The Long and Winding Road
Paul McCartney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That leads to your door
Will never disappear
I've seen that road before
It always leads me her
Lead me to you door
The wild and windy night
That the rain washed away
Has left a pool of tears
Crying for the day
Why leave me standing here
Let me know the way
Many times I've been alone
And many times I've cried
Any way you'll never know
The many ways I've tried
But still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long long time ago
Don't leave me waiting here
Lead me to your door
But still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long long time ago
Don't leave me waiting here
Lead me to your door
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
The lyrics to Paul McCartney’s “The Long and Winding Road” are highly poetic and metaphorical. At its core, the song is about the journey to love and the trials and tribulations that come with it. The long and winding road refers to the journey one must take to find love, that is never easy and always unpredictable. The road may lead to many different places before finally reaching the door of the person you love. McCartney sings that this road will never disappear because love is an ongoing journey that continues beyond any single relationship.
The second verse references a “wild and windy night” that the rain washed away. This verse is also highly metaphorical and likely represents the difficult times that come with relationships. Love is not always smooth sailing, and sometimes it feels like it may have been washed away by the storm. When one feels lost and alone, “crying for the day,” they desperately want to find their way back to their loved one’s door. The singer has been down this road before, feeling like they’ve been standing there for years, waiting to be lead to the door once again.
Overall, the song’s message is one of hope and determination. No matter how many times love has led to heartbreak or the long and winding road has left the singer lost and alone, they remain determined to find their way back to the one they love.
Line by Line Meaning
The long and winding road
The path towards you is filled with many twists and turns
That leads to your door
It is the path which I must take to reach where you are
Will never disappear
It remains ever-present and impossible to erase
I've seen that road before
I have traveled this path previously
It always leads me her
It invariably guides me towards you
Lead me to you door
Guide me to the place where you reside
The wild and windy night
The harsh weather which challenged me
That the rain washed away
Which became better only after the rain stopped
Has left a pool of tears
Caused immense sorrow and melancholy in me
Crying for the day
Hoping for a better time which would alleviate the pain I feel
Why leave me standing here
Why abandon me to stand here with no one in sight
Let me know the way
Inform me of how I can find where you are
Many times I've been alone
Frequently, I have found myself in solitude
And many times I've cried
I have shed numerous tears during my time being alone
Any way you'll never know
It is impossible for you to understand
The many ways I've tried
All the unsuccessful methods I have used to find you
But still they lead me back
However, I am always brought back to
To the long winding road
The convoluted path which takes me to where you reside
You left me standing here
You abandoned me to be alone and accompany myself on that path
A long long time ago
A period that lasted an eternity in my mind
Don't leave me waiting here
Please don't abandon me to be by myself anymore
Lead me to your door
This one path I can follow to meet you
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
The emotional plea in my voice
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ale Alj
The long and winding road
That leads to your door
Will never disappear
I've seen that road before
It always leads me here
Lead me to you door
The wild and windy night
That the rain washed away
Has left a pool of tears
Crying for the day
Why leave me standing here?
Let me know the way
Many times I've been alone
And many times I've cried
Anyway, you'll never know
The many ways I've tried
And still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long, long time ago
Don't leave me waiting here
Lead me to your door
But still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long, long time ago
Don't keep me waiting here
Lead me to your door
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Daniel
The long and winding road
That leads to your door
Will never disappear
I've seen that road before
It always leads me here
Lead me to you door
The wild and windy night
That the rain washed away
Has left a pool of tears
Crying for the day
Why leave me standing here?
Let me know the way
Many times I've been alone
And many times I've cried
Anyway, you'll never know
The many ways I've tried
And still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long, long time ago
Don't leave me waiting here
Lead me to your door
But still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long, long time ago
Don't keep me waiting here
Lead me to your door
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
André Oliveira
The long and winding road
That leads to your door
Will never disappear
I've seen that road before
It always leads me here
Lead me to you door
The wild and windy night
That the rain washed away
Has left a pool of tears
Crying for the day
Why leave me standing here?
Let me know the way
Many times I've been alone
And many times I've cried
Anyway you'll never know
The many ways I've tried
And still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long long time ago
Don't leave me waiting here
Lead me to your door
But still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long long time ago
Don't keep me waiting here
Lead me to your door
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Jacqueline Lissenberg
One of the most beautiful songs ever composed.
Karol Gyore
True
John Holmes
Franz Schubert would beg to differ
Ian Brewer
Yes it is, beautiful
R Jr
Agree.
Paradise
This song and Let it Be are two of my favorite songs of Paul.👍👍👍👏👏👏 🎼🎵🎙🎶🎹
Bruce Lamberton
I still cannot understand how one person can have so much talent.
Azure Horizon
@surry99 Not true at all.
glee
@Gary Spence thank you so much..
Gabriel Delconti
He’s such a genius, really blessed