Eleanor Rigby
N.S.M. 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 N.S.M. tells the story of two lonely people, Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie, who are largely ignored by the people around them. The opening lines of the song set the scene, with the singer urging the listener to take notice of the "lonely people" around them. Eleanor Rigby is depicted as a woman who works in the church where weddings take place, but who is completely disconnected from the joy of those occasions. She lives in a "dream" world and wears a false face, symbolized by the jar she keeps by the door. The question "who is it for?" implies that Eleanor's facade is meant for someone specific, but that person is never named.
Father McKenzie is similarly disconnected from the people around him, writing a sermon that no one will hear. He is portrayed as a solitary figure, darning his socks alone at night. The chorus repeats the question of where all the lonely people come from and where they belong, suggesting that the answer is unknown and perhaps unknowable. The song ends with the bleak image of Eleanor Rigby's death and burial, with no one there to mourn her passing except for Father McKenzie, who himself cannot save her.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah look at all the lonely people
Observing all the individuals in solitude
Eleanor Rigby, picks up the rice
Eleanor performing a task at the church after a wedding has taken place
In the church where a wedding has been
Describing the setting where a wedding has happened
Lives in a dream
Eleanor is disconnected from reality
Waits at the window, wearing the face
Eleanor is eagerly awaiting someone while putting on a fake persona
That she keeps in a jar by the door
Eleanor stores her mask for easy access near her entrance
Who is it for
Questioning who will see her facade
All the lonely people
Highlighting all the isolated individuals
Where do they all come from?
Questioning the origin of their loneliness
Father McKenzie, writing the words
Father McKenzie composing a sermon
Of a sermon that no one will hear
Predicting that no one will attend Father McKenzie's sermon
No one comes near
Nobody approaches Father McKenzie
Look at him working, darning his socks
Father McKenzie fixing his socks by himself
In the night when there's nobody there
No one else is present with Father McKenzie
What does he care
Father McKenzie is indifferent to his lonely reality
Eleanor Rigby, died in the church
Eleanor passed away inside the church
And was buried along with her name
Eleanor's name is the only thing that remains after her death
Nobody came
No one attended Eleanor's funeral
Father McKenzie, wiping the dirt
Father McKenzie cleaning his hands after the burial
From his hands as he walks from the grave
Father McKenzie leaving the burial ground by himself
No one was saved
No one was rescued from their loneliness
Where do they all belong?
Questioning where all the isolated individuals fit in
Lyrics © editionPlus Verlags GmbH, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Songtrust Ave
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind