The National Health Cow (BDJ Production)

This is the latest - and probably last - installment of our effort to set Lennon's poetry to music. The National Health Cow is one of Lennon's best known poems, at least two recordings of him reading it survive.

The NHC features in A Spaniard in the Works, a book from 1965 by John Lennon. The book consists of nonsensical stories and drawings similar to the style of his previous book, 1964's In His Own Write.

The poem follows a pattern that is found in many of Lwennon poems; a creature is described (sometimes animal, sometimes fanatsy-like), which appears to be friendly and harmless. There is some talk with the creature, and then te poem ends in a burst of violence, resulting in the death or departure of the creature.

What does it all mean ? One thing we know is that Lennon was traumatised bu the sudden death of his mother (in a car accident). We also know that -as a young boy - Lennon owned, and loved, a pet dog. His aunt Mimi suddenly took his dog away. These two events combined go a long way to explain these poems, but - of course- we'll never know for sure.