We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Gimme Some Truth (John Lennon cover)

by Jackson Whalan

/

about

I was thinking about covering “Gimme Some Truth” for years. I had never done a cover song or a Rock song. I felt like taking a creative leap. The idea to do the cover came in the beginning of 2020, pre-pandemic, before George Floyd was murdered, and before the protesting started. I’ve always used music as a vehicle to speak about social justice issues, and this John Lennon song resonates with me the most.

I started recording in early March of this year (2020), shortly after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic and quarantine began. People were running to the grocery store to get a “pocket full of soap” as the pandemic broke out. Police brutality, racism, and imperialism were on the rise again after the song was already finished. People are peacefully protesting for their rights and the police are showing up with riot gear.

Things were messed up when John Lennon wrote the song in the early 60s and 70s, and things are even more messed up now. Back then it was the Vietnam War and the same white supremacy as today. Now we have people like Roger Stone with Nixon, “Tricky Dicky”, tattooed on his back. We have a president who doesn’t know when Fredrick Douglas was alive but describes himself as “like a smart person”. Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell, Ted Cruz, Chuck Schumer, and Nancy Pelosi -- they’re all “spent pieces of used jet trash”, to steal one from Tom Waits. The names are different now, but they still cling to power through corruption.

What we are seeing now in the United States is more than four hundred years of racial oppression. 2020 resembles what was going on in the 60 and 70s when “Gimme Some Truth” was written. There are many parallels. I think John Lennon was ahead of his time in that he was aware of injustice as an ongoing struggle. As a songwriter and a voice, he was touching upon issues that are longstanding. These are things that don’t go away overnight.

lyrics

I'm sick and tired of hearing things from
Uptight short sided narrow minded hypocrites
All I want is the truth, just give me some truth
I've had enough of reading things
By neurotic psychotic pigheaded politicians
All I want is the truth, just give me some truth

No short-haired, yellow-bellied
Son of tricky dicky's
Gonna mother hubbard soft soap me
With just a pocket full of hopes
Money for dope, money for rope

No short-haired, yellow-bellied,
Son of tricky dicky's
Gonna mother hubbard soft soap me
With just a pocket full of hopes
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 give me some truth
I've had enough of watching scenes from
Schizophrenic egocentric paranoiac primadonnas
All I want is the truth just give me some truth

No short-haired, yellow-bellied
Son of tricky dicky's
Gonna mother hubbard soft soap me
With just a pocket full of hopes
It's money for dope, money for rope

I'm sick to death of hearing things from
Uptight short-sighted narrow minded hypocrites
All I want is the truth, just give me some truth
I've had enough of reading things
By neurotic psychotic pigheaded politicians
All I want is the truth, just give me some truth
All I want is the truth, just give me some truth
All I want is the truth, just give me some truth

credits

released June 26, 2020
Producer: Jackson Whalan
Co-producer: Ian Evans
Additional production, mixing and mastering by Will Schillinger at Pilot Recording Studios
Lead Vocals: Jackson Whalan
Live Drums: Jules Jenssen
Guitar: Sam McGarrity
Keys, bass, and slide guitar solo: Ian Evans
Programming & Engineering: Jackson Whalan

Special thanks to Black Ice, LLC

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Jackson Whalan

Recording artist and producer from the woods.

shows

contact / help

Contact Jackson Whalan

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this track or account

Jackson Whalan recommends:

If you like Jackson Whalan, you may also like: