Penny Lane
The Beatles Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning | Line by Line Meaning

Penny Lane, there is a barber showing photographs
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


In 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
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

Overall Meaning

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 © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Philip Kassabian

A great and upbeat Beatles song.

Most interesting comments from YouTube:

Whertd

[Lyrics]
Penny Lane, there is a barber showing photographs
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
And little children laugh at him behind his back
And the banker never wears a Mac in the pouring rain
Very strange
Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes
Wet 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 ears and in my eyes
A four of fish and finger pies
In summer, meanwhile back
Behind the shelter in the middle of a roundabout
A pretty nurse is selling poppies from a tray
And though she feels as if she's in a play
She is anyway
Penny Lane, the barber shaves another customer
We see the banker sitting waiting for a trim
And then, the fireman rushes in from the pouring rain
Very strange
Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes
There beneath the blue suburban skies
I sit and meanwhile back
Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes
There beneath the blue suburban skies
Penny Lane



Charlie Freeman

One of my personal favorites of theirs! I would go so far as to argue that this recording is the crown jewel of George Martin's work with The Beatles:

Before Abbey Road, most if not all of their studio work had an element of rawness in the sound palate that helped give the recording a kind of drive and weight that would keep it grounded.

Penny Lane is the standout among the exceptions to that rule: the drive is still there, but there isn't a single sonic edge that hasn't been rounded out. Even the percussion sounds smooth and pristine.

And it wasn't by accident either: McCartney repeatedly told Martin that he wanted a "clean" sound, and Martin delivered in a way that, in my opinion, would not be repeated again.

No other Beatles recording before or since came as close to having so clean a sound without impeding upon the drive of the song. Apologies, fellow fans, but this is the field where even the studio version of Here Comes the Sun is outshone.



All comments from YouTube:

Leigh G

I was showing my kids all these different bands and the Beatles were the only ones that got their attention. There’s just something about them that resonates with most everyone. They were just meant to be.

blind critic

'That something about them' is the songwriting and the way they recorded them...they knew how to make music...

Leigh G

blind critic Yes they are insanely talented I wasn’t trying to imply I didn’t know why 😉

Clapton Dennis

@blind critic
There sense of humor, the charme of their voices, their personalities, even kids can feel this, like I did without understanding most of the words.

blind critic

Understand, I was just trying to emphasize that it's their songs more than anything else about them that leads the way and keeps them relevant decades later

Leigh G

blind critic very true. Do you have a favorite Beatles song? Or album?

86 More Replies...

Mike Hamric

The structure and arrangement of this song are insane. It's all over the place yet somehow perfectly focused. In my opinion, this is one of McCartney's greatest compositions.

Martina Linked to we

@mike Hamric...agree totally. Great description of a song that will live forever in the minds of generations to come! Timeless Music from the Beatles!

The Dog's Manifesto

Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, Ticket to Ride and Eleanor Rigby....a moment in history when simple but original two dimensional poetic musings matched perfectly with a unique three dimensional melody.

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