Which John Lennon song was written about the Attica Prison riots?

The John Lennon song written about the Attica Prison riots was “Attica State.” Lennon and Yoko Ono wrote it in response to the September 1971 uprising at Attica Correctional Facility in New York, where prisoners protested poor living conditions, political restrictions, and abuse. The four-day revolt ended when state forces retook the prison on September 13, killing 43 people, most of them by law-enforcement gunfire.

The song was conceived around Lennon’s 31st birthday on October 9, 1971, only weeks after the riot. It became part of Lennon and Ono’s politically charged 1972 album Some Time in New York City, performed under the Plastic Ono Band name. Its lyrics express sympathy for the prisoners and condemn the penal system and Governor Nelson Rockefeller’s decision to authorize the assault.

A common mix-up is confusing the song with Lennon’s other protest material, such as “Power to the People” or “Working Class Hero.” “Attica State” is unusually direct: both its title and subject point specifically to the prison uprising, rather than to a general political cause.