Artist: The Cranberries
Released on: To The Faithful Departed (Track #9)
Duration: 2:41
LYRICS
It was the fearful night of December 8th
He was returning home from the studio late
He had perceptively known that it wouldn’t be nice
Because in 1980 he paid the pri-i-ice
John Lennon died, John Lennon died, John Lennon di-i-i-i-i-ied
John Lennon died, John Lennon died, John Lennon di-i-i-i-i-ied
With a Smith & Wesson, 38
John Lennon’s life was no longer a debate
He should have stayed at home, he should have never cared
And the man who took his life declared, he said
”I just shot John Lennon”
He said “I just shot John Lenno-on”
What a sad and sorry and sickening sight
What a sad and sorry and sickening night
What a sad and sorry and sickening sight
What a sad and sorry and sickening night
Ah hu-a-a hu-a-a hu-a-a hu-a-a-a, ha-u-
Ah hu-a-a hu-a-a hu-a-a hu-a-a-a
”I just shot John Lennon”
He said ”I just shot John Lenno-on”
What a sad and sorry and sickening sight
What a sad and sorry and sickening night
What a sad and sorry and sickening sight
What a sad and sorry and sickening night
Ah hu-a-a hu-a-a hu-a-a hu-a-a-a, ha-u
Ah hu-a-a hu-a-a hu-a-a hu-a-a-a
CREDIT INFORMATION
- Music by Noel Hogan & Dolores O’Riordan
- Lyrics by Dolores O’Riordan
- Produced by Bruce Fairbairn and The Cranberries
- Engineered and Mixed by Mike Plotnikoff
- Recorded in November, December 1995 in Dublin, Ireland at Windmill Lane Studios
- Orchestration written and arranged by Michael Kamen
- Published by Island Music Ltd
MEANING
- In an article from 1996 written by Janey Margetts, Dolores said, “There’s lots of songs here about people who have left this earth but they’ve left good things behind them, like John Lennon and Kurt Cobain, and we learnt from them”.
- In concert Dolores used to introduce the song telling who it was dedicated to, “This next song is a new song, a song for the future, a song about a really cool dead man called John Lennon” (Utrecht, Netherlands, 1995), “This song is a new song, about a great man […] a man called John Lennon, it’s called I Just Shot John Lennon.” (Tokyo, Japan, 1995), “It’s a song about a great man who died horrifically, his name was John Lennon, it’s called IJS John Lennon.” (Paris, France, 1995), “It’s a song about a great man, who was an English man, and his name was John Lennon and he was shot in 1980, and I think personally it was disgusting… and this was one is called I Just Shot John Lennon.” (London, UK, 1995), “This song is a song that I wrote about a guy who was a hero to me: John Lennon.” (Belfort, France, 2000)
NOTES
- The song ends with gun-shot sounds effects.
- Sometimes in concert, Dolores told the name of the song using abbreviations: “IJSL” or “a song called IJS John Lennon”
- In 2004 when she was asked which person in history she most identifies with, Dolores answered, “I think probably John Lennon because I admired everything he did. He was just an amazing spirit, I think. He was really into the concept of peace and love. He was just an amazing being and I guess only the good die young”
- On VH1 in May 2007 Dolores told that if she could be any character from history or literature she would be, “John Lennon. He’s kind of my idol”
