When graduating from the Coast Guard Academy, those of us left — about half of those who began the four-year program, we were given a whole page in the yearbook to design however we wanted. I chose to simply have a picture of Elvis Presley and some words from John Lennon's "God," which he released on the best non-Beatles album ever recorded by a Beatle, "Plastic Ono Band":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv3ic6OOXns
Also on that album was the harrowing "Mother," where Lennon used the "Primal Scream" therapy he had been using to express the pain he felt about his mother — "Mother, you had me but I never had you / I wanted you but you didn't want me" — and near the end of the song, he sang as he hadn't since threshing his voice on "Twist and Shout":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDVkkwl6aJo
And, also on the same album, "Working Class Hero," where I've spent years thinking about what he really means by the refrain:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lKwXwU5iWs
It's a good weekend to check out The Art of John Lennon, exhibiting at The Gateway this weekend only near the entrance to Dick's Sporting Goods on the ground level. It's free.
