I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in
And stops my mind from wandering
Where it will go

I'm filling the cracks that ran through the door
And kept my mind from wandering
Where it will go

And it really doesn't matter if I'm wrong I'm right
Where I belong I'm right
Where I belong.

See the people standing there who disagree and never win
And wonder why they don't get in my door
I'm painting my room in the colourful way

And when my mind is wandering
There I will go
And it really doesn't matter if I'm wrong I'm right
Where I belong I'm right
Where I belong.

Silly people run around they worry me
And never ask me why they don't get past my door
I'm taking the time for a number of things
That weren't important yesterday
And I still go

I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in
And stops my mind from wandering
Where it will go



Lyrics submitted by Ice

Track duration: 04:24

"Fixing a Hole" as written by John Winston Lennon, Paul James Mccartney

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Fixing a Hole song meanings
Add your thoughts

64 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    My Interpretation:I think it's about retreating into your own inner space. The outside is always trying to work its way in, and we'll get around to caring for those things in the end, but it's nice to retreat once in a while and have some personal time and quiet to dream and let your mind wander. Could be about trying to get time to be creative as well.
    Flag BlkWarrioron November 07, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i never was able to relax and have a nice time when my life circumstances were out of order... maybe paul felt similarly...
    Flag pedroagnoon October 14, 2012   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation:My interpretation of this song is that there isn't a "universal" interpretation to this song. Lennon & McCartney have said in various interviews that their songwriting wasn't intended to contain only one correct definition, but was intended to force its listeners to fill in the blank with their own interpretations based on their own life experiences, a creative songwriting style that tends to be overlooked by alot of people. In other words, they felt that real art was meant to be interpreted, not understood. I'm not saying that there is no meaning to this song , However, I believe that there was something on Paul McCartney's mind when he wrote this song. I think that Paul is talking about an outside force (*your own interpretation*) that was causing him distress, and is attempting to fill "the cracks that ran through the door," blocking out these outside forces. He also talks about not caring if people disapprove of him, saying that his mindset accepts him for who he is, therefore he is right....what i'm trying to say is that this is a song about using drugs, fixing a roof, the people around him, etc...no one is wrong, no one is right.

    The Beatles' music was an artistic masterpiece, and shouldn't be mistaken for a design
    Flag metalhead42son April 14, 2012   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:'fixing a hole where the rain get's in and stops my mind from wondering' this could also be a reference to a injury to the head can't believe nobody pointed that out yet
    Flagged ispauldeadon February 19, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:It's very important to remember that all the songs on SGT Pepper are written from the perspective of Paul and John's alteregos (the sgt pepper band members). So it's not John or Paul or George who's is fixing a hole it's one of the members of the imaginary Sgt Peppers band.

    I don't think it's about drugs, I always thought about it as one of those parody songs from a musical and that it's about the dullness of english family life
    Flag FullDevilSocceron October 06, 2011   Link
  • +2
    General Comment:This song is about distractions and negativity that causes narrow mindedness (or close mindedness) and stifles creativity. He wants to create a barrier (fix a hole) from the outside pressures (the rain) and allow his mind to wander uninhibited. He also wants to smoke a joint and go in a colorful room that inspires him.
    Flag sem3000on May 27, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song is about thinking for oneself and being comfortable with one's own opinions; not caring if other people agree or disagree. It starts out with a rather silly intro played solely by the harpsichord. It then, followed by the tapping of a high hat, slows down the tempo as the full drum set comes in along with the bass guitar and the vocals. It is a rather odd beginning to a song, but of course, this being The Beatles and a part of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, it is very intentional.
    The first line of the song sings, “I’m fixing a hole where the rain gets in.” The harpsichord intro is played in a way that seems choppy and hasty. The tapping on the high hat seems to slow it down, almost lassoing it in with the rest of the instruments. This mirrors the theme of the song, in particular the meaning behind the first line. The harpsichord seems to want to stray away and do its own thing, but the rest of the band brings it back in, “fixing” it, much like the lyrics speak of fixing a leak in the mind.
    The verse then continues with the steady and simple playing of the rhythm section. The drum set, in particular keeps a steady, consistent and open beat, leaving plenty of room for the vocals to dominate. The bass does much in the same as it plays simply on the off beats. However, as the song continues, the bass builds and becomes more melodic/complex, just as the lyrics do as well as the meaning.
    Each verse of the song paints a picture of the theme of “fixing a hole” in the first-person narrator’s mind, in order to keep his mind able to wander. The “rain” or the “leak” prevents his mind from doing so. The third and fifth line of each verse sings, “where it/I will go.” This is an open ended, incomplete sentence; mirroring the concept of not knowing where his mind is going to take him. Almost as an implied question, “Where will it go?” There is then a pause in the lyrics, followed by an electric guitar serving not only as a filler, but as an added piece of information. The guitar here follows the pattern of the line “where it will go.” The melody of the former line rises in tone while the guitar falls back down and rings out as if mirroring the idea of an open ended/implied question as if to say, “I don’t know.” The last note of the guitar is held, just like the last note of “go,” as evidence to this.
    The chorus then comes in singing, “And it really doesn’t matter if I’m wrong / I’m right / Where I belong / I’m right / Where I belong.” There is a beat after each “I’m right,” implying a pun, as it is followed each time by, “Where I belong.” It juxtaposes “wrong” in the first line with “right” in the second. The beat after “I’m right” cause the listener to think that the meaning is right, as in correct, and then, once the next line comes in, the meaning is altered to the proper or best place to “belong.” Therefore, the lyrics are saying that, with the ability to let his mind wander and think for his self, than he is right, in that, he is where he belongs. He is right according to him and that is all that matters.
    The rest of the first chorus sings, “See the people standing there who / disagree and never win / And wonder why they don’t get in my door.” These “people” referred are so worried about being right in relation to the people around them, that they “never win.” And so, the narrator keeps his opinions to himself and doesn’t allow them to “get in [his] door.” During this portion of the chorus, the guitar comes back in as the other instruments keep their steady beat, only changing chord progressions. The guitar walks in just before the line, “See the people…”as if portraying the entrance of the other “people.” It then rises and falls, as if portraying the disagreement and then alters into something a bit more frantic after the word “door” is sang, as if portraying the frustration of the “people.”
    Following the second verse there is a rather sporadic guitar solo. As in the verse, the guitar here seems to continue to portray the wandering of the narrator’s mind. It plays a few bars, followed by a pause, roughly the length of a bar. This makes the listener first think that the song will then go back to the chorus or verse. However, the guitar then comes back in and finishes out its solo as if to represent the unpredictability of a wandering mind.
    The second chorus is then slightly altered from the first, both in lyric and vocal layers. The first portion of the chorus remains the same lyrically. However, there is harmony added to back the vocals, as if to portray the cheery attitude of the narrator. Once the guitar comes back in, “See the people” changes to “Silly people…”and the harmonizing becomes a more choppy, “dee dee dee.” This is a rather silly harmonization, which seems to be there to show the silliness of the people talked about in the lyrics.
    With each instrument, idea, word, and so on, working together, the message of this song; which at first seems rather unclear like many of The Beatle’s songs, becomes easier to grasp. Through the choice of using the quirky harpsichord, to the characterization through the guitar, one can come to the conclusion that this song is about valuing one’s own opinion and not caring if other people agree or disagree as well as allowing one’s mind to wander and contemplate ideas and opinions, without any outside influence, or “rain,” if you will.

    Boom.
    Flag MountNeboon March 23, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:How about considering the lyrics in the context of anxiety, maybe even paranoia, and Sir Paul is writing about a man who is dealing with these things?
    Flag Thorvikingon January 25, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:The way I interpret this song, is that he's trying to separate himself from his ego. The ego belongs to the outside world, and there is a hole in his heart, letting the ego get in. He's trying to seal this hole, so that the outside world and the inside world can balance eachother out.

    Whether this song is about drugs or not, he is still able to recognize the disfunction, and he is trying to do something about it. Sometimes drugs can help us identify ourselves, perhaps LSD enabled him to realize something of truth.
    Flag Dkthon December 27, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song never meant that much to me until very recently. Like most of you that grew up with the Beatles, I always thought it was about having drug influenced thoughts that others scoffed at. Now I think differently. I think he is fixing a hole in his marriage. He is fixing a hole where the rain (problems) get in. A hole where the problems enter his marriage. He is trying to decide to stay or go. Is it worth fixing the hole? In the end it is, because it doesn't matter if he's wrong or right. All that matters is where he belongs. Where he belongs, he's right. He has decided that he belongs in his marriage.
    Flag TempleDon November 30, 2010   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

Back to top
explain