John Lennon’s Father Lied About Spending 3 Months in Jail for Theft

John Lennon shared a close relationship with his mother, Julia Lennon, with others detailing the musician’s relationship with his father. The Beatle’s ex-wife Cynthia Lennon even noted that John’s father lied about going to jail for theft. 

John Lennon’s mother, Julia, inspired his love of music

Even before his international fame, John Lennon’s mother instilled a passion for music; she bought him his first guitar.  

John Lennon and his first wife, Cynthia Powell, connected because they both lost their parents at a young age — a cycle that repeated with their son Julian. (Julian Lennon was 17 years old when John Lennon was murdered.) 

John Lennon’s father, Alfred ‘Alf’ Lennon, lied about going to jail

Although John Lennon’s father wasn’t close with the musician, he was still around when Lennon was young. Still, Alfred Lennon was absent for most of John’s life. This was somewhat explored in the 2005 memoir John, written by Lennon’s ex-wife Cynthia Lennon.

“Alf continued to appear from time to time until, when John was about 18 months old, Julia was told that he had jumped ship and disappeared,” Cynthia Lennon wrote. “Until then he had sent her money each month from his wages, but now it stopped.” 

“When he finally reappeared, he said he had been jailed for three months for theft — later he claimed this was untrue — but the marriage was faltering,” she continued.

For some time, Lennon was raised by his Aunt Mimi, who was a stark contrast to his mother. While his mother encouraged the Beatles’ love of music, Aunt Mimi appeared cold, even declining hugs from her nephew. 

In 1958, Lennon’s mother was killed in a car accident. He was already living with his aunt by then, but later reflected on his mother’s death with original music. 

John Lennon wrote ‘Julia’ and ‘Mother’ about his mother

Lennon wrote original songs inspired by his mother, including “Mother.” The Beatles included “Julia” on their self-titled album. In it, Lennon sings, “Half of what I say is meaningless / But I say it just to reach you, Julia / Julia, Julia / Ocean child calls me.” The artist later commented on the significance of “Mother,” according to Express. 

“I’m writing this now because it’s the way I feel. I used to say I wouldn’t be singing ‘She Loves You’ when I was thirty, but I didn’t know I’d be singing about my mother,” he noted. “It’s just what came out of my mouth when I tried to write songs.” 

“I was doing therapy and going through my life ,and so I wrote about the most important things that happened in my life,” Lennon continued. “Just like any artist.”

Now, music by John Lennon and the Beatles is available on most major streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music.