Sounds like she's just bored with life and lost in that game of love. Because the next line is "who is it for"? I dunno, just a guess. :)

it's an illustration of utter loneliness. She never gos out to meet anyone and even if anyone happens to see her - it's not her! if you read the entire lyrics she's utterly alone. Even to her grave. so's the preacher - writing the words to the sermon that no one will hear, no one comes near

She puts on a different personality when she can be seen by others. She's lonely but doesn't let anyone know that.

This song is so very very sad and has different meanings on different levels. This extract was taken from a gent studying eng lang as was the best representation I could find. "Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been, Lives in a dream." [** OK, so here's the first bit of information we have on Eleanor. Right away, we are viewing a depressing image: a lonely woman who desires companionship is picking up the rice on the ground, after a wedding has just finished. Note how McCartney wrote that line: he doesn't say that she "sweeps up the rice". She "PICKS up the rice", making it seem as though she is doing it piece by piece. This would certainly indicate that she has A LOT of time on her hands. I disagree with those who think she works at the church as a janitor or something. The whole reason why she came to the church was because she "lives in a dream" that one day, she will be married or have some meaningful relationship.**] "Waits at the window, Wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door. Who is it for?" [** I've heard different theories as to exactly what the "face that she keeps in a jar" represents. Many people believe that Eleanor Rigby puts on makeup so that she can look her best, holding on to the hope that someone, anyone, will greet her. This is a good observation, but I don't think that's what the line is implying. Figuratively, the "face that she keeps in a jar by the door" could represent a sort of false-happiness that she only "wears" when a visitor has approached her door. She keeps it "in a jar" because it is only a mask to hide her loneliness and depression. The question is asked, "Who is it for?" Nobody can answer this question, not even Eleanor herself. She is still holding on to the hopeless dream that she will find love and/or companionship.**] "All the lonely people, where do they all come from? All the lonely people, where do they all belong?" [** This part of the song speaks about loneliness in general. It basically asks the question, "Why are so many people lonely when there are so many of them?"**] "Father McKenzie, Writing the words of a sermon that no-one will hear, No-one comes near." [** We are now introduced to another character in the story, Father McKenzie. I do NOT believe that Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie knew each other at all. Nowhere in this song is that theory even hinted at. They were just two terribly lonely people, who both wanted to be involved in a relationship of some kind. ** Note how many direct references there are to loneliness in this part of the song. "Writing the words of a sermon that NO ONE will hear." This is a figurative line, to illustrate McKenzie's loneliness. I'm sure he has church members who WILL hear his sermon, but none of them can fill the void that is in him, so it doesn't even matter. The line, "No one comes near" is an example of how, even though McKenzie interacts with people at church, he manages to stay lonely because he has no relationship with them. It's as if they don't exist. This is where Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie are the most similar: both of them are WAITING for a relationship to happen instead of trying to find one. Eleanor "waits at the window" and McKenzie is upset because "no one comes near". Each character's passive attitude clearly has A LOT to do with their own descent into loneliness and depression.**] "Look at him working, Darning his socks in the night when there's nobody there. What does he care?" [** This part of the song can easily be compared to the line in the previous Eleanor verse, when Eleanor is "wearing the face that she keeps in a jar". (In fact, the music is identical for both lines.) The difference is that Father McKenzie seems to be "darning his socks" to take his mind off his own problems, and not necessarily to impress anyone. To add to the overall melancholy feel, he's doing something that most people would find terribly boring. Like Eleanor, he seems to have a lot of time on his hands. "What does he care?" Why should he care about his socks when he is filled with so much sadness? It's almost as if he's going through a stage of self-pity, and he's completely given up. It could also be compared to the first verse, when Eleanor "picks up the rice".**] "Eleanor Rigby, Died in the church and was buried along with her name. Nobody came." [** Now we come upon something interesting. This verse clearly states that Eleanor "dies in the church". Perhaps this is only mentioned to further connect the two characters, or perhaps there is a greater meaning. It is quite possible that it was used as irony. Eleanor wants to be married, and she dies in the very place where she would have been happiest. According to the verse, she was also "buried along with her name". This may give the listener an idea of a tombstone marking where she is buried, but it actually symbolizes how, when she died, the memory of her died also. "Nobody came" to the funeral, because nobody knew her. She would easily be forgotten.**] "Father McKenzie, Wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave. No-one was saved." [** I'd like to interrupt my analysis to tell you this: I've just now realized that this song could take on a completely different meaning. I don't know which to believe, but both are fascinating. Here's my other theory: Let's start by analyzing this verse. Father McKenzie is "wiping the dirt from his hands" almost as if he's actually accomplished something. This is followed by the line, "no-one was saved". At first, I thought nothing of it, but then I started to look at the complete lyrics. I realized just how many times the narrator FIRMLY DENIES something. "...A sermon that NO-ONE will hear," "NO-ONE comes near," "...when there's NOBODY there," "NOBODY came," "NO-ONE was saved". Suddenly, it hit me, that Father McKenzie is a priest, and is traditionally not supposed to have a serious relationship with a woman. Is it possible that the overuse of the words "nobody" and "no-one" are sarcasm, and that the narrator is trying to cover up something that DID occur between these two characters? What if you saw the lyrics this way: "Father McKenzie, Writing the words of a sermon that [Eleanor] will hear. [Eleanor] comes near. Look at him working, Darning his socks in the night when there's [Eleanor] there. What does he care? Father McKenzie, Wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave, [Eleanor] was saved." Perhaps I am overanalyzing everything, but if the song did take on this different meaning, the whole message of the song would change. Eleanor would be "saved," in the Christian sense, and go to heaven. This would also explain why she "died in the church".

Can't compete with moobaas answer- but I loooove The Beatles! ;))