McCartney and Lennon grew up in the area and they would meet at Penny Lane junction to catch a bus into the centre of the city. The street is an important landmark, sought out by most Beatles fans touring Liverpool. In the past, street signs saying "Penny Lane" were constant targets of tourist theft and had to be continually replaced. Eventually, city officials gave up and simply began painting the street name on the sides of buildings. This practice has now stopped (2007) and more theft-resistant "Penny Lane" street signs have been installed; however, they are still stolen on a regular basis. The Abbey Road sign is also frequently stolen for the same reason.
In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the song at #449 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Penny Lane
The Beatles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of every head he's had the pleasure to know
And all the people that come and go
Stop and say, "Hello"
On the corner is a banker with a motorcar
The little children laugh at him behind his back
And the banker never wears the mac
Penny Lane is in my ear and in my eye
There beneath the blue suburban skies
I sit, and meanwhile back
In Penny Lane there is a fireman with an hourglass
And in his pocket is a portrait of the Queen
He likes to keep his fire engine clean
It's a clean machine
Penny Lane is in my ear and in my eye
A four of fish and finger pies
In summer, meanwhile back
Behind the shelter in the middle of the roundabout
The pretty nurse is selling poppies from a tray
And though she feels as if she's in a play
She is anyway
In Penny Lane, the barber shaves another customer
We see the banker sitting waiting for a trim
Then the fireman rushes in
From the pouring rain, very strange
Penny Lane is in my ear and in my eye
There beneath the blue suburban skies
I sit, and meanwhile back
Penny Lane is in my ear and in my eye
There beneath the blue suburban skies
Penny Lane
The song "Penny Lane" by The Beatles is an upbeat and nostalgic tune that takes its listeners on a journey through a Liverpool neighborhood where the band members grew up. The lyrics are filled with descriptions and characters that give the listener a glimpse into life in the 1960s in Liverpool. The first verse of the song describes a barber on Penny Lane who enjoys showing off photographs of all of his customers. The second verse introduces a banker who is the subject of ridicule from children, and who never wears a coat even in the pouring rain.
The chorus of the song repeats the line "Penny Lane is in my ear and in my eye" which is a reference to the enduring memories the songwriter has of his childhood neighborhood. It is a joyful and nostalgic representation of a time and place that has since passed. The third verse features a fireman with an hourglass and a love for keeping his fire engine clean, and a nurse who is selling poppies from a tray behind a shelter in the middle of a roundabout.
Line by Line Meaning
Penny Lane, there is a barber showing photographs
In Penny Lane, there is a barber who takes pictures of his clients as a keepsake
Of every head he's had the pleasure to know
The barber takes pictures of every person he has ever cut hair for
And all the people that come and go
People who walk by stop to say hello to the barber and look at the pictures
Stop and say, "Hello"
Passersby say hello to the barber and view his collection of photos
On the corner is a banker with a motorcar
Nearby there is a wealthy banker who owns a car
The little children laugh at him behind his back
Children make fun of the banker when he is not around
And the banker never wears the mac
The banker does not wear a raincoat in the pouring rain
In the pouring rain, very strange
It is odd that the banker doesn't wear a raincoat in the rain
Penny Lane is in my ear and in my eye
The singer is deeply connected to Penny Lane and feels it is a part of him
There beneath the blue suburban skies
Penny Lane exists under the beautiful blue skies of the suburb
I sit, and meanwhile back
As the singer thinks about Penny Lane, time moves on
In Penny Lane there is a fireman with an hourglass
Another person in Penny Lane is a fireman who carries an hourglass
And in his pocket is a portrait of the Queen
The fireman keeps a picture of the Queen in his pocket
He likes to keep his fire engine clean
The fireman takes great pride in maintaining the cleanliness of his fire engine
It's a clean machine
The fire engine is well taken care of and in pristine condition
A four of fish and finger pies
Food items sold in Penny Lane include fish and pies made with fingers of fish
In summer, meanwhile back
As summer arrives, life in Penny Lane continues
Behind the shelter in the middle of the roundabout
A shelter stands in the center of the circular road in Penny Lane
The pretty nurse is selling poppies from a tray
A beautiful nurse is selling poppies on a tray in Penny Lane
And though she feels as if she's in a play
The nurse feels like she is acting in a play in Penny Lane
She is anyway
Regardless of how she feels, the nurse continues to sell her poppies
We see the banker sitting waiting for a trim
In Penny Lane, the banker is now waiting to get a haircut from the barber
Then the fireman rushes in
The fireman arrives in a hurry on one of his emergencies
From the pouring rain, very strange
Oddly enough, the fireman enters the barber shop from outside in the rain
Penny Lane
The song refers to the place Penny Lane and explores the people and events that happen there
Lyrics © TuneCore Inc., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Philip Kassabian
A great and upbeat Beatles song.
@rwenby
2:38
John: heheheh... can't wait for my precious, gorgeous guitar! (rubbing hands excitedly) wait... where is it? What? You didn't get mine? Even Ringo got his sticks!
...
Ok then, don't mind if I just express my feelings by flipping this table.
@jamesguy1030
Fox spox ~ Yeah,
if you haven’t already seen it before,
Check out the amazing documentary footage called =
“THE WINGED BEATLE”
The extended version is the best one & is a must see for everyone that is a true fan of the Beatles
YOU WON’T BE DISAPPOINTED
ENJOY 🇬🇧
It’s the best of British Youth culture
@BeatlesBowieKrimson
Four of the coolest guys in history.
@melanierubio3663
@@andrewmatthews6861
Poor John, *
Don't forget the comma, you're making it sound like John was a murderer.
@johnross7988
@@melanierubio3663 HAHAHAHAHA. Exactly ☺️
@jello1737
Crimson Kng I’m sorry I think you meant THE four coolest guys in history
@BeatlesBowieKrimson
@@jello1737 Well, David Bowie was pretty cool, too.
@jello1737
Crimson Kng but you can’t beat these four
@Whitsoxrule1
"And in his pocket is a portrait of The Queen"
Kinda crazy that this song written was written 60 years ago, and yet that Queen is still reigning in England.
@willritter4076
it's not 60 years ago though, Penny Lane came out in 1967... I'd be honored if some Beatles fans from the new generation would take a listen to my acoustic piano & vocal performances of PENNY LANE and BLACKBIRD on my YT channel in tribute to 2 of the many genius compositions written by Sir Paul McCartney. Live acoustic with no autotune or digital enhancements. Thanks and RESPECT to the legends.
@Whitsoxrule1
It's called an approximation, I know the Beatles didn't even exist in 1960. But Kudos on managing to be pedantic AND obnoxiously self promoting in a single comment!!