Eleanor Rigby
Gene Harris & The Three Sounds Lyrics
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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 Gene Harris/The Three Sounds is a poignant commentary on loneliness and the human condition. It begins with the repeated phrase, "Ah look at all the lonely people," which highlights the sense of isolation that many people experience. The song then introduces two characters: Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie. Eleanor Rigby, who "picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been," is a symbol of unfulfilled dreams and unrequited love. She "waits at the window, wearing the face/That she keeps in a jar by the door," suggesting that she has lost her sense of identity and purpose. Father McKenzie, on the other hand, is an authority figure who is ignored and marginalized. He "writes the words/Of a sermon that no one will hear" and "darns his socks in the night when there's nobody there." The question that the song poses is: where do all the lonely people come from and where do they all belong?
Line by Line Meaning
Ah look at all the lonely people
Observing the countless people who are devoid of love or affection and are leading a solitary life.
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
Eleanor Rigby, who is a mere spectator to a ceremony that celebrates a happy union, she is lost in her own world, as she misses her own chance at companionship, while she looks at the world through a facade that she has preserved it is not clear who is it intended for.
All the lonely people, Where do they all come from?, All the lonely people, Where do they all belong?
A contemplation on the origin and destination of all those who live their lives in loneliness and no connection to others.
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
Father McKenzie is writing words that no one is interested to listen to, and nobody would pay much heed to him or even care if he's there or not. In his loneliness, he spends lonely nights, focusing on mundane tasks that do not require others' presence.
Eleanor Rigby, died in the church, And was buried along with her name, Nobody came
Eleanor Rigby, died without anyone close or connected coming to her funeral. she died, her name being her only recognizable identity.
Father McKenzie, wiping the dirt, From his hands as he walks from the grave, No one was saved
Father McKenzie, who was paramount to the funeral of Eleanor Rigby, now walking away from her grave wiping dirt off his hands to symbolize that he could not do much to save her from a lonely, obscure life.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN LENNON, JOHN WINSTON LENNON, PAUL MCCARTNEY, PAUL JAMES MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind