Eleanor Rigby
The King's Singers/Colin Mason/Anthony Holt/Simon Carrington/Jeremy Jackman/Alastair Hume/Robert Chi 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 lyrics to "Eleanor Rigby" speak to the loneliness and isolation that can exist in modern, urban life. It tells the stories of two individuals, Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie, who are lonely in different ways but ultimately end up in the same place: alone and unremembered. Eleanor is a solitary figure who seems to have given up on any hope of companionship or connection, as evidenced by the line "Lives in a dream." She waits at home, staring out the window, and wears a "face that she keeps in a jar by the door" as if she is putting on a mask to face the world. It's not clear who this face is meant to impress, but it seems to be a manifestation of her desperate need for recognition and love. Father McKenzie, meanwhile, is a religious figure who is similarly alone. He writes sermons that no one listens to, and spends his time darning his own socks in the dark of night. The imagery of him working alone in the darkness underscores the idea that he is cut off from the rest of the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah look at all the lonely people
Observation of the many solitary individuals in the world.
Eleanor Rigby, picks up the rice
Eleanor Rigby is a lonely woman who spends her time searching for something productive to do.
In the church where a wedding has been
Eleanor Rigby frequently visits the church where she had hoped to find a mate.
Lives in a dream
Eleanor Rigby's life is a figment of her imagination and she is searching for someone to share it with.
Waits at the window, wearing the face
Eleanor Rigby puts up a facade or mask to hide her true emotions and patiently waits for the right person to find her.
That she keeps in a jar by the door
Eleanor Rigby holds onto her disguise in a jar by the door, always ready to put on a show to hide her true loneliness.
Who is it for
Eleanor Rigby wonders if her facade is for her own benefit or if it is meant to attract someone else.
Father McKenzie, writing the words
Father McKenzie is a priest who is composing a sermon that no one will hear.
Of a sermon that no one will hear
Father McKenzie is sermonizing to an empty church since the congregation is no longer present.
No one comes near
Father McKenzie is all by himself since even he has been deserted by his flock
Look at him working, darning his socks
Father McKenzie spends his free time repairing his own clothes because he has no one else to take care of.
In the night when there's nobody there
Father McKenzie is so alone that he dabbles in trivial tasks to avoid feeling the pain of his isolation.
What does he care
Father McKenzie wonders if anyone will remember him after his passing since he is used to being alone and forgotten.
Eleanor Rigby, died in the church
Eleanor Rigby's fruitless search for companionship ultimately proves fatal.
And was buried along with her name
Eleanor Rigby was buried with nothing but her own name, unnoticed by the rest of the world.
Nobody came
No one stopped by to honor Eleanor Rigby after her passing, leaving her as lonely in death as she was in life.
Father McKenzie, wiping the dirt
Father McKenzie is cleaning his own hands of the mess created by the absence of a congregation.
From his hands as he walks from the grave
Father McKenzie retreats from the burial site knowing that his sermons could not alter the loneliness experienced by Eleanor Rigby in life and death.
No one was saved
Eleanor Rigby's death and burial are a testimony to the fact that without human connection, no one is safe from the pain of loneliness.
All the lonely people
Reemphasis of the vastness of loneliness in our world.
Where do they all come from?
Questioning the origins of such vast loneliness in the world.
Where do they all belong?
Pondering the ultimate destiny of those experiencing acute loneliness.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@estefaniagutierrezgaytan9745
Lyrics: (it’s for me, but if helps someone else here is:)
Ah, look at all the lonely people
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
Who is it for?
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 (ah, look at all the lonely people)
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people (ah, look at all the lonely people)
Where do they all belong?
@Dragonking-fd1qv
Ah, look at all the lonely people
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
Who is it for?
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 (ah, look at all the lonely people)
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people (ah, look at all the lonely people)
Where do they all belong?
@xenan7889
1962: She Loves You Yeah Yeah Yeah
1966: A Song About Dying And Being Forgotten
@stayoung80
Shows how much they evolved both as musicians and people.
@ArthurHGO1
Bob Dylan's influence
@apomorelli9580
Woahh
@jameskeane9721
Class A drugs change you. It's fantastic.
@bozman3974
Pressure causes things to crumble... same goes for humans
@milaanna444
love or hate the beatles you can’t deny this song is pure art.
@shianansen3896
yes u r right
@gaborpete
I used to hate them, I had thought they were boring to death, maybe intentionally boring, until I first heard and saw this song.
@Epsa_
How can anyone hate the Beatles tho fr