Marvin gaye martin abraham and john

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He was the first of four US Presidents to be assassinated, with John F. Kennedy, in 1963, becoming the fourth – although he was shot in a Ford car rather than the Ford theatre. We uncover the layers and sentiments behind this touching track.

“Abraham, Martin and John” Lyrics Meaning

Starting with the opening line, “Has anybody here seen my old friend Abraham,” Gaye sets the stage by referencing Abraham Lincoln, the 16th U.S.

president known for his role in ending slavery. When Gaye sang about these icons, it wasn’t just a historical recount; it was a call to remember, never to forget the sacrifices made by these leaders.

Through the haunting melody and moving lyrics, “Abraham, Martin and John” remains a timeless reminder of the cost of change and the heroes who paved the way.

Categories Song Meanings

"Abraham, Martin And John" lyrics

Marvin Gaye Lyrics

"Abraham, Martin And John"
(originally by Dion)

Has anyone here seen my old friend Abraham?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
Oh, he freed a lot of people
But it seems the good die young, yeah
I just looked around and he was gone

Has anyone here seen my old friend John?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
You know, he freed a lot of people
But it seems the good die young, yeah
I just looked around and he was gone

Has anybody here seen my old friend Martin?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
He freed a lot of people
But it seems the good die young, yeah
I just looked around and he was gone

Has anybody here seen my friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
You know, he freed a lot of people
But the good, they die young, yeah
I just looked around and he was gone

Oh I, just looked around and they were gone



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(This eloquent speech, which King only finished writing on the morning he delivered it, should not be confused with the Abba song.)

Structurally, the song is straightforward and each of the four successive verses is essentially the same, with only the given names of the people honoured (Abraham, John, Martin, and Bobby) changing.

The one exception is the fourth verse, which asks (rhetorically) us didn’t these men all stand for something and love those things they stood for?

They sought the good in the world and, through standing by their principles, they set other people free – even though, in every case, it cost them their lives.

But it was the fourth assassinated man, whose name was left out of the title, whose death would inspire the writing of the song in the first place. Again, the theme of impactful leaders being taken too soon resonates, emphasizing the nation’s and the world’s profound loss.

“Has anybody here seen my old friend Martin” pays homage to Martin Luther King Jr., a beacon of hope during the Civil Rights Movement.

Like the others, he also advocated for change and met a similar fate. He was aged just 44. Drawing parallels between modern-day leaders and historic champions of change like Abraham Lincoln, Holler emphasized the tragic pattern of visionaries being silenced prematurely.

Marvin Gaye’s rendition of the song added another layer of depth, given his struggles and eventual shift towards more socially conscious music.

The sentiment “He freed a lot of people, but it seems the Good die young” acknowledges Lincoln’s grand deeds, contrasted with the sorrow of his assassination.

The chorus then shifts its focus to John F. Kennedy with “Seen my old friend John,” another champion of civil rights. It’s a reflection on the fragility of life and a call to remember the values these leaders embodied.

Ready for a deeper connection to the lyrics?

The recurring phrase, “I just looked around, and he was gone,” reinforces the abruptness of their departures, emphasizing how these figures’ sudden absences left a void. The song touches upon the pain of loss, the profound impact these leaders had, and the question of why such influential people were taken so soon.

Their legacies, however, remain immortal.

The Story Behind “Abraham, Martin and John”

The late 1960s was a tumultuous period in American history, marked by significant political and social upheavals. ‘Abraham, Martin and John’ is one such song.

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Categories UncategorizedTags Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye’s “Abraham, Martin and John” is a heartfelt tribute to four iconic figures who championed justice and equality: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., John F.

Kennedy, and Bobby Kennedy.

marvin gaye martin abraham and john

But who is (or was) Bobby?

Who’s Bobby?

The American songwriter Dick Holler is now best-remembered for writing ‘Abraham, Martin and John’. Through his lyrics, he sought to capture the essence of the grief and confusion many felt.

By Oliver Tearle

A song about three assassinated men, ‘Abraham, Martin and John’ was first recorded by Marvin Gaye.

Once again, the good had died young. Although he didn’t write the track himself, ‘Abraham, Martin and John’ belongs to Gaye more than to any other artist who has recorded it, and the Dion version sounds like a cover of the Gaye original, rather than the other way around.

The Argentinian author Jorge Luis Borges once quipped of the Gothic novel Vathek, ‘the original is unfaithful to the translation’.

Instead, Gaye’s recording – for many, the definitive one – would become a hit in the UK charts.

Since then, everyone from Bob Dylan to Ray Charles to Whitney Houston has covered the song. A couple of years later, his album What’s Going On?, a sort of ‘concept album’ dealing with contemporary issues ranging from environmental concerns to the Vietnam war, would become his most critically successful record.

Tragically, thirteen years later, on 1 April 1984, Gaye would be shot and killed by his father, following an argument.

It was within this backdrop that “Abraham, Martin and John” was penned by Dick Holler in 1968.

Holler was deeply affected by the assassinations that seemed to happen quickly. Actually, almost none of that previous sentence is true, except, perhaps, for the word ‘song’.

‘Abraham, Martin and John’ is, in reality, about four famous men who were all assassinated.

His relentless pursuit of equality, only to meet a tragic end, reiterates the song’s theme.

Finally, the mention of “my old friend Bobby” refers to Bobby Kennedy, John F. Kennedy’s younger brother. And although the song is most famous for the version recorded by the Motown singer Marvin Gaye in 1969, it was written by Dick Holler and first recorded by Dion.

Indeed, Marvin Gaye wasn’t even the first Motown artist to record the song in 1969.

The assassinations of influential figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy deeply impacted the collective psyche of the nation, leaving many in search of solace and understanding.