Jerry Garcia Band employs many of the same elements and similar style to the Grateful Dead, such as rock influenced by blues, folk, country, and jazz.
Over the years, the lineup of the Jerry Garcia Band changed a number of times. The one constant member besides Garcia himself was bassist John Kahn. Melvin Seals had the next longest tenure, serving as keyboardist from 1980 onward. Seals became band leader following Garcia's death and changed the band's name to JGB.
Eleanor Rigby
Jerry Garcia Band 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 Jerry Garcia Band is a cover of the Beatles' original song that was released in 1966. The song is a poignant and melancholic reflection on the loneliness and desperation of modern society. The song is written in the third person and tells the story of two lonely souls, Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie.
Eleanor Rigby is a lonely woman who spends her days picking up rice after weddings at the church where she lives in a dream world and waits at the window. She wears a face that she keeps in a jar by the door, but the lyrics leave it vague as to who the face is for. The chorus repeats the question of where all the lonely people come from and where they belong.
Father McKenzie is a lonely vicar who is writing a sermon that no one will hear as no one comes near him. He darns his socks at night when there's nobody there and the lyrics ask what does he care about. The song then takes a tragic turn as Eleanor Rigby dies in the church and is buried along with her name, and Father McKenzie walks away wiping dirt from his hands, and no one was saved.
Overall, the song is a fitting tribute to the disenfranchised and lonely individuals in society who are overlooked and ignored.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah look at all the lonely people
The singer expresses how surprised he is to see so many people who are alone and have no one around them.
Eleanor Rigby, picks up the rice
Eleanor Rigby is picking up rice after the guests have left from the wedding taking place in a church.
In the church where a wedding has been
A wedding has just taken place in the church where Eleanor Rigby is picking up rice.
Lives in a dream
Eleanor Rigby spends most of her time lost in her own thoughts and doesn't have anyone to share her life with.
Waits at the window, wearing the face
She waits at her window, putting up a brave front with a mask-like expression that she's kept aside for this.
That she keeps in a jar by the door
Eleanor Rigby keeps her mask-like expression in a jar by the door as she waits at the window.
Who is it for
The singer wonders who Eleanor is waiting for and why she is trying so hard to keep up this charade.
Father McKenzie, writing the words
Father McKenzie is writing a sermon for the church which nobody is interested in attending.
Of a sermon that no one will hear
Father McKenzie is writing a sermon that is going to go unheard by anyone as there are no attendees.
No one comes near
Nobody comes near Father McKenzie, maybe he's not able to connect with people around him or maybe there's nobody to connect with.
Look at him working, darning his socks
The singer is observing Father McKenzie trying to keep himself busy by working on mundane chores, in this case, darning his socks.
In the night when there's nobody there
Father McKenzie does his chores at night when he knows no one's around to feel his absence.
What does he care
The singer wonders aloud what could be possibly keeping Father McKenzie going, even though he feels so lonely, but doesn't seem to care.
Eleanor Rigby, died in the church
Eleanor Rigby died in the very same church where she had picked up rice earlier.
And was buried along with her name
Her funeral was a lonely affair with nobody around to pay their last respects and remember who she was other than the stony walls of church that knew her name.
Nobody came
Nobody came to pay their respects at Eleanor Rigby's funeral, to honor her or even to remember her as somebody who solely carried forward the way of life.
Father McKenzie, wiping the dirt
Father McKenzie is seen wiping dirt off his hands and walking away from Eleanor's funeral as the only person who showed up.
From his hands as he walks from the grave
Father McKenzie walks away from Eleanor's grave, thinking about the loneliness and despair that drove her to her life's end.
No one was saved
No one could save either Eleanor Rigby or Father McKenzie from their loneliness and despair that isolated them from the rest of the world.
All the lonely people
The singer repeats the phrase, which has become a chorus and the central theme of the song. He's calling out to all the people who lead a life of loneliness and despair.
Where do they all come from?
The singer possibly tries to figure out where these people are coming from and why are their circumstances so repelling to everyone around them that they're forced to lead their lives alone.
Where do they all belong?
The singer wonders if there's a place where these lonely souls belong and be appreciated for who they are and for what they bring to the world.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Angus
I'm pretty sure Scott and I were the only ones taping that night from the table directly in front of Jerry. He was looking down at us holding the omnidirectional mic at forearms length making sure not to block anyone's view behind us. Recorded with a Sony TCD5 on Maxell XLII-S. I still have the master tapes in my vault along with so, so many others.
Mark Masters
Forever Grateful. Thank you!!...🙏🕺🌌
Kevin Osalza
This is such a PROPER example of Jerry Garcia in his prime, when he pulls out that wah pedal in the middle of the solo, my face melts off.👂🤌👌👍
Kris Demars
🤗🔥🎶
Jim O'Brien
Thank you John and Scott. ,:-)
Rajat Dawar
You are my hero.. I have played this 9 times since morning and don't plan to stop.. Thank you for recording this masterpiece.
You Enjoy Myself
I've been coming back to hear this track for the last 10 years. Still one of my all time favs. Jerry is absolutely on fire. The transition to Eleanor Rigby is seamless. I'm forever grateful for the person who recorded this gem. Thanks!
Stephan Larsen
Seamless Jah herb Jah love Jah Jerry Jah Tucson Arizona Sonoran desert 🏜🇧🇴🇯🇲🇬🇧🇸🇪🇸🇳🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🌍🍄🍄🌵🌵🌵
brian branca
This is the hottest 20 minutes of Jerry I’ve ever heard and I’ve listened to thousands of hours of his playing
KeepGrindingUp
Kills the guitar EVERY break - One of the greatest things Garcia EVER did IMHO. His band is poppin' and his guitar licks and sick monster tone are simply Re-Donk-U-Lous! Had this in college on a cassette- It was filler at the end of a Dead show tape. No info- AND back then NO interwebz or way to look sh*t up. It was lost/prolly stolen during a move. Forgot about it, then 15 years later, somebody said "Hey Fever, Ya gotta hear this .. .. ..Check out Jerry!" Getting that music back was one of the best days of my life.. .. .. Thanks for posting!