"Penny Lane"

"Penny Lane" was written by Paul McCartney and sung by the Beatles in 1967. Paul and John Lennon  would ride a bus that met at the corner by John's house. The bus so happened to drive along "Penny Lane." Throughout the song, Paul and John write about the everyday sights and sounds they see along their bus ride. They incorporated all of their surroungdings into a very popular song.

Digging a little deeper into the lyrics, "the 'shelter in the middle of the roundabout" refers to the old bus shelter. Later this bus shelter was developed into a restaurant with a Beatles theme.  "Four of fish and finger pies," turned up as british slang. This refers to four pennies worth of fish and chips back in the day. Looking through the lyrics you can infer to the different places that run along this bus route, and use imagery to see what they saw through their eyes so many years ago.

In Penny Lane there is a barber showing photographs
Of every head he's had the pleasure to know
And all the people that come and go
Stop and say hello

On the corner is a banker with a motorcar
The little children laugh at him behind his back
And the banker never wears a mack
In the pouring rain, very strange

Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes
There beneath the blue suburban skies
I sit, and meanwhile back

In Penny Lane there is a fireman with an hourglass
And in his pocket is a portrait of the queen
He likes to keep his fire engine clean
It's a clean machine

Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes
A four of fish and finger pies
In summer, meanwhile back

Behind the shelter in the middle of a roundabout
The pretty nurse is selling poppies from a tray
And though she feels as if she's in a play
She is anyway

In Penny Lane the barber shaves another customer
We see the banker sitting waiting for a trim
And then the fireman rushes in
From the pouring rain, very strange

Penny lane is in my ears and in my eyes
There beneath the blue suburban skies
I sit, and meanwhile back
Penny lane is in my ears and in my eyes
There beneath the blue suburban skies
Penny Lane