John Lennon and Paul McCartney shared a close yet complicated relationship over the course of their lives. The duo was responsible for creating some of the most influential and beloved songs ever recorded, and often wrote “eyeball to eyeball” while penning some of their early hits.
Later on, though, their bond fractured, and the pair’s relationship grew more distant and complex as time went on. Still, Lennon’s last words to McCartney were affectionate, moving, and appropriate for a bond as impactful, deep, and complicated as theirs.
John Lennon’s Last Words to Paul McCartney
According to statements by Linda McCartney and Carl Perkins, the last thing Lennon ever said to his bandmate was, “Think about me now and then, old friend.” The words carry a deep poignancy within them, and feel fitting for Lennon’s unintentional final goodbye.
Lennon and McCartney’s relationship suffered greatly during the Beatles’ later years due to creative differences and the challenges of fame, among other reasons. Things imploded when the Beates broke up, though.
Lennon had privately told the band he was leaving in 1969, but his relationship with McCartney fractured dramatically after McCartney effectively announced the band’s breakup with a press release for his solo album. That move sparked a deep rift between Lennon and McCartney, with Lennon penning the spiteful track “How Do You Sleep?” about his bandmate.
The pair’s relationship slowly improved over the years, though. McCartney and his wife Linda showed up at one of Lennon’s recording sessions in 1974 and the McCartneys were also seen spending time at Lennon’s apartment in New York City. McCartney also is believed to have dedicated his song “Dear Friend” to Lennon. The pair even briefly considered reuniting in 1976 for an episode of Saturday Night Live after Lorne Michaels jokingly extended an invitation to them, and had not ruled a reunion out at the time of Lennon’s death.
John Lennon’s Last Words
Lennon was shot by Mark David Chapman on December 8, 1980 outside of his New York City apartment building, The Dakota. According to law enforcement who were there at the scene, Lennon’s actual words were, “I’m shot.”
Tragically, the last words he said to his wife Yoko Ono were, “No. I want to go home and say good night to Shawn first,” in reference to their son. Ono had asked if he wanted to get something to eat after leaving the Record Plant studio shortly before.
There, they’d been working on recording the song “Walking on Thin Ice.” Its lyrics are strangely prophetic, with Ono singing, “I may cry someday, But the tears will dry whichever way, And when our hearts return to ashes, It’ll be just a story.”
Alternatively, and perhaps even more sadly, according to Ono, the last song Lennon ever wrote was a sweet love song called “Grow Old With Me,” undoubtedly dedicated to his wife. The song was supposed to be on Lennon’s album Double Fantasy, but it had been shelved and reserved for his upcoming album, Milk and Honey, which he was never able to complete. The album was later released posthumously by Ono, and stands as a bittersweet reminder of a legendary talent and a body of work the world will never get to hear.
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