2) Dutch Rock band
Eleanor Rigby
Julie Blue 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?
"Eleanor Rigby" is a haunting song by British rock band The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and released in 1966 as part of the album "Revolver." The song tells the story of two lonely people, Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie, who live separate and lonely lives. The song opens with the lines "Ah look at all the lonely people," which sets the tone for the melancholic and mournful theme of the song.
The first verse tells the story of Eleanor Rigby, who is described as a woman who "picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been" and "lives in a dream" while waiting for someone to come along. She wears a "face that she keeps in a jar by the door," which represents the mask she puts on to hide her loneliness from the world. The question "who is it for?" suggests that she has lost touch with who she really is or what she really wants in life.
The second verse centers around Father McKenzie, who is "writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear" and "darning his socks" in his loneliness. The line "no one was saved" suggests that his work, like so much in his life, is ultimately futile. In the end, both Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie die alone and unloved, with "nobody" to remember them.
The lyrics of "Eleanor Rigby" are deeply moving and speak to the universal human experience of loneliness and the search for meaning and connection. The song is a powerful reminder of the importance of reaching out to others and building relationships, and of the inherent tragedy of a life lived in isolation.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah look at all the lonely people
The song begins by pointing out the sad and common sight of being surrounded by people yet feeling completely alone.
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
The first verse paints a picture of Eleanor Rigby, an isolated and seemingly unnoticed person, whose mundane existence is marked by picking up the leftover rice from a wedding in which she had no part, and who spends much of her time daydreaming, waiting, and donning a facade to maintain appearances to nobody in particular.
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
This refrain underscores the tragedy and universality of loneliness as a human experience, asking where all the lonely people come from and where they can realistically hope to find a sense of belonging.
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
The second verse depicts Father McKenzie, an authority figure who appears equally lonely and unfulfilled: he writes a pointless sermon that falls on deaf ears, operates in isolation, and performs the mundane task of darning his socks with no one to witness or care about his presence or absence.
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
The haunting final verse delivers the tragic end of both characters, with Eleanor dying alone and unremembered among people who would not know or miss her, and Father McKenzie unable to reach a single soul with a message that seems to have ultimately failed them both.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN LENNON, JOHN WINSTON LENNON, PAUL MCCARTNEY, PAUL JAMES MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind