The True Working Class Hero

John Lennon is known for many things. He was a former Beatle and husband of Yoko Ono. But a working class hero? Not the first thing that comes to mind when most know him as a member of the most popular band in history. Yet, he certainly knew what it took to be one.
In his song, Working Class Hero, Sir John writes about life as a member of this social class and that it is better to overcome all the obstacles that it presents.
He also continually mentions this “they” which could be society, the government, parents, or other authority figures. Take it as you will, but whoever that “they” is, they’re still present today.
Lennon starts the song:
“They hurt you at home and they hit you at school.
They hate if you’re clever and despise the fool.”
Parents mentally (and sometimes physically) abuse their children. They drive their kids so “crazy” with high demands that these kids will one day give up and not “follow their rules”.
The same thing happens at school so that there is no escape.
But its not just parents and teachers. Peers play a major role, too. They are the ones that ridicule the smarter kids along with the ones that don’t do so well. Even friends within cliques do this.
But it doesn’t just stop there. Lennon continues,
“When they’ve tortured and scared you for 20 odd years.
Then they expect you to pick a career
When you can’t really function you’re so full of fear.”
Up through college, parents and teachers torture students with grades and tests and homework. Then they scare us with stories of failure when grades aren’t high and homework isn’t always done. Even before school is finished, they expect every one of us to know what we want to do with the rest of our lives. Yet because they instilled the fear of failure we’re confused and still undecided.
Then they,
“Keep you doped with religion, sex and TV.
And you think you’re so clever and classless and free”
These problems don’t stop as we get older. They-again, take your pick at whomever or whatever that may be- distract us with not only what Lennon mentioned but also prescription drugs and other forms of media. Then, through all that, we think that we’re free because of the constitution, the wars we’ve fought, and all the other statements they make.
Yet, there is still a clear division between the upper and lower, or working, class. There are still rules and law-some that could be considered and infringement of our natural liberties- that play a huge role in our lives. Like Lennon said, we are still “peasants” even though we have everything that they say we do.
He continues to say:
“There’s room at the top I’m telling you still.
But first you must learn how to smile as you kill
If you want to be like the folks on the hill.”
Again, he is dead-on with what he says. It is still possible to reach the top of the success latter, but in order to do that, we must want others-friends and enemies- to fall below us. There is a lot of backstabbing that must happen according to what “they” demand.
It seems that everyone’s goal in life is to make a lot of money. But what Lennon is saying is that it is possible to do that without corruption and giving in to our inner demons.
Even though this song was written before many of us were even born, Lennon’s perspective still applies to us today. Our generation is still challenged with many of the obstacles that Lennon’s was.
He knew what he was talking about then and Green Day know what they are talking about now.
Green Day covered Working Class Hero for Amnesty International: A Campaign to Save Darfur, Yoko Ono’s tribute album to her late husband.
At the end of the track is a clip from the original with John Lennon saying, “If you want to be a hero well just follow me”.
That’s what we need to do-follow Lennon’s example. If we just break the shackles of society then we really would be heroes.