Penny Jackson’s Eleanor Rigby Lesson Plan
ELEANOR RIGBY LYRICS
Eleanor Rigby (Lennon/McCartney)
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
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
Goals: Students will learn the following skills by studying
the Beatles song, “Eleanor Rigby.”
Listening
Vocabulary
Reading Comprehension
Writing
Sequencing Events
Proficiency Level: Intermediate:
First Language(L1) background: Any
Pre-Listening Activities:
Accessing prior knowledge:
Begin the class by writing the word LONELY on the board.
Ask your students to define this word and then give
examples of who might be lonely. If students talk about
elderly people, ask why they are lonely. (5 minutes)
Tell the class that you will be playing a song by the
Beatles. Ask the students to tell what they know of the
Beatles or if they have any favorite Beatles songs. (5
minutes)
Listening Activity:
Play the song, Eleanor Rigby to the class. Some may be
familiar with the song. Ask them to write down any lyrics
they might remember.
Give the class a cloze lyric sheet. Ask the class to fill
in the blanks as you play the song again. The class can
work in pairs or groups. (10 minutes)
Example: Eleanor Rigby picks up the ________ in the ______
where a _________ has been.
For a more advanced class, the teacher can divide the
lyrics so they may be cut into separate pieces of paper.
Play the song at a speed to suit you and put the sentences
in order according to the lyrics
(5 –10 minutes.)
Post-listening activities:
Give the students a copy of the lyrics. After you play the
song, you can ask the students the following comprehension
questions: (15 minutes.) The students can answer these
questions or write the answers in groups or pairs. These
questions can be modified for the group’s abilities.
Is it a happy song? If not, why?
Who the main characters? Did they know each other?
What instruments did you notice in the song?
Where is Eleanor Rigby in the first stanza? Why? What is
she doing?
How is her face described? Why?
Who is Father Mackenzie? How is he similar to Eleanor
Rigby?
How are the two connected in the song?
What does the line “No one was saved” mean?
What does the line “Eleanor Rigby died in the church and
was buried along with her name” mean?
Vocabulary: What is “darning”? What is a “sermon?”
Cultural: At American weddings, the guests sometimes throw
rice at the end of the ceremony. Do they have a similar
custom in your own country?
Thematic questions: (10 minutes)
What is the theme of this song?
What does this song suggest about religion?
Where should all these lonely people go?
Did you find this a poetic song?
What is your favorite line?
Creative Writing:
For HW or in class if there is time.
Students can write a short biography of Eleanor Rigby. What
did she do? Was she ever in love? Why is she so lonely?
They can also write about Father Mackenzie. Perhaps they
made mistakes in their lives that lead them to be lonely.
What kind of mistakes would these be?
Further discussion topics for all levels:
Who should take care of old people? What is the tradition
in your country? Many countries are facing the problem of
an "aging population", i.e. there will soon be more old
people than young people. What problems will this cause?
What can be done to prepare for them?
Are you afraid of getting old?
*What is your ideal old age to live to?
Do you prefer to live in the retirement home or live with
young people?
Internet projects based on this song:
Students can do research projects about the history of the
Beatles, Liverpool, the biographies of Paul, Ringo, George
or John, the British Invasion, or The Sixties.
Other related Beatles material:
Students can bring in their own favorite Beatles song,
print the lyrics, and explain why they like this song.