John Lennon - Watching the Wheels [Demo] (1980)

This is the man that started The Beatles, whose writing partnership with Paul McCartney resulted in the greatest and most successful songs of the 20^th century, and who, as a solo artist, wrote iconic rallying songs such as “Give Peace a Chance” and “Imagine,” in hopes of creating a better world. Like all of The Beatles and other top artists of the ‘60s and ‘70s, there isn’t enough space on this page to give him the credit and respect that he earned.

From 1975 until 1980, Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, put their musical careers on hold to raise their newborn son, Sean. This song is the acoustic demo of what was meant to be a response to those who questioned Lennon’s brief retirement to become a “househusband”. The finalized recording would later appear on his album, Double Fantasy, in 1980, and again as a posthumous single in 1981.



John Lennon - Watching the Wheels [Demo] (1980)

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Lyrics:

People say I'm crazy doin’ what I'm doin’
They give me all kinds of warnings to save me from ruin
And when I say that I'm okay, well, they look at me kind of strange
“Surely, you're not happy now; you no longer play the game”

Ah, people say I'm lazy dreamin’ my life away
Well, they give me all kinds of advice designed to enlighten me
I tell ‘em that I'm doin’ fine watchin’ shadows on the wall
“Well, don't you miss the big time, boy? You're no longer on the ball”

I'm just sittin’ here makin’ the wheels go ‘round and ‘round
I love to watch them roll
No longer ridin’ on the merry-go-round
I just had to let it go

People asking questions, lost in confusion
Well, I tell them there's no problem, only solutions
Well, they shake their heads and they look at me as if I've lost my mind
I tell them there's no hurry, I'm just sittin’ here doin’ time

I'm just sittin’ here watching the wheels go ‘round and ‘round
I really love to watch them roll
No longer riding on the merry-go-round
I just had to let it go

I just had to let it go