The Long and Winding Road
★The Beatles Lyrics

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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
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 waiting here
A long long time ago
Don't leave me standing here
Lead me to your door

But still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me waiting here
A long long time ago

Don't leave me standing here
Lead me to your door

Overall Meaning

"The Long and Winding Road" is a reflective and emotional ballad about a person's journey through life, facing many ups and downs that lead to one ultimate destination, the door of a significant other. The song uses images of a road that never disappears, a wild and windy night, and a pool of tears to express the idea of a difficult journey filled with obstacles and emotions. The singer pleads to be led to their door after being left waiting for a long time, expressing a sense of loneliness and abandonment. The lyrics convey a sense of hopelessness and desperation, as if the journey is all there is, and the destination is the only thing that can make it all worthwhile.

The song was written by Paul McCartney, who was going through a tough time in his life. He was dealing with the recent breakup of The Beatles and the death of his mother from breast cancer. McCartney reportedly wrote the song in Scotland in 1968, but it wasn't released until 1970 as part of the band's final album, Let It Be. The original version of the song included orchestration, which was added by producer Phil Spector without McCartney's permission. This caused a rift between the two, leading to McCartney's dissatisfaction with the album's production.

Line by Line Meaning

The long and winding road
This difficult journey that I have been on for so long

That leads to your door
The path that will bring me to you

Will never disappear
This journey will never end as long as I am seeking you

I've seen that road before
I have been on this path many times in the past

It always leads me here
It always brings me back to you

Lead me to your door
Guide me towards you, I need your help

The wild and windy night
The stormy and tumultuous moments in my life

That the rain washed away
That past painful experiences have now been forgotten

Has left a pool of tears
The sadness and despair that remains after the pain has faded

Crying for the day
Longing for a better tomorrow

Why leave me standing here
Questioning why I am alone in this difficult time