Eleanor Rigby
Exploring the Unseen Lives: Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie
Lyrics
Ah look at all the lonely people
Expressing observation of lonely individuals in society.
Ah look at all the lonely people
Reiteration of the observation of loneliness.
Eleanor Rigby, picks up the rice
Describing Eleanor Rigby performing a symbolic act of cleaning up after a wedding.
In the church where a wedding has been
Setting the scene in a church where a wedding has taken place.
Lives in a dream
Suggesting that Eleanor Rigby lives in a dream, possibly disconnected from reality.
Waits at the window, wearing the face
Depicting Eleanor waiting at the window, wearing a mask or facade kept in a jar.
That she keeps in a jar by the door
Highlighting the detachment of Eleanor's public persona from her true self.
Who is it for
Pondering the purpose or intended audience of Eleanor's facade.
All the lonely people
Raising a rhetorical question about the origin of lonely people.
Where do they all come from?
Continuation of the inquiry into the source of loneliness in individuals.
All the lonely people
Repeating the question about lonely people and their origin.
Where do they all belong?
Pondering the place to which lonely individuals belong.
Father McKenzie, writing the words
Introducing Father McKenzie and his solitary task of writing unheard sermons.
Of a sermon that no one will hear
Highlighting the isolation of Father McKenzie as no one pays attention to his sermons.
No one comes near
Emphasizing the lack of human interaction around Father McKenzie.
Look at him working, darning his socks
Depicting Father McKenzie mending his socks in solitude during the night.
In the night when there's nobody there
Describing the loneliness of Father McKenzie in the absence of anyone around.
What does he care
Suggesting Father McKenzie's indifference to his lonely state.
All the lonely people
Repeating the inquiry about the origin of lonely people.
Where do they all come from?
Continuation of the question, emphasizing the mystery of their origin.
All the lonely people
Reiteration of the inquiry into the destination or belonging of lonely people.
Where do they all belong?
Emphasizing the search for a place where lonely individuals fit in.
Ah look at all the lonely people
Repeating the initial observation of loneliness.
Ah look at all the lonely people
Reiteration of the continued observation of lonely individuals.
Eleanor Rigby, died in the church
Narrating Eleanor Rigby's death in the church and burial without attendees.
And was buried along with her name
Highlighting the anonymity of Eleanor even in her death.
Nobody came
Emphasizing the loneliness of Eleanor even in her final moments.
Father McKenzie, wiping the dirt
Describing Father McKenzie cleaning his hands after a burial with no one saved.
From his hands as he walks from the grave
Depicting Father McKenzie's solitude as he walks away from the grave.
No one was saved
Highlighting the lack of salvation or assistance for anyone, including Father McKenzie.
All the lonely people
Reiterating the question about the origin of lonely people.
Where do they all come from?
Continuation of the inquiry into the source of loneliness in individuals.
All the lonely people
Repeating the question about lonely people and their origin.
Where do they all belong?
Pondering the place to which lonely individuals belong.
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