Eleanor Rigby
Eleanor Rigby's Tale: Loneliness and Unseen Lives
Lyrics
Ah look at all the lonely people
Expressing empathy and observation towards isolated individuals.
Ah look at all the lonely people
Reiteration of the observation of lonely people.
Eleanor Rigby, picks up the rice
Describing Eleanor Rigby's action of cleaning up after a wedding.
In the church where a wedding has been
Setting the scene in a church after a wedding ceremony.
Lives in a dream
Implies Eleanor lives in a fantasy or daydream.
Waits at the window, wearing the face
Describes Eleanor waiting at the window, wearing a façade she keeps for the outside world.
That she keeps in a jar by the door
Mention of a face kept in a jar, suggesting a mask or a false identity.
Who is it for
Raising a question about the purpose or intended recipient of Eleanor's façade.
All the lonely people
Posing a question about the origin of all the lonely people.
Where do they all come from?
Rhetorical question asking about the source of loneliness.
All the lonely people
Reiteration of the question regarding lonely individuals.
Where do they all belong?
Raising the issue of where lonely people fit in society.
Father McKenzie, writing the words
Introducing Father McKenzie, engaged in an unheard sermon.
Of a sermon that no one will hear
Highlighting the isolation of Father McKenzie's message.
No one comes near
Emphasizing the lack of congregation or listeners.
Look at him working, darning his socks
Depicting Father McKenzie's mundane task of mending socks.
In the night when there's nobody there
Describing the solitude of Father McKenzie's nights.
What does he care
Indicating Father McKenzie's indifference to his situation.
All the lonely people
Repetition of the question about the origin of lonely people.
Where do they all come from?
Reiteration of the query about the source of loneliness.
All the lonely people
Restating the question of where lonely people belong.
Where do they all belong?
Repeating the theme of loneliness and societal belonging.
Ah look at all the lonely people
Reiteration of the initial observation of lonely people.
Ah look at all the lonely people
Repeating the observation of loneliness in society.
Eleanor Rigby, died in the church
Narrating Eleanor Rigby's death in the church.
And was buried along with her name
Describing Eleanor Rigby's burial with no one attending.
Nobody came
Highlighting the loneliness in Eleanor Rigby's final moments.
Father McKenzie, wiping the dirt
Depicting Father McKenzie cleaning his hands after a burial.
From his hands as he walks from the grave
Emphasizing the lack of salvation or help for those in need.
No one was saved
Stressing the tragic outcome of the situation.
All the lonely people
Reiteration of the query about the source of loneliness.
Where do they all come from?
Restating the question of where lonely people come from.
All the lonely people
Repeating the theme of loneliness and the search for belonging.
Where do they all belong?
Final repetition of the question about where lonely people belong.
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