Mother

(John Lennon)



Mother, you had me, but I never had you
Ohh I wanted you, but you didn't want me
So I, mmm I just gotta tell you
Goodbye, goodbye

Father, you left me, but I never left you
Ohh I needed you, you didn't need me
So I, I, I just gotta tell you
Goodbye, goodbye

Mama don't go
Daddy come home

Mama don't go
Daddy come home

Children, please don't do, what I have done - no, no
Ohh I couldn't walk but I tried to run
So I, I, I gotta tell you
Goodbye, goodbye

Mama don't go
Daddy come home

Mama don't go
Daddy come home

Mama don't go
Daddy come home

Mama don't go
Daddy come home

Mama don't go
Daddy daddy daddy come home

Mama don't go
Daddy come home

No No No
Daddy come home

Mama don't go



(Unreleased cover version intended for release of John Lennon 60th Birthday album release. Recorded in 1998).

Producer Tony Visconti: David recorded it as a demo in Nassau. The personnel was Andy Newmark on drums, a local keyboard player who played organ and Reeves Gabrels on acoustic guitar.

David's vocal was live and the drum leakage was terrible, but his vocal was ever so soulful and he wanted to keep it. During the recording of 'Safe (In This Skylife)' David punched in a few lines of vocal onto 'Mother'. I remember asking David what microphone he used in Nassau because we had to find the same type in New York for the punch-ins. He thought it was the type that Elvis used.

The person who loaned us the microphone did so on the condition that David pose with it and David cheerfully complied.

We added piano by Jordan Rudess (who played on Heathen) and Reeves added some incredible guitar. I played bass and sang backups with my songwriting buddy Richard Barone (formerly of the Bongos). I'm the first to admit that it is not the most polished production of our careers. The recording was made on that now defunct digital system ADAT and it was one of my first attempts at manipulating music in a computer, but we felt that the overall vibe was good enough to submit it to Yoko for that tribute album. I never found out why the album never materialised.