My city's still breathing, but barely, it's true
Through buildings gone missing like teeth
The sidewalks are watching me think about you
Sparkled with broken glass

I'm back with scars to show
Back with the streets I know
Will never take me anywhere but here

The stain in the carpet, this drink in my hand
The strangers whose faces I know
We meet here for our dress rehearsal to say
I wanted it this way

Wait for the year to drown
Spring forward, fall back down
I'm trying not to wonder where you are

All this time
Lingers, undefined
Someone choose
Who's left and who's leaving

Memory will rust and erode into lists
Of all that you gave me
A blanket, some matches, this pain in my chest
The best parts of lonely

Duct-tape and soldered wires
New words for old desires
And every birthday card I threw away

I wait in 4/4 time
Count yellow highway lines
That you're relying on to lead you home
That you're relying on to lead you home
That you're relying on to lead you home

Overall Meaning

The Weakerthans' song Left & Leaving is a poignant portrayal of a city on the brink of collapse and a singer struggling to come to terms with lost love. The lyrics evoke a city that is still alive but barely breathing, with buildings missing like teeth and the sidewalks covered in broken glass. The singer's thoughts are consumed by memories of their lost love, and they are surrounded by strangers whose faces they know.

The stain in the carpet and the drink in the singer's hand serve as reminders of past struggles and pain. The singer is anchored to the present by the people they meet for their dress rehearsal, who are also trying to cope with the merits and demerits of their present situations. They yearn for a future where they will reunite with their lost love, but they are also resigned to the fact that perhaps it is best if they go their separate ways.

The final lines of the song convey the constant yearning for a place to call home, as the singer counts yellow highway lines that they are relying on to lead them to the place they belong. Overall, the song is a beautiful lament about loss and moving on, and the struggle to find oneself in a world that is constantly changing.

Line by Line Meaning

My city's still breathing, but barely, it's true
Despite the missing buildings, my city is still functional but just barely hanging on.

Through buildings gone missing like teeth
The city has missing buildings that serve as prominent landmarks, just like teeth serve as prominent body parts.

The sidewalks are watching me think about you
As I walk along the sidewalks, I'm lost in thought about you, and it feels like the city is observing my every move.

Sparkled with broken glass
The sparkling broken glass on the sidewalks serves as a metaphor for how the city is deteriorating and falling apart.

I'm back with scars to show
I return to the city with physical and emotional scars from the experiences I had while I was away.

Back with the streets I know
I'm back in the city, surrounded by familiar streets and neighborhoods that I once called home.

Will never take me anywhere but here
No matter where I go or what I do, I'll always end up back in this city.

The stain in the carpet, this drink in my hand
Every element of where I am, from the stain in the carpet to the drink in my hand, tells a story about this city and my relationship with it.

The strangers whose faces I know
I'm surrounded by strangers, but they're all familiar to me because I've seen them in this city before.

We meet here for our dress rehearsal to say
Everyone comes to this city to rehearse for their life and the things they want to say and do.

I wanted it this way
Despite the difficulties and struggles associated with the city, I still chose to come back and be a part of it.

Wait for the year to drown
I'm waiting for the year to end and move on, leaving behind all the baggage and negativity that comes with it.

Spring forward, fall back down
Despite the hope of new beginnings associated with spring, life has a tendency to pull us back down and leave us disheartened.

I'm trying not to wonder where you are
I'm attempting to stop thinking about you and your whereabouts, but it's difficult to do so.

All this time Lingers, undefined
Time passes by without a clear sense of meaning or direction, leaving us feeling lost and uncertain.

Someone choose Who's left and who's leaving
Someone else should decide who stays and who goes, because it's difficult to make that decision for ourselves.

Memory will rust and erode into lists
As time goes by, memories fade and become nothing more than a list of things that once were.

Of all that you gave me
Those memories consist of all the things you gave me during our time together.

A blanket, some matches, this pain in my chest
These tangible items serve as a reminder of the emotional pain associated with our relationship.

The best parts of lonely
Being alone is difficult, but it's also where we find the hidden strengths and best parts of ourselves.

Duct-tape and soldered wires
We often have to make do with what we have, even if it means using makeshift solutions like duct tape and soldered wires.

New words for old desires
We constantly search for new ways to express our feelings, even if they're rooted in the same desires we've had for a long time.

And every birthday card I threw away
Throwing away birthday cards shows how we discard things that were once important to us, just like how we leave behind people and places that were once crucial parts of our lives.

I wait in 4/4 time
The constant rhythm of life moves on, and I'm simply waiting for it to play out.

Count yellow highway lines
As I travel, the yellow highway lines serve as a physical representation of how life moves forward in a linear fashion.

That you're relying on to lead you home
Despite how lost and uncertain we may be, we still rely on familiar landmarks and locations to guide us back home.

Lyrics © MOTHERSHIP MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: John K Samson, Jason Tait, Stephen Carroll, John P. Sutton

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Gryffin

on Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure

It had something to do with the rain
It was a rainy day when Virtute left

Leaching loamy dirt
The dirt becoming muddy and wet due to the rain.

And the way the back lane came alive
The rain bringing life to the back alley and making it more vibrant.

Half moon whispered go
Personification of the half-moon; Virtute believed it told her to leave

For a while I heard you
The cat heard its owner's footsteps for a brief period.

Missing steps in the street
The owner was upset and confused, stumbling while walking in the street, looking for her.

And your anger pleading
The owner's anger begging for something; perhaps Virtute's return

In an uncertain key
The owner's tone being unsure and lacking confidence.

Singing the sound that you found for me
Virtute's owner is calling out her name in an attempt to find her

When the winter took the tips of my ears
In winter, Virtute lost the tips of her ears to the cold

Found this noisy home
The cat found a new place to live.

Full of pigeons and places to hide
The new place was abundant in pigeons and had many good hiding spots.

And when the voices died
When everything became silent.

I emerged to watch abandoned machines
The cat came out of hiding to look at the machines that had been abandoned.

Waiting for their men
The machines were waiting for someone to come and use them.

To return, I remember the way
The cat remembers how the owner would look for her and she misses him.

I would wait for you
The cat used to wait for her owner to come back.

To arrive with kibble
The owner used to bring kibble for the cat to eat.

And a box full of beer
The owner used to have beer with him when he came back home.

How I'd scratch the empties
The cat remembers how she used to scratch the empty beer cans and bottles for hours to entertain herself.

Desperate to hear
The cat was desperate to hear the familiar sounds of her owner's presence.

You make the sound that you found for me
Virtute longed to hear her owner say her name, to be acknowledged by the person who left her alone for so long.

After scrapping with the ferals and the tabby
After fighting with other cats in the area.

Let you brush my matted fur
Allowed the owner to groom her matted fur.

How I'd knead into your chest while you were sleeping
The cat remembers how she used to knead into her owner's chest while he slept.

Shallow breathing made me purr
The cat would purr while feeling her owner's shallow breathing and being comforted by it.

But I can't remember the sound that you found for me
The cat can no longer remember the name her owner gave her, and it makes her sad and confused.

I can't remember the sound that you found for me
Reinforcing the fact that the cat can no longer remember her name.

I can't remember the sound
The cat can't seem to remember anything about the owner's voice and it vexes her.