'God help you out, Paul!' John Lennon's furious Beatles breakup letter, in which he pities 'c**t' Paul McCartney because of Linda's 'insane' family and says the band were 'big b*****ds,' sold for $30,000

  • Letter was sold at auction in Boston Thursday to an anonymous buyer
  • It's believed to have been written in 1971, shortly after The Beatles split
  • Linda had complained Lennon didn't talk to the press about the split
  • He says 'c**ts' Paul and manager Allen Klein told him not to speak about it
  • And says Linda has a 'perverse' mind and an 'insane' family 
  • Letter ends with him saying Paul and Linda would split within two years 

By Associated Press and James Wilkinson For Dailymail.com

Published: 14:59 EST, 18 November 2016 | Updated: 19:21 EST, 18 November 2016

A blistering letter from John Lennon to Paul and Linda McCartney written shortly after the Beatles split up has been sold at auction for nearly $30,000. 

The two-page typed draft, with handwritten additions by Lennon, rips into the McCartneys - particularly Linda - and shows the titanic clash of egos that the Lennon-McCartney partnership had become by the end.

In the rambling letter's closing paragraph, Lennon complains about 'all the petty s**t that came from your insane family/in laws - and GOD HELP YOU OUT, PAUL - see you in two years - I reckon you'll be out then.'

Furious: An angry letter written by John Lennon (left) to Linda and Paul McCartney (right; all three seen in 1971) was auctioned off for $30,000 Thursday to an anonymous buyer

'Cranky': The letter, believed to be written in 1971, sees Lennon tearing into Linda McCartney, apparently for chiding him for not telling the press about leaving The Beatles

Boston-based RR Auction, which sold the letter Thursday to an anonymous buyer, said that it's believed the letter was written in 1971.

That would be a year after The Beatles split, and that same year that Paul McCartney formed his next band, Wings.

The auction house says it seemed to be written in response to a complaint by Linda about Lennon's decision to not publicly announce his departure from The Beatles.

It opens in typically dry Lennon style, saying the singer - who released 'Imagine' in 1971  - wondered 'what middle aged cranky Beatle [sic] fan wrote' the letter he'd received, only to discover 'What the hell - it's Linda!'

He continues in a disorganized tirade about 'what s**t you and the rest of my "kind and unselfish" friends laid on Yoko and me, since we've been together,' saying that they often had to 'rise above it'.

He keeps trying to address both members of the couple, but it's pretty clear that he's truly angry at Linda, whom he tells to 'shut up! - let Paul write - or whatever' and mocks for sounding like she's 'writing for Beatle [sic] book!' 

Not that Paul gets away unharmed - Lennon tears into him for building up the Beatles mythology too much.

He calls the singer 'insane' for thinking that 'most of today's art came about because of the Beatles' and chides him for implying that the Beatles were all of 'the movement', not part of it.

Angry: The two-page letter (full text at bottom of article) calls all The Beatles - Lennon included - 'big b*****ds' and says Paul is pitiful because of Linda's 'insane family'

But the meat of his complaint is apparently Linda's anger about Lennon's conversations with the press.

'I know some of it gets personal - but whether you believe it or not I try and answer straight - and the bits they use are obviously the juicy bits,' he says. 

'I know the Beatles are "quite nice people" - I'm one of them - they're also just as big b*****ds as anyone else - so get off your high horse!'

He concludes by saying that he hadn't talked to the press about leaving The Beatles because he was asked to by Paul and Beatles manager Allen Klein because it 'might hurt' the band.

'So get that into your petty little perversion of a mind, Mrs. McCartney - the c**ts asked me to keep quiet about it.'

He signs off by complaining about 'your insane family/in laws - and GOD HELP YOU OUT, PAUL - see you in two years - I reckon you'll be out then.' 

The McCartneys stayed together - famously not spending a night apart - until she died of breast cancer in 1998.  

'DEAR LINDA AND PAUL...' LENNON'S LETTER IN FULL

Dear Linda and Paul,

I was reading your letter and wondering what middle aged cranky Beatle fan wrote it. I resisted looking at the last page to find out - I kept thinking who is it - Queenie? Stuart's mother? - Clive Epstein's wife? - Alan Williams? - What the hell - it's Linda!

You really think the press are beneath me/you? Do you think that? Who do you think we/you are? The 'self-indulgent doesn't realize who he is hurting' bit-I hope you realize what s**t you and the rest of my 'kind and unselfish' friends laid on Yoko and me, since we've been together. It might have sometimes been a bit more subtle or should I say 'middle class' - but not often. We both 'rose above it' quite a few times - & forgave you two - so it's the least you can do for us - you noble people. Linda - if you don't care what I say - shut up! - let Paul write - or whatever.

When asked about what I thought originally concerning MBE, etc. - I told them as best as I can remember - and I do remember squirming a little - don't you, Paul? - or do you - as I suspect - still believe it all? I'll forgive Paul for encouraging the Beatles - if he forgives me for the same - for being - 'honest with me and caring too much'! F**king hell, Linda, you're not writing for Beatle [sic] book!!!

I'm not ashamed of the Beatles - (I did start it all) - but of some of the s**t we took to make them so big - I thought we all felt that way in varying degrees - obviously not.

Do you really think most of today's art came about because of the Beatles? - I don't believe you're that insane - Paul - do you believe that? When you stop believing it you might wake up! Didn't we always say we were part of the movement - not all of it? - Of course, we changed the world - but try and follow it through - GET OFF YOUR GOLD DISC AND FLY!

Don't give me that Aunty Gin s**t about 'in five years I'll look back as a different person' - don't you see that's what's happening NOW! - If I only knew THEN what I know NOW - you seemed to have missed that point….

Excuse me if I use 'Beatle Space' to talk about whatever I want - obviously if they keep asking Beatle questions - I'll answer them - and get as much John and Yoko Space as I can - they ask me about Paul and I answer - I know some of it gets personal - but whether you believe it or not I try and answer straight - and the bits they use are obviously the juicy bits - I don't resent your husband - I'm sorry for him. I know the Beatles are 'quite nice people' - I'm one of them - they're also just as big b*****ds as anyone else - so get off your high horse! - by the way - we've had more intelligent interest in our new activities in one year than we had throughout the Beatle era.

Finally, about not telling anyone that I left the Beatles - PAUL and Klein both spent the day persuading me it was better not to say anything - asking me not to say anything because it would 'hurt the Beatles'- and 'let's just let it petre [sic] out' - remember? So get that into your petty little perversion of a mind, Mrs. McCartney - the c**ts asked me to keep quiet about it. Of course, the money angle is important - to all of us - especially after all the petty s**t that came from your insane family/in laws - and GOD HELP YOU OUT, PAUL - see you in two years - I reckon you'll be out then -

inspite of it all

love to you both,

from us two

P.S. about addressing your letter just to me - STILL….!!!

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