What does For No One mean?

Beatles: For No One Meaning

Album cover for For No One album cover

Song Released: 1966


For No One Lyrics

Your day breaks, your mind aches
You find that all the words of kindness linger on
When she no longer needs you

She wakes up, she makes up
She takes her time and doesn't feel she has to hurry
She no longer needs you

And in her eyes you...

  1. anonymous
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    Jan 13th 2023 !⃝

    Been rehearsing this masterpiece with piano and wondering the lyrics in the key phrase of the song: /And in her eyes you see nothing/No sign of love behind the tears/Cried for no one/A love that should have lasted years/.
    I think the last phrase should be: /FOR love that should have lasted years/.
    The girl cries, but not because of him but for the love that she has missed. And the boy has sarcasm for her as he blames that it was not true love from her side, because a true love lasts forever, but just a love that lasts for some years only.

  2. BEATLESFAN1989
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    Jun 27th 2018 !⃝

    This song is about what would happen if the fake paul mccartney tried to get with the real paul mccartneys girlfriend.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  3. anonymous
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    Oct 8th 2013 !⃝

    In my opinion, the man in this story doesn't necessarily loves her still as well. Especially since there is so much focus on how her need for him, and her wanting him is causing a problem for the male character in this story. Women were after all, when this song was written, mostly subjected to men. They were on their arm, as a trophy almost. Its an accomplishment to have and hold a great woman. And when she decides the love is, as said, dead instead of the other way around it still may cause pain and sadness even though the love between the two was already done for, mutually. But for the sake of having a gorgeous woman on your arm, was kept on. Sometimes this works out eventually, but in this case it clearly didnt.

  4. Melissa Mallin Colombo
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    Oct 13th 2011 !⃝

    It's so sad that a love that you both think will at least end in friendship can fizzle out so badly. You both hang on too long (one more than the other). I love this song...I haven't heard it in years and in a case of perfect timing, heard it today like young Paul wrote it for me. It's hard..the part about "all the things she said that fill your head". Yes, I said to myself..he said them in 2009....ironically, this song made me feel better. It's an age old story....

  5. anonymous
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    Apr 25th 2011 !⃝

    This song is simply about a love that is dying. It's commonly attributed to the failing relationship between Paul and Jane Asher.
    The song tries to fit to all men that might have been living this situation, but somehow identifying himself with the woman.
    He's feeling that she's gone cold and detached, but somehow he doesn't want to accept that it's over. He still thinks that, somewhere deep inside, she still loves him. During the song, there is some kind of development of Paul's feeling; at the beginning, he only notice she's slipping away - "she no longer needs you"; then, he kinda feels like not all hope is lost, - "and yet you don't believe her when she says her love is dead, you think she needs you". But he sees her cry, and he knows that those tears are not for him any more; they're empty tears, the leavings of a love that's faded. All along the song the listener can feel how the two lovers gradually part more and more. At the end, he realizes that she's gone forever, knowing that a day will come when he will finally understand what she meant, and that it was all his fault.

  6. anonymous
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    Aug 4th 2009 !⃝

    This Song is about Pauls relationship with Jane. Jane didn't want to be known as a Beatles Girlfriend and wanted to be known for her own career. Paul wrote this song about his feelings at realising Jane no longer needed him

    Jake

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  7. anonymous
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    Feb 5th 2009 !⃝

    This meolody of this song is complemented beautifully by the French horn played by Alan Civil of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. This horn is actually recorded higher than most horns of this type are played. Civil is credited directly on the album. Paul is giving guidance to someone and speaks of how it feels to be rejected. This person may indeed be himself. The brutal honesty and vulnerability make this song special. He cautions against thinking that his girlfriend needs him when she is moving on. But I have never been sure why she is crying for no one. She says that long ago she knew somone but now he's gone. The person she loved is not the man she thought he was. Paul changed when he became a superstar.

  8. anonymous
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    Dec 6th 2008 !⃝

    This is one of the Beatles finest songs. Musical line, subtle chord progressions and heartbreaking lyrics. Anyone needing to interpret it hasn\'t yet lived enough. Gibran said \"The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.\"

  9. GetBackJojo
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    Jan 14th 2008 !⃝

    About when Paul f***ed up his engagement with Jane Asher by cheating on her (well, he cheated on her a lot, but she caught him in the act the final time!)

  10. anonymous
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    Jan 4th 2007 !⃝

    I agree with the first interpretation, although I believe it was written about McCartney's failing relationship with Jane Asher...

  11. anonymous
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    Dec 22nd 2006 !⃝

    'For no one' is one of a number of songs in which McCartney expresses an uncharacteristic male empathy for females. Others include 'She's leaving home' and 'Just another day'. This song seems to be about a long term relationship gone stale. The title suggests that the relationship is actually dead. McCartney sings it in quite an understated manner which probably reflects the quiet desparation built up in the relationship. It is a quiet listening song, quite tender and quite sad. It demonstrates a remarkable maturity of observation and empathy in someone as young as McCartney was when he wrote it. In my view it is very under rated and actually deserves to be considered one of McCartney's finest works - though the haunting arrangement no doubt owes a great deal to George Martin.


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