The Power Of Story: She’s Leaving Home (The Beatles)

Storytelling is a powerful tool to connect. This is known in the corporate world and also very visible in songwriting. On this blog, I’m breaking down songs for you to demonstrate what you can learn from them when it comes to storytelling. Today: ‘She’s Leaving Home’ by, of course, the Beatles.

The Beatles can’t be passed by in this series about lyrics and storytelling. The band is praised for their songwriting skills and inventiveness. Many of their songs are, to my eyes and regardless of whether their style is my personal taste or not, gems of craftsmanship and poetry. Many are, too, very poetic — some to a degree that people can keep discussing over the meaning of a particular song, if they haven’t accepted the fact that a song can have several meanings in the first place.

‘She’s Leaving Home’ is a song that’s pretty straightforward, but very well told. Let’s take a look.

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 downstairs to the kitchen clutching her handkerchief
Quietly turning the backdoor key
Stepping outside — she is free

The first verse is full of details that help paint the picture in our minds. It’s a Wednesday: the middle of the week, probably an ordinary weekday. ‘The note that she hoped would say more’ shows us (but doesn’t tell!) a glimpse of history and the gravity of the situation that is unfolding. Something happened.

‘Clutching her handkerchief’ stands out to me; does it refer to her emotional state? Is she upset to be leaving? It makes me, and probably any listener, more curious to find out what has occurred here.
Through the first lines, the song develops an atmosphere that has a growing tensity. We almost feel her sneaking through the hall, through the kitchen, towards the backdoor. ‘She is free’ leaves us relieved. Telling this part of the story in detailed little steps is a smart and effective way of drawing the listener in.

She (We gave her most of our lives)
Is leaving (Sacrificed most of our lives)
Home (We gave her everything money could buy)
She’s leaving home after living alone
For so many years (Bye bye)

Enter the chorus. The first bit consists of two parts: ‘She is leaving home’, and the three following lines: ‘We gave her most of our lives, sacrificed most of our lives, we gave her everything money could buy’.
It’s interesting: there’s a change of perspective. This does not happen a lot in songwriting or storytelling, but when it does, it happens for good reason. In this case, we hear other people involved talking about her and their point of view is probably important to the story, otherwise it would not have been included. We don’t know yet who those other people are, but their viewpoint pushes our impression of her towards her being a spoiled little brat.
But then, as the second half kicks in: ‘She’s leaving home after living alone for so many years’.
If she lived alone, who is she leaving a note to? Why would she sneak out if there is nobody else in the house? Hence: she did not literally live alone, and the perspective of the other people involved is a sneak peek into what’s to come: she was lonely. As The Beatles themselves sing: money can’t buy me love. My guess is that exactly that is very accurate in this situation.

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?’

The second verse starts with a lovely example of show, don’t tell again. ‘Father snores as his wife gets into her dressing gown’ — snore is a great verb that’s charged with a lot of our own memories, images, maybe even prejudices. Note how the mother is referred to as ‘his wife’ which, to me, immediately clarifies a lot about the dynamics in the house. Her reaction to the letter says it all: it’s not about the girl. All they can think of is their own position, their own misery, their own justification.

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 (Bye bye)

When the second chorus arrives, we are aware of the situation a bit more and we can put the viewpoint from the parents in perspective. The lines are different from the first chorus: more self-centered, more dramatic and therefore also less believable. Or, sadder: if the parents in fact did not recognize their daughter’s loneliness and longing for love she did not receive, the situation must have been a sad one indeed.

Friday morning at nine o’clock she is far away
Waiting to keep the appointment she made
Meeting a man from the motor trade

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 (Bye bye)

The last verse beautifully reflects the first one, casually throwing in a day and time. And the final chorus wraps up the story and confirms our growing assumptions: She didn’t get the love she needed and her parents were awfully ignorant - and seem to realize that, drawing from the in-between lines.

I love the addition of Bye-bye at the end of each chorus: it has a casual swing to it, in growing contrast to the unfolding story of what happened. Also, it can reflect to line ‘For so many years’: time that has been lost, chances that were not taken, love that was not given.

So what can we learn from this song when it comes to our own storytelling?

• Know when to provide details (show, don’t tell!) in your story, and when to cut to the chase.
• Be aware of the perspective of your story. Who tells it? Where is the listener? Change of perspective is hardly a good idea, but if you have a good reason to break that rule, break it.
• Repetition of a part of the story, be it in a slightly different form or setting, is a good way of giving your listener a feeling of recognition: I know where I am on the map, I’m with you.

Here’s ‘She’s Leaving Home’ by The Beatles, including its lyrics, in its entirety.

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 downstairs 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)
She’s leaving home after living alone
For so many years (Bye bye)

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 (Bye bye)

Friday morning at nine o’clock she is far away
Waiting to keep the appointment she made
Meeting a man from the motor trade

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 (Bye bye)

She’s leaving home
Bye bye