Hey Nigel !

One of Lennon's shortest poems, "Good Dog Nigel", paired with the only logical backing.

This poem clearly shows what Lennon's poems are about: looks like "A Laugh-a-minute with Lennon" at first sight, but one level down, the story is pretty sad.

According to Philip Norman's "Shout", p.49: 'They (Mimi and John ed.) used to keep al little dog named Sally...John really thought the world of her. One time, when John had walked out...., Mimi got rid of Sally. That was the only time that I (Pete Shotton ed.) ever saw John really heartbroken and showing it....'

Why the name Nigel, not Sally ? Well, Lennon usually garbled words and names, perhaps to make himself not too vulnerable. In this case, Nigel probably came to mind, as Nigel (Walley) was John's friend who spoke with with Julia (John's mother) moments before she was died in car accident.

As usual with John's lyrics, the poem Good Dog Nigel is based on his own experiences: here the loss of his beloved dog and his mother merge into in a single powerful little poem.