The Gospel of John and Paul

There are times some writings need no explanation. They simply come to exist.

The Gospel of John and Paul

By

Carlos Lorenzo Estrada 

(The Saints of Liverpool) 

“And, in the end

The love you take

is equal to the love you make.” - The Beatles 

They were rebels 

These brilliant poets from Liverpool 

Defining a generation of youth

Who felt lost in the miasma of societal conformity 

Inspired by the blues of inequity and enslavement 

Whose rich haunting sorrows cried across the sea

A rebellion that sang to them in harmony and lyric

Rooted in the Southern strife of hate and despair 

White soul from the grace of a black cry for freedom 

Yesterday 

Let it be

All you need is love

Black bird singing in the dead of night

A gospel of Jude intonated within the heart of these young English men

And the world wept...and changed

In "Revolution"... came hope.

Author's Note

I was born in 65 and grew up listening to their music and will do for the rest of my remaining life. When I first picked up guitar at age 12 I did so specifically to learn my favorite song "Yesterday". It is so hauntingly melodic and quite easy to learn if I'm being honest. They changed the face of pop music for generations to come. And their influence still resonates today. They came at a turbulent time in history making music as the world began to fall apart around them. With great political leaders being assassinated. But despite the changing of the times their music never wavered from its message of profound peace and love. The Beatles. The greatest rock band in history of music.

Reviews

[Sami Khalil]

I feel they were larger than life; awesome to say the least. I echo your thoughts about them. You wrote a fine, worthy tribute to them. They filled the airwaves and our hearts, ears with song. What struck me too is their humbleness regardless of all the fame and fortune.

[Ken Simm.]

I used to live in Liverpool and remember seeing them on a local TV station in black and white in 64 on the largest TV with the smallest screen. They were hugely influential in all the arts and this poem does them real justice.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you Ken for sharing your words and thoughts with me. It means so much to me that I was able to elicit that fond memory you have of them. They will forever resonate in my mind as a four year old hearing my mother humming "Yesterday" in 1968. To this day and beyond they continue to influence the many generations of poets and artists throughout the world. I can not imagine a world without the legacy of the Beatles in it. CLE

[Marvin Thomas Cox-Flynn..]

Carlos,

this piece set to pen of page is a fine tribute to a band and honorable group of men that I have admired since I heard them the first time on the radio and them first on The Ed Sullivan show ... Majestically well done, my friend ...

Marvin Thomas Cox-Flynn de Graham

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you kindly Marvin for your comment. Each generation has their poets and artists. There are those that strip the bonds of common art to become iconic and revolutionary. The Beatles have more than reached this plateau and status. As long as time exists so to will their art. CLE

[Patricia Wedel]

Without Poetry... we will not Survive'' The Best things in Life are Free.

[Neville]

they were pretty darned good weren't they .. and what a FAB tribute to the FAB four sir .. Neville

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Yes they truly were and continue to be iconic. Imagine this fact that somewhere in the world there is someone who can't speak a word of English but can sing a Beatles song. They changed a world and generations after. The first song I can ever remember hearing was Yesterday. My mother sang it to me as a 4 yr old. And it remains to me to be the single most beautiful song of poetry I have ever heard. Thank you Neville for sharing your thoughts with me on this poem.

[Chris Shaw]

I have to agree the greatest group ever. There will never be another who have had the impact in the world of music that they have had. I had the great fortune to see them at the Astoria in Finsbury Park with my brother when I was 13. My friends were so envious and I have to say that was one of the best Christmas presents ever. Thank you for this fine tribute. Liverpool have produced the finest, including my husband :) Happy new year Carlos. All the very best to you.

Chris

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

That is such an incredible gift to be able to have seen them live. To witness history that will never happen in that way again. They defined a generation and changed world culture on how music is accepted into all hearts regardless of where one lives. I had an aunt that could barely speak a word of English but she loved the Beatles and would sing their songs. In my heart the song "Yesterday" will remain one of the greatest poems ever written into lyrical music. I was born in 65 but can remember that single song my mom once sang to me as I slept as a four year old. That song remains with me still. As I remember yesterday. CLE

[Re-Pete]

i too was born in '65. you used some great sounding words. i can still hear the static of spinning vinyl and the click of 8 track tapes. nicely done carlos ... :)

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Your words are poetry themselves when describing the sounds of the music we grew up on Pete. I can still hear the clicks of spinning vinyl on my parents record player that was embedded into a rosewood furniture table bought in 68. The clarity of sound haunted me. Nothing compares to hearing Paul's vocals of Yesterday emanating from it, or even Stevie Wonder's My Cherie Amour. Music has never sounded more perfect than in those days. Thank you again my friend.

[Miss Sharon]

(And the world wept...and changed In "Revolution"... came hope.) I remember it well. I was SO in love with Paul...the best looking one in my opinion. I loved their music and saw the movie they made about a yellow balloon (a tad disappointing to me.) I still play and dance to their music when I'm in a really good mood! Thanks for the memories! ~Sharon

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

You are very welcome Sharon. I'm also a huge Paul fan as well. His poetry in music speaks to us in deeper ways beyond our humanity and straight to the essence of love. When he sings you feel the emotions his words convey and are moved by them. You literally feel the bittersweet sorrow of love loss in Yesterday that it moves one to tears because of its relatability. Or the hopeful spiritual optimism of his rock gospel Let it Be. They changed generation after generation of musical artists who are inspired by them. And continue to be. Even we poets who yearn to write just one composition as prefect as the lyrics of many of their songs. Their influence remains to this day in us all. "The love you take is equal to the love you make..." I totally agree in these poetic words. CLE

[Samuel Dickens]

In '65 I was seventeen and soaked to the bone with Beatles music and dreams of romance. I caught flack from some of the teachers for combing my hair like the fab four, but soon, many other boys did so, too. In high school choir, the quartet I was in sang "Michelle". So, yeah, I share your love of the Beatles and still listen to them. As this fine poem tells us--they were pretty special.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you Samuel for sharing your thoughts with me. Indeed they truly were unique and had such a lasting impact on music as well as cultures. They revolutionized their genre of music and elevated themselves to iconic status. Almost every song of their's is a unique poem put to music. For as long as I continue to draw breath I will be a fan as well as inspired by they art they gave us all in their legacy. CLE

[Zoe Richardson]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who writes poetry about the Beatles. They were extraordinarily talented and yet so very different from one another. Thank you for this tribute. I'm sure the four lads would be touched if they were all still around today.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

I grew up a fan of their music and it was the reason I wanted to learn guitar at age 12. Because my all time favorite song is Yesterday. Their music is transcendent. One can't help but listen and want to love better, be better, and hope better. I can listen to any Beatles ballad and the anger or sadness I may feel in the moment just fades away. They inspire poets to write, and singers to sing, and dancers to dance. They speak to every one of our emotions within their lyrics. And in the end they encourage and inspire hope, love, and change for the better. Their music is simply universal and iconic. I admire John but I have always been a huge Paul fan. His words speak to the heart and draws out that emotion within us. Each one of them though are unique talents themselves. But for the short time they existed their art changed a generation and a world. And they continue to influence artists in many genres to this day. If I could just write one perfect poem that is as emotive and stirring as their lyrics are I would be content with that single piece being my legacy. Yesterday is the perfect poem made into song. And to imagine it wasn't the only perfect one they composed. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me and a love for this amazing rock band. One that I consider the greatest of all time.

[Zoe Richardson]

I'm a Paul fan, too. He is a poet and that's what calls to me. Did you know that the working title of 'Yesterday' was 'Scrambled Eggs?' Doesn't quite have the same ring to it, but it is a bit tongue-in-cheek. To give such a utilitarian title to an iconic song. Believe it or not, my favorite Beatles song (if I have such a thing) is 'She's Leaving Home.' It's not the most profound, or beautiful, or deep but it has a great personal meaning to me. There's an ache to it, a melancholy that stretches inside me. People criticize Paul for his populist and commerical music, but can he help it if he has the knack for writing catchy songs? Sometimes I just wanted to smack John upside the head and say, "stop trying so hard! Your constant insistence on being edgy and avant garde is getting on my last nerve."