Working Class Hero

Working Class Hero

By John Lennon


As soon as you're born they make you feel small
By giving you no time instead of it all
Till the pain is so big you feel nothing at all
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be

They hurt you at home and they hit you at school
They hate you if you're clever and they despise a fool
Till you're so f****g crazy you can't follow their rules
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be

When they've tortured and scared you for twenty odd years
Then they expect you to pick a career
When you can't really function you're so full of fear
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be

Keep you doped with religion and sex and TV
And you think you're so clever and classless and free
But you're still f*****g peasants as far as I can see
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be

There's room at the top they are telling you still
But first you must learn how to smile as you kil
lIf you want to be like the folks on the hill
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be
If you want to be a hero well just follow me
If you want to be a hero well just follow me


The working class have struggled for centuries. For those of us who have read Henry Fielding’s Joseph Andrews or Charles Dicken’s Hard Times – we have a first-class glimpse into the literature which has reflected the harsh realities of later times. However, the "harsh" realities of the past are still evident in the present. Change, of course, can be accounted for through history- the rise of the "Union", the legalities following sexual offenses, and so on.

However, I believe Lennon is expressing that, the poor of the past and the poor of the present (as well as the morally poor) are all victim to the stranglehold and influence the mighty dollar has and has had, on humanity.

Lennon describes a mid-20th century perspective of “the mighty struggle” while his message rings true of centuries before (and likely centuries to come). Lennon focuses on the “corporation” and it’s influence on society. From birth to death we are consumed, driven, and fueld by dollars and cents- many of us for varying reasons.

Someone once said to me “the more you have, the more you want” just like “the more you have, the more you spend- and- the less you have, the more you need” …

I think in today’s age, many of us (speaking strictly of Western culture- aka the limit of my exposure) are in search of commodity as opposed to quality. Take for example, Christmas. The “quality” aspect would be found with Mom’s homemade pies, the hearth, funny stories, and biscuits. Now, Christmas is more of an enterprise- a corporate advantage- a marketing tool. Christmas equals money. Christmas means presents and overindulgences, and acquiring “things”.

When Lennon suggests we’re all still “peasants” I think he’s saying we don’t know what we’ve done, or what we have , or what we’ve given-up. He’s basically saying we don’t know what “quality” is- we’re conditioned, we’re too busy pursuing the “ideal” yet we don’t know what that ideal is…we just keep looking for it in “things”. In acquiring “things” we hope to discover our purpose…

I was once told that, "In order to have a stable economy there has to be suffering. There needs to be poverty in the world. Pleople need to "need" things- and the people who give these things, are the people who profit- this is the way profit is made."

Obviously we'll all jump on the banwagon and declare this untrue. I believe there is truth to this statement, however sad it may be. The difference though, is the clarification of "poverty". I do not believe that there needs to be all-out suffering in the world. I do not believe there needs to be "poverty" in the world- I belive that there is a fine balance which can be achieved, for those willing to attempt it. As it stands, I fully believe (and this might be way off topic) but I believe that the world economy is astronomically off-balance.

Something to consider too is, it is human nature to "want more" ...when you acquire something, you immediately "want more" (in whatever respect) ...so keeping that in mind, if the world was balanced in this sense, yet everyone still aspired to "have more" - what would happen then?

Thoughts on the grill.



Something to think about.