with just a pocketful of soap!
It's money for dope.
Money for rope.
Ah, I'm sick and tired of hearing things
from uptight, short-sighted, narrow-minded hypocrites!
All I want is the truth, now.
Just gimme some truth, now.
I've had enough of reading things
by neurotic, psychotic, pig-headed politicians!
All I want is the truth, now.
Just gimme some truth, now.
All I want is the truth, now.
Just gimme some truth, now.
All I want is the truth.
Just gimme some truth.
All I want is the truth.
Just gimme some truth.