Dig A Pony - Rooftop Performance

John Lennon would often string words together to create nonsensical phrases for his lyrics - the best example is "I Am The Walrus." Listeners could often discern hidden meaning in his words, even when there was none, which rather amused him. "Dig A Pony" is in this tradition, with lines line "I do a road hog" and "you can syndicate any boat you row." Of course, fans formed their own interpretations, including one young man who was found hiding on the property surrounding Tittenhurst, Lennon's home in Ascot, England. In the 1988 film Imagine: John Lennon, we see this fellow asking what's really behind "Dig A Pony"; Lennon assures him that the song refers to no specific person and that the lyrics are "nonsense," a lyrical technique he also attributes to unspecified Bob Dylan songs. John stated in 1969 about this song, "I just make it up as I go along."

The Beatles recorded this on the Apple Records rooftop on the afternoon of January 30, 1969. It appears in rooftop sequence of the movie Let It Be. This was their first live performance since they stopped touring in 1965.

There is a false start in this song that was caused by Ringo, as you can see Lennon looking back at him to make sure he's ready before they start again. What caused the hiccup is unclear: if you watch the clip, just as they are getting ready to count into the song, you see Ringo blowing smoke out of his mouth. There is a hesitation and you see him bending over, but it looks like he's already put his cigarette down prior to that.