In the last few days, two people close to me have said they’ve found John’s “Gimme Some Truth” to be a tonic right now, even a cathartic. But this is the Lennon song that came to my mind, a day or two after the worst cataclysm to befall America since 9/11, and I’ve been listening to it several times a day.

Coming from 1974, it’s a demo of the song from John’s Walls and Bridges album. As we know, it was written about ex-Beatles manager Allen Klein. But as far as I’m concerned, it’s a hot curse from the grave, a shot across the bow of the Bloated Goon, that person identified on his birth certificate as Donald Trump.

Listen especially to one line near the end that twists on Disney figures: an improvisation unique to this version.

This feels like a nutrient for the work ahead.