Four By Four

Today in Jim Adams’ Song Lyric Sunday post
entitled ‘Work Harder Day’, he has asked us to
write about a song that includes the words
work or hard. Bonus points for using both!
Written for Song Lyric Sunday, here’s my response.

As soon as Jim’s new theme was revealed, I knew what I was going to write about. Today I am featuring a few of my favorite songs…..all written and recorded by the Beatles…..that meet the theme requirements for “Work Harder Day“. I’m sure you’ll agree that the band needs no introduction so let’s get right to the music!

In February 1967, Paul McCartney read a newspaper report about Melanie Coe, a 17-year-old A-level schoolgirl from Stamford Hill, north London. She went missing, leaving behind her car, checkbook and clothes. Her father was quoted as saying, “I cannot imagine why she would run away. She has everything here.” Everything except real happiness and freedom to be with the guy she loved. This song, in my opinion, is one of the loveliest by the Beatles.
She’s Leaving Home” was released on the Beatles 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Paul McCartney and John Lennon wrote the song and neither George Harrison nor Ringo Starr was involved in the recording. The song’s instrumental background was performed entirely by a small string orchestra and was one of only a handful of Beatles songs in which the members did not play any instruments on the recording.  

This is “She’s Leaving Home”

LYRICS

Wednesday morning at five o’clock
As the day begins
Silently closing her bedroom door
Leaving the note that she hoped would say more

She goes down stairs to the kitchen
Clutching her handkerchief
Quietly turning the backdoor key
Stepping outside, she is free

She, … (we gave her most of our lives)
Is leaving (sacrificed most of our lives)
Home (we gave her everything money could buy)

Father snores as his wife gets into her dressing gown
Picks up the letter that’s lying there
Standing alone at the top of the stairs
She breaks down and cries to her husband
Daddy, our baby’s gone.
Why would she treat us so thoughtlessly?
How could she do this to me?

She (we never thought of ourselves)
Is leaving (never a thought for ourselves)
Home (we struggled hard all our lives to get by)
She’s leaving home, after living alone, for so many years

Friday morning, at nine o’clock
She is far away
Waiting to keep the appointment she made
Greeting a man from the Motortrade

She (what did we do that was wrong)
Is Having (we didn’t know it was wrong)
Fun (fun is the one thing that money can’t buy)

Something inside, that was always denied,
for so many years,
.
She’s leaving home
Bye bye

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Paul McCartney/John Lennon
She’s Leaving Home lyrics © Sony/atv Tunes LLC Mpl Communications Inc

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The Beatles’ “We Can Work It Out” was written by McCartney and Lennon and released as a double A-sided single with “Day Tripper” – the first time both sides of a single were so designated in an initial release. Both songs were recorded during the Rubber Soul sessions. Paul McCartney and Jane Asher were engaged to be married but by 1965, Paul’s relationship with Jane was heading for troubled waters. She was a successful actress and he was flying around the world as a single and eligible Beatle. Paul wanted a stay-at-home wife but, against Paul’s wishes, Jane went to join the Bristol Old Vic. “We Can Work It Out” is certainly a plea from the heart, although rather one-sided; “We can work it out but you gotta see it my way” is basically what Paul is saying. It’s always ‘me, me, me’ with him! LOL! I’d love to hear Jane’s reply; it was probably very direct!

This is “We Can Work It Out”

LYRICS

Try to see it my way
Do I have to keep on talking till I can’t go on?
While you see it your way
Run the risk of knowing that our love may soon be gone

We can work it out
We can work it out

Think of what you’re saying
You can get it wrong and still you think that it’s alright
Think of what I’m saying
We can work it out and get it straight, or say good night

We can work it out
We can work it out

Life is very short, and there’s no time
For fussing and fighting, my friend
I have always thought that it’s a crime
So I will ask you once again

Try to see it my way
Only time will tell if I am right or I am wrong
While you see it your way
There’s a chance that we may fall apart before too long

We can work it out
We can work it out

Life is very short, and there’s no time
For fussing and fighting, my friend
I have always thought that it’s a crime
So I will ask you once again

Try to see it my way
Only time will tell if I am right or I am wrong
While you see it your way
There’s a chance that we may fall apart before too long
We can work it out
We can work it out

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Paul McCartney/John Lennon
We Can Work It Out lyrics © Sony/atv Tunes LLC, Mpl Communications Inc

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“Eleanor Rigby” is a track on the 1966 album Revolver and was also released as a single with “Yellow Submarine”. It was written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song continued the transformation of the Beatles from a mainly R&R and pop-oriented act to a more experimental, studio-based band. With a double string quartet arrangement by George Martin and striking lyrics about loneliness, “Eleanor Rigby” broke sharply with popular music conventions, both musically and lyrically. This song about the neglected concerns and fates of the elderly is an example of why the Beatles’ appeal reached so far beyond the traditional rock audience. Unlike the other songs I’ve chosen today, “Eleanor Rigby” is the only one without even a single note intro. It’s beautiful and extremely poignant; it touches my heart every time I hear it.

This is “Eleanor Rigby”

LYRICS

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?

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: John Lennon/Paul McCartney
Eleanor Rigby lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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And now we come to our last song today…..one that isn’t sad at all and has little to do with loneliness or trying to work things out. This Beatles song’s iconic one chord opening is all you need to hear to immediately recognize the song.
A monumental piece of music history, “A Hard Day’s Night” captures the essence of the band’s early years and the vibrant cultural climate of the 1960s. The song, released on July 10, 1964, serves as the title track for both their third studio album and their first feature film, showcasing the unparalleled talent and charisma of the Beatles and becoming an emblematic anthem of R&R.
While most of the song’s lyrics were written by John Lennon, the title “A Hard Day’s Night” was born from a quirky comment made by Ringo Starr. After a particularly grueling day of filming and recording, Ringo remarked, “It’s been a hard day.…” Then, looking out the window at the darkening sky, he added, “….night.” This offhand remark captured the essence of the song so perfectly that it was adopted as the title, becoming an iconic phrase in music history.
The opening line wastes no time in establishing the theme: “It’s been a hard day’s night, and I’ve been working like a dog.” The singer’s exhaustion is palpable, mirroring the feeling of anyone who has pushed through a long and demanding day.
This sentiment is contrasted with the hopeful anticipation of the chorus: “But when I get home to you, I find the things that you do will make me feel alright.” Here, the lyrics shift to the simple yet profound comfort found in loved ones. The line “the things that you do” is beautifully ambiguous, encompassing the small gestures and unspoken understanding that make a relationship a source of solace.
The simplicity of the lyrics, alongside the song’s catchy melody, makes “A Hard Day’s Night” a universal anthem. It speaks to the shared experience of hard work, exhaustion, and the enduring importance of human connection – a theme that resonates as strongly today as it did in 1964.
At the 1:50 mark of the video, it appears Paul’s mic may have malfunctioned or he had a little trouble with his voice; the concerned glances between Paul and George seem to indicate something may be wrong but the Beatles carried on.

This is “A Hard Day’s Night”

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Work Harder Day

This has been such a great experience for me; I hope you enjoyed reading and listening to the Beatles timeless music.

Big thanks to Jim Adams for hosting another terrific Song Lyric Sunday this week. Be sure to follow the link to check out Jim’s site.

Thanks for stopping by. See you on the flip side. 😎

NAR©2025
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