Eleanor Rigby
The Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ah, look at all the lonely people
Eleanor Rigby
Picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window
Wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door
Who is it for?
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
Father McKenzie
Writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near
Look at him working
Darning his socks in the night when there's nobody there
What does he care?
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
Ah, look at all the lonely people
Ah, look at all the lonely people
Eleanor Rigby
Died in the church and was buried along with her name
Nobody came
Father McKenzie
Wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was saved
All the lonely people (ah, look at all the lonely people)
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people (ah, look at all the lonely people)
Where do they all belong?
The song "Eleanor Rigby" by The Beatles tells the story of two lonely people, Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie, who lead empty lives without connection or purpose. The song begins by painting a picture of Eleanor Rigby, a woman who "picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been" and "waits at the window, wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door." These images suggest that Eleanor is a lonely woman who spends her days doing menial tasks and hiding her true self from the world. The chorus then poses a question: "All the lonely people, where do they all come from? / All the lonely people, where do they all belong?" This question highlights the theme of loneliness that runs throughout the song.
The second verse shifts the focus to Father McKenzie, a man who "writes the words of a sermon that no one will hear" and "darns his socks in the night when there's nobody there." These details suggest that Father McKenzie is also a lonely figure who spends his days performing thankless tasks for an absent congregation. The chorus repeats before the song returns to Eleanor Rigby, who has died and is buried "along with her name" without anyone to mourn her passing. Father McKenzie is shown wiping the dirt from his hands as he leaves the gravesite, still alone and unable to save anyone.
The song's simple melody and catchy chorus have made it one of The Beatles' most popular and enduring hits, but its touching lyrics and melancholy tone also make it a powerful commentary on the human experience. "Eleanor Rigby" speaks to the isolation and disconnection that many people feel in modern society, as well as the search for meaning and connection that drives us all.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah, look at all the lonely people
Observing the many people who are struggling with loneliness and social isolation.
Eleanor Rigby
Picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window
Wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door
Who is it for?
Describing a lonely woman, Eleanor Rigby, who acts as a church custodian and lives her life in isolation while wondering who she is trying to impress with her appearance.
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
Reflecting on the prevalence of loneliness and the struggles that many people have with feeling like they do not fit in or have a place in society.
Father McKenzie
Writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near
Look at him working
Darning his socks in the night when there's nobody there
What does he care?
Depicting a lonely priest, Father McKenzie, who is committed to his work despite the fact that nobody comes to his sermons, and who is left to handle his own chores in isolation.
Eleanor Rigby
Died in the church and was buried along with her name
Nobody came
Father McKenzie
Wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was saved
Telling the sad story of how the lonely Eleanor Rigby died alone and was buried by Father McKenzie, who also had nobody to mourn her death or comfort him in his grief.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Philip Kassabian
Yet another splendid Beatles song.
@estefaniagutierrezgaytan9745
Lyrics: (it’s for me, but if helps someone else here is:)
Ah, look at all the lonely people
Ah, look at all the lonely people
Eleanor Rigby
Picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window
Wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door
Who is it for?
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
Father McKenzie
Writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near
Look at him working
Darning his socks in the night when there's nobody there
What does he care?
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
Ah, look at all the lonely people
Ah, look at all the lonely people
Eleanor Rigby
Died in the church and was buried along with her name
Nobody came
Father McKenzie
Wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was saved
All the lonely people (ah, look at all the lonely people)
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people (ah, look at all the lonely people)
Where do they all belong?
@Belgrade-Wolf
Eleanor Rigby😥
Ah, look at all the lonely people
Ah, look at all the lonely people
Eleanor Rigby
Picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window
Wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door
Who is it for?
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
Father McKenzie
Writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near
Look at him working
Darning his socks in the night when there's nobody there
What does he care?
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
All the lonely people (All the lonely people)
All the lonely people (All the lonely people)
All the lonely people (All the lonely people)
Eleanor Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name
Nobody came
Father McKenzie
Wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was saved
All the lonely people all the lonely people
(Ah, look at all the lonely people)
(Ah, look at all the lonely people)
(Ah, look at all the lonely people)
(Ah, look at all the lonely people)
(Ah, look at all the lonely people)
(Ah, look at all the lonely people)
(Ah, look at all the lonely people)
(Ah, look at all the lonely people)
@sikhostudio
Ah, look at all the lonely people
Ah, look at all the lonely people
Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window, wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door
Who is it for?
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
Father McKenzie writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near
Look at him working, darning his socks in the night when there's nobody there
What does he care?
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
Ah, look at all the lonely people
Ah, look at all the lonely people
Eleanor Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name
Nobody came
Father McKenzie wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was saved
All the lonely people
(Ah, look at all the lonely people)
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
(Ah, look at all the lonely people)
Where do they all belong?
@themanmachine8971
This song scared the living daylights out of me as a kid. The line about Father McKenzie wiping the dirt from his hands as he walked from the grave made me think he was a monster/zombie "as he walks from the grave". After all "no one was saved" made me think they all had died. This and Hotel California were very frightening. Glad to see that the fear has turned into absolute love!
@wolfkit2826
Who’s to say they didn’t all die and that they aren’t all zombies? No joke, I thought this too when I was younger. And because I was such a weird kid, that added a whole other layer to the foreboding, creepy nature of this song. And it made me love it more. Now that I’m older and know that their weren’t any zombies, I still like it. But I enjoy entertaining the idea that zombies could still be involved somehow.
@themanmachine8971
@@wolfkit2826 In my 32 years on this planet, I haven't met anyone who's thought the same until now! My mom would play this album a lot so as a kid, this track was scary and sad sounding. There had to have been a commercial or show that mentioned walking from the grave as a zombie/dead thing so my kid mind heard that and went "ZOMBIE!". And like you said, I still entertain the thought of zombies to this day! The song just has this overcast nature to it so zombies just fit the bill! It was also one of the first songs that I heard to mention death so nonchalant with Eleanor's passing. Overall freaky to a kid! Overall, still ranks very high in my Beatles love. To conclude, music really is something that we as the listener take in different forms. Some of hear zombies, others something entirely different! The power of music!
@themanmachine8971
@JORDAN SMITH hopefully not! But with the off chance that she might, it'll only make her love the song so much better when she gets older. The songs that typically scared us as kids make us laugh at the thought of it being scary to us now! But no matter what, you're doing her a great favor by playing older music for her!
@timcollum5015
This song didnt scare me but Hotel California and Iron Man did. Think of a metal monster war machine sulking in his solidarity until it turns on you and kills all of us? yikes!
@themanmachine8971
@@timcollum5015 That's one of the best things about music! The images and things we thought of when hearing these for the first time make for better videos/meanings than the official ones. Hotel California made me think that man was trapped in a castle with hooded figures waking him up, a beast that couldn't be killed, and a robot that wouldn't let him out. The guitar solo just made me think of the man running down these long hallways with no doors, just a left or a right turn! Iron Man for real has that impending doom sound!
@milaanna444
love or hate the beatles you can’t deny this song is pure art.
@shianansen3896
yes u r right
@gaborpete
I used to hate them, I had thought they were boring to death, maybe intentionally boring, until I first heard and saw this song.