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John Sinclair Lyrics

Artist: John Lennon
Album: John Lennon Anthology

It ain't fair, John Sinclair
In the stir for breathing air
Won't you care for John Sinclair?
In the stir for breathing air
Let him be, set him free
Let him be like you and me

They gave him ten for two
What else can the judges do?
Gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta,
gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta,
gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta,
gotta, gotta, gotta set him free


If he'd been a soldier man
Shooting gooks in Vietnam
If he was the CIA
Selling dope and making hay
He'd be free, they'd let him be
Breathing air, like you and me


They gave him ten for two
What else can the judges do?
Gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta,
gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta,
gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta,
gotta, gotta, gotta set him free


They gave him ten for two
They got Ali Otis too.
Gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta,
gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta,
gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta,
gotta, gotta, gotta set him free


Was he jailed for what he done?
Or representing everyone
Free John now, if we can
From the clutches of the man
Let him be, lift the lid
Bring him to his wife and kids


They gave him ten for two
What else can the bastards do?
Gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta,
gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta,
gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta,
gotta, gotta, gotta set him free

Comments/Interpretations

by John on 5/27/2008 9:53am
sick song
by John Sinclair on 5/29/2008 1:08pm
my name is john sinclair
by iggy on 6/19/2008 9:11pm
great song man
by I Was There! on 7/3/2008 3:57pm
This song was written for the "Free John Now Rally", which included a live appearance by John and Yoko, at Ann Arbor's Chrisler Arena in December 1971. Three days after the rally, Sinclair was released from prison when the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the state's marijuana statutes were unconstitutional.
by Laura on 7/7/2008 7:05pm
I know John Sinclair...the guy in this song! :)
by eliotheo on 7/15/2008 1:48pm
WHAT ELSE CAN THE BASTARDS DO?
by sol mera on 8/24/2008 4:31am
el poder del pacifismo... despues que John Lennon interpretara esta cancion por primera vez en Detroit John Sinclair, que estaba condenado a 10 anyos de carcel, fue liberado en una semana... Este mundo necesita de gente como John Lennon y John Sinclair
by Jack on 10/10/2008 12:01pm
gotta let everyone free! grass should be legalized world wide!
by Dave on 10/17/2008 1:37am
December 1971, I was 20. The emotions and passions of that time are what's missing today - gotta gotta gotta gotta gotta gotta set OURSELVES free!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by Mike on 2/21/2009 2:50pm
last comment thank you!!!!
by Mike on 2/21/2009 3:00pm
oh yea plus you got like half the lyrics wrong,,, listen to the song , its not that hard
" what else can Judge columbo do" sounds nothing like what else can the judges do. did u listen to the song once cause u must have a hearing disorder. and it they got punk colombon too not ali otis too, . it acctually sound NOOTHING like it. SAD
by lucas on 3/4/2009 8:27am
GRANDE JOHN, POR SIEMPRE EN NUESTROS CORAZONES
by Florencia on 12/3/2009 11:23am
Este mundo necesita inspiradores como John lennon; Pero empecemos haciendo lo que nosotros podamos. porque john no esta en este mundo, porque es demasiado grande para este pequeño mundo, que nos sirva de algo su mensaje. PAZ
by jeff on 4/18/2010 3:38pm
hey mike. before u go off on a tangent like that, you should do a little fact checking first. there are 2 versions of the song. the one you are referring to is the live, "free john now" rally version.
these lyrics are the studio version, featured on the 1972 album "Sometime In New York City"
by rusty cage on 9/10/2010 1:23am
Listening to the Ann Arbor concert (I believe) in the movie, "The U.S. vs. John Lennon", John Lennon correctly sings: 'They gave him ten for two... what else can JUDGE COLOMBO DO?"

The lyrics noted here are different.
by Tina on 11/22/2010 8:21pm
@John, it is NOT a sick song! You're an idiot. The guy was given 10 years for 2 joints, dumbass!
by Bradley Greene on 11/23/2010 10:38am
they gave him 10 for 2... what else can JUDGE COLUMBO do.... no biggie just pisses Detroiters off.
by Jack on 12/10/2010 10:52am
I was a freshman at Michigan when the the concert for Sinclair was held. I listened to Lennon's performance on the campus radio station and recorded it. Listening to it many times I always heard Lennon say "they got Pun Plamondon too". This reference makes sense since Plamondon founded the White Panther Party with Sinclair in Ann Arbor and was also in prison at the time of the rally. I don't know who Ali Otis is though.
by Pete on 5/15/2012 4:26am
Great song done by a great man who never left his roots!
by oy on 9/27/2012 2:48pm
Are baby boomers really so dense? The lyrics here are from the album version, not the Ann Arbor concert, dummies. Also, protip: "sick" means "good" or "far out" or "groovy" -- can you dig it, daddio?
by blingy on 3/27/2014 6:31am
Could reference to Ali be Muhamad Ali? Although he wasn't jailed he was stripped of his heavyweight title over refusing to enter the draft. Just a thought
by Beatlenez on 3/29/2017 11:14am
No one could write songs (or sing them) like John Lennon








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