The current members are: Charles "Chuck" Daellenbach (tuba), Eugene "Gene" Watts (trombone), Bernhard Scully (horn), and the "Trumpet Dream Team" to fill the two trumpet positions on rotating basis. Dream Team members are: Ryan Anthony, Brandon Ridenour, Jeroen Berwaerts, along with previous members Josef Burgstaller, Ronald Romm and Stuart Laughton.
Past members include: Stuart Laughton (1970–1971, 2003–2005), Josef Burgstaller (2001–present), Jeff Nelsen (2000–2004), Ryan Anthony (2000–2003), Frederick Mills (1972–1996), Ronald Romm (1971–2000), David Ohanian (1986–1998), Martin Hackleman (1983–1986), Jens Lindemann (1996–2001), Christopher Cooper (1998–2000) and Graeme Page (1970–1983).
Eleanor Rigby
Canadian Brass 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
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
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
The song Eleanor Rigby by Canadian Brass is a deeply moving and thought-provoking piece of music, with lyrics that explore the theme of loneliness and the human need for connection. The opening refrain, "Ah look at all the lonely people," sets the tone for this exploration and invites the listener to reflect on the lives of the characters that the song portrays.
The first character we meet is Eleanor Rigby, who is described as "picking up the rice in the church where a wedding has been" and "living in a dream." The lyric "waits at the window, wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door, who is it for" suggests that Eleanor is living a facade, presenting an artificial image of herself to the world in order to mask her true emotions and desires. The chorus repeats the question "where do they all come from, where do they all belong," suggesting that the experience of loneliness is universal and touches many lives.
The second character we meet is Father McKenzie, who is "writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear" and "darning his socks" alone at night. The lyric "what does he care" suggests that Father McKenzie is also lonely and disconnected from the world around him. The final verse reveals that Eleanor Rigby has died and been buried without anyone coming to mourn her or celebrate her life, and the chorus repeats once again, inviting the listener to consider the fate of all the lonely people in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah look at all the lonely people
Observing and acknowledging an abundance of solitary individuals
Eleanor Rigby, picks up the rice
Eleanor Rigby collects leftover rice after a church wedding
In the church where a wedding has been
The setting is a church where a wedding ceremony just occurred
Lives in a dream
Eleanor Rigby lives in a state of fantasy
Waits at the window, wearing the face
Eleanor Rigby is yearning at the window, and disguises herself with a preserved appearance
That she keeps in a jar by the door
Eleanor Rigby maintains a mask-like appearance in a container near the entrance
Who is it for
She ponders the purpose of her facade
All the lonely people
A reference to individuals who experience solitude
Where do they all come from?
A question about the origins of these solitary individuals
Where do they all belong?
A question about what community or group they fit into
Father McKenzie, writing the words
Father McKenzie is crafting a sermon
Of a sermon that no one will hear
The fact that no one will hear his sermon is pointed out
No one comes near
No one approaches him
Look at him working, darning his socks
He is patching his torn socks as he works
In the night when there's nobody there
This activity takes place in the darkness when no one else is present
What does he care
A rhetorical question about whether or not he is concerned by this isolation
Eleanor Rigby, died in the church
Eleanor Rigby passed away in the church
And was buried along with her name
She was buried under her birth name without being married
Nobody came
No one attended her funeral
Father McKenzie, wiping the dirt
The priest cleans the dirt off his hands
From his hands as he walks from the grave
He exits the burial site while shaking off the soil
No one was saved
A reference to the lack of rescue for the lonely individuals in the song
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul Mccartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind