This song was sung by Lennon to free a political activist named John Sinclair who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for giving an undercover female officer two marijuana joints. Lennon performed this song at a rally for Sinclair in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and two days later, Sinclair was released from prison.
John Sinclair was a Detroit poet, who before his arrest in 1969 managed the punk pioneering band MC5 for three years and lead the White Panther Party. After his release, he wrote articles for musical publications, promoted the legendary Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival and taught blues courses at Wayne State University. After moving to New Orleans in the early 1990s, he became a radio DJ and released several spoken word blues and jazz-oriented albums.
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