"School Day of Non-violence and Peace"

"GIVE PEACE A CHANCE", by John Lennon

This was recorded May 31, 1969 at a "Bed-In" Lennon staged in room 1472 of Queen Elizabeth's Hotel in Montreal.
John and Yoko stayed in bed for eight days in an effort to promote world peace.
 
They got a great deal of media attention, which is exactly what they wanted to promote their cause.

Some of the people in the hotel room who sang on this were Tommy Smothers, Timothy Leary, Allen Ginsberg, and Petula Clark.

This was Lennon's first hit away from The Beatles.




Visitors to John and Yoko's bed-in, including reporters, staff, and celebrities, banged on everything from doors to tabletops for rhythm.

This song quickly became the anthem of the Vietnam antiwar movement.

LYRICS:

Two, one two three four
Ev'rybody's talking about
Bagism, Shagism, Dragism, Madism, Ragism, Tagism
This-ism, that-ism, is-m, is-m, is-m.

All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

C'mon
Ev'rybody's talking about Ministers,
Sinisters, Banisters and canisters
Bishops and Fishops and Rabbis and Pop eyes,
And bye bye, bye byes.

All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

Let me tell you now
Ev'rybody's talking about
Revolution, evolution, masturbation,
Flagellation, regulation, integrations,
Meditations, United Nations,
Congratulations.

Ev'rybody's talking about
John and Yoko, Timmy Leary, Rosemary,
Tommy Smothers, Bobby Dylan, Tommy Cooper,
Derek Taylor, Norman Mailer,
Alan Ginsberg, Hare Krishna,
Hare, Hare Krishna

BAGISM: Bagism involved literally wearing a bag over one's entire body.

According to John and Yoko, by living in a bag, a person could not be judged by others on the basis of skin colour, gender, hair length, attire, age, or any other such attributes.

Timothy Francis Leary (1920–1996) was an American psychologist and writer known for advocating the exploration of the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs under controlled conditions.

(Rosemary Woodruff Leary)

Thomas Bolyn Smothers III (1937-...) is an American comedian, composer and musician, best known as half of the musical comedy duo the Smothers Brothers, alongside his younger brother Dick.

Robert Dylan (known professionally as Bob Dylan and born Robert Allen Zimmerman,1941-...) is an American singer-songwriter, author, and visual artist who is regarded as a widely influential figure in popular culture.

Thomas Frederick Cooper (1921–1984) was a Welsh comedian and magician. He was a member of The Magic Circle, and was respected by traditional magicians. He habitually wore a red fez.

Derek Taylor (1932–1997) was an English journalist, writer, publicist and record producer. He is best known for his role as press officer to The Beatles.

Norman Kingsley Mailer (1923–2007) was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, playwright, film-maker, actor, and liberal political activist.

Irwin Allen Ginsberg  (1926–1997) was an American poet, philosopher and writer. He is considered one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation during the 1950s and the counterculture that son followed.