About the Selling of John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance"

Lennon 'Peace' lyrics sell at auction for $833,654
By Associated Press
10:54 PM CDT, July 10, 2008
LONDON - Christie's auction house has sold John Lennon's handwritten lyrics to "Give Peace a Chance" for $833,654.

The lyrics were written during Lennon's 1969 Bed-in protest for peace at the Queens Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal.

Christie's spokeswoman Zoe Schoon said Lennon gave the sheet to 16-year-old Gail Renard during the eight-day Bed-in.

Lennon wrote the lyrics and recorded the song in the hotel room with about 50 guests, who included singer Petula Clark and beat poet Allen Ginsberg.

Here, have them for free:

GIVE PEACE A CHANCE
(Written by John Lennon / Paul McCartney)
John Lennon - 1988


Everybody is talking about blagism
Shagism, dragism and madism
Ragism and tagism bob tailing
Thisism, thatism, ism, ism, ism
George Chisolm, yes

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

Everybody's talking about ministers
Sinisters, banisters, canisters
Roger Bannisters, bishops, bishops
Bishop Auckland, rabbis, Popeyes, bye-byes
Max Bygraves and everybody else

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

Everybody's talking about revolution
Evolution, The Everly Brothers, mastication
Euston Station, fladulation, flatulation
Regulations, integration, mediation
United Nations, congratulations

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

Everybody in the Soviet Union, unite
Go down to the shops and talk about John and Yoko
Timothy Leary, Barbara Windsor, Yoko Ono, Madonna
Bobby Dylan, Bobby Charlton, Eddie Charlton
Tommy Cooper and the Amazing Horseradish Dancers
Derek Baker, Norman Mailer, Alan Ginsberg and the Hare Krishna Three

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

Everybody's talking about gagism, tagism
Shagism, dragism, madism
Ragism, tagism, botulism, thisism, thatism
Listen to this

Everybody's talking about ministers
Sinisters, banisters, canisters
Bishops, bishops, Bishop's Avenue
Why not talk about Bishop's Avenue
I've got a lovely house on Bishop's Avenue

Everybody's talking about Popeye, Olive Oyl
Everybody, everybody, everybody, Mrs. Jean Schnook
Twenty Three Chepstow Villas
Because they are the next contestant on "Make a B-Side"

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