John lennon . John lennon. John lennon was shot and killed tonight in new york city. An unspeakable tragedy. I said, do you realize what you have done here . And he said, i killed myself. He said, im john lennon. People came out here, singing beatles ballads. They just want to try to feel close to a man whom they say touched their lives. Thats how much love people had for john lennon. His music made our good times better. His music made our bad times at least livable. If he hadnt dreamed so beautifully, it wouldnt hurt so much. Here we are, 40 years later, talking about this man and this mans music. My role in society or any artist or poets role so to rye to express what we all feel, not as a preacher, as a leader, but as a reflection of us all. John, he was always a person that was ahead of the curve. His lyrics were always about the truth. I asked him at one point what his secret was for writing great songs. He said, you write the truth and you make it rhyme. It sort of dawned on me