Leave Your Lover
Sam Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What use is money, when you need someone to hold?
Don't have direction, I'm just rolling down this road
Waiting for you to bring me in from out the cold
You'll never know the endless nights, the rhyming of the rain
Or how it feels to fall behind and watch you call his name
Pack up and leave everything
Don't you see what I can bring?
Can't keep this beating heart at bay
Set my midnight sorrow free
I will give you all of me
Just leave your lover, leave him for me
Leave your lover, leave him for me
We sit in bars and raise our drinks to growing old
Oh, I'm in love with you and you will never know
But if I can't have you, I'll walk this life alone
Spare you the rising storms and let the rivers flow
You'll never know the endless nights, the rhyming of the rain
Or how it feels to fall behind and watch you call his name
Pack up and leave everything
Don't you see what I can bring?
Can't keep this beating heart at bay
Set my midnight sorrow free
I will give you all of me
Just leave your lover, leave him for me
Leave your lover, leave him for me
Leave your lover, leave him for me
Sam Smith's "Leave Your Lover" is a ballad that speaks of unrequited love and the unfulfillment that comes with it. The lyrics speak of an individual who yearns for someone who is already in a relationship with another person. The singer acknowledges that they do not have material wealth to offer, but they are willing to give their all, including their heart and soul, to the person they long for. They lament the fact that money cannot substitute for the warmth and companionship of a loved one. The lyrics also convey a sense of hopelessness and aimlessness as the singer waits for the object of their affection to bring them in from out in the cold.
In the second verse, Sam Smith reinforces the idea of unrequited love, explaining that it is likely his love interest will never know how much he loves her. The lyrics describe the pain of watching the person they love, call someone else's name, while they are relegated to the sidelines. The song continues, expressing the desire to have the one they love all to themselves and to free their heart from the pain of loving someone unattainable.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't have much to give, but I don't care for gold
Material wealth means nothing to me, I have little to offer but my love.
What use is money, when you need someone to hold?
Money is useless when you crave for physical and emotional intimacy.
Don't have direction, I'm just rolling down this road
I'm lost and unsure of where I should go in life.
Waiting for you to bring me in from out the cold
Hoping that you will give me a warm embrace and love so that I won't feel alone anymore.
You'll never know the endless nights, the rhyming of the rain
You'll never understand the sleepless nights I've had due to my longing for you, or how the sound of the rain brings me comfort despite my despair.
Or how it feels to fall behind and watch you call his name
It hurts to see you with another person and watch you call out his name, knowing that I desire to be in his place.
Pack up and leave everything
Abandon your current love and life to be with me.
Don't you see what I can bring?
I can offer you more love and companionship than your current love.
Can't keep this beating heart at bay
I cannot control my feelings for you any longer, my heart is bursting with love for you.
Set my midnight sorrow free
Free me of my sadness and despair, make me happy and feel loved instead.
I will give you all of me
I am willing to give you everything I have and all the love I'm capable of giving.
Just leave your lover, leave him for me
Leave the person you're with and be mine instead.
We sit in bars and raise our drinks to growing old
We talk about our future together and dream of getting old with each other.
Oh, I'm in love with you and you will never know
I'm deeply in love with you, but I cannot confess my feelings to you.
But if I can't have you, I'll walk this life alone
If you won't be with me, I'll have to accept a life without you in it.
Spare you the rising storms and let the rivers flow
I don't want to cause you any pain or drama, I'll let you go and let nature take its course.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Sam Smith, Simon Aldred
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@LaraCantos
OK. PEOPLE!
It's not THAT hard to understand, considering he is openly gay.
Throughout the whole video he's into the black man. He tells HIM "Leave your lover, leave him for me", since he is IN LOVE with him. The girl is just to distract you from that and make it more surprising to you, at the end. A beautiful "coup de théâtre", just that. So it has more of an impact on you, and at the same time communicates his sexual preference to the public, somehow. It makes a wonderful, strong and empowering message for people that love someone of their own gender, but it is also a beautiful song for any other person, heterosexual, pansexual or whatever.
Yes, he likes men, and I truly believe he will come to be a fantastic icon, representing homosexuality with love, passion, pride and strength and an amazing talent. Achieving great recognition for his writing talent, and his fantastic voice. He's amazing, isn't he?
But, people, can't you just listen to the song, and feel the lyrics and the message, instead of thinking about whether HE is singing it to a man, a woman or a tree?
PS: I feel like he's sporting a George Michael-like haircut and earrings. First thing I thought.
@ebonygreen4107
"Leave Your Lover" lyrics
I don't have much to give, but I don't care for gold
What use is money, when you need someone to hold?
Don't have direction, I'm just rolling down this road
Waiting for you to bring me in from out the cold
You'll never know the endless nights, the rhyming of the rain,
Or how it feels to fall behind and watch you call his name
Pack up and leave everything,
Don't you see what I can bring
Can't keep this beating heart at bay
Set my midnight sorrow free,
I will give you all of me
Just leave your lover, leave him for me.
Leave your lover, leave him for me.
We sit in bars and raise our drinks to growing old
Oh, I'm in love with you and you will never know,
But if I can't have you I'll walk this life alone,
Spare you the rising storms and let the rivers flow
You'll never know the endless nights, the rhyming of the rain
Or how it feels to fall behind and watch you call his name
Pack up and leave everything,
Don't you see what I can bring
Can't keep this beating heart at bay
Set my midnight sorrow free,
I will give you all of me
Just leave your lover, leave him for me
Leave your lover, leave him for me.
Leave your lover, leave him
@jarious463
"Leave Your Lover"
I don't have much to give, but I don't care for gold
What use is money, when you need someone to hold?
Don't have direction, I'm just rolling down this road
Waiting for you to bring me in from out the cold
You'll never know the endless nights, the rhyming of the rain,
Or how it feels to fall behind and watch you call his name
Pack up and leave everything,
Don't you see what I can bring
Can't keep this beating heart at bay
Set my midnight sorrow free,
I will give you all of me
Just leave your lover, leave him for me.
Leave your lover, leave him for me.
We sit in bars and raise our drinks to growing old
Oh, I'm in love with you and you will never know,
But if I can't have you I want this life alone
Spare you the rising storms and let the rivers flow
You'll never know the endless nights, the rhyming of the rain
Or how it feels to fall behind and watch you call his name
Pack up and leave everything,
Don't you see what I can bring
Can't keep this beating heart at bay
Set my midnight sorrow free,
I will give you all of me
Just leave your lover, leave him for me
Leave your lover, leave him for me.
Leave your lover, leave him for me.
@denisragragio
I don't have much to give, but I don't care for gold
What use is money, when you need someone to hold?
Don't have direction, I'm just rolling down this road
Waiting for you to bring me in from out the cold
You'll never know the endless nights, the rhyming of the rain
Or how it feels to fall behind and watch you call his name
Pack up and leave everything
Don't you see what I can bring
Can't keep this beating heart at bay
Set my midnight sorrow free
I will give you all of me
Just leave your lover, leave him for me
Leave your lover, leave him for me
We sit in bars and raise our drinks to growing old
Oh, I'm in love with you and you will never know
But if I can't have you I'll walk this life alone
Spare you the rising storms and let the rivers flow
You'll never know the endless nights, the rhyming of the rain
Or how it feels to fall behind and watch you call his name
Pack up and leave everything
Don't you see what I can bring
Can't keep this beating heart at bay
Set my midnight sorrow free
I will give you all of me
Just leave your lover, leave him for me
Leave your lover, leave him for me
Leave your lover, leave him for me
@merasandriny700
Leave Your Lover
Sam Smith
I don't have much to give, but I don't care for gold
What use is money, when you need someone to hold?
Don't have direction, I'm just rolling down this road
Waiting for you to bring me in from out the cold
You'll never know the endless nights, the rhyming of the rain
Or how it feels to fall behind and watch you call his name
Pack up and leave everything
Don't you see what I can bring
Can't keep this beating heart at bay
Set my midnight sorrow free
I will give you all of me
Just leave your lover, leave him for me
Leave your lover, leave him for me
We sit in bars and raise our drinks to growing old
Oh, I'm in love with you and you will never know
But if I can't have you I'll walk this life alone
Spare you the rising storms and let the rivers flow
You'll never know the endless nights, the rhyming of the rain
Or how it feels to fall behind and watch you call his name
Pack up and leave everything
Don't you see what I can bring
Can't keep this beating heart at bay
Set my midnight sorrow free
I will give you all of me
Just leave your lover, leave him for me
Leave your lover, leave him for me
Leave your lover, leave him for me
@heeeeey23
Am I the only one who thinks Adele and Sam Smith would sound absolutely beautiful together?
@jasminemustafa3110
YASSSSS👏👏👏👏
@HunterOfHircine
I apologize for the rude imbeciles above me, no you are not the only one.
@Gaverinno
John Doe I believe the "YAAAAAAAAS" is a positive YAAAAAAAAS. Lol
@hannahbracey690
i think they would as well
@minamohkami4364
I think him and Ed would be more beautiful
@ChrisTheLoser
Personally I think Sam did an amazing job with this song. Because we all know he is gay, and in the video he leads to be in love with the girl when its the guy he wants. But to anyone just listening to the song, you can clearly make the lyrics your own whether you're gay straight or bi. "Leave your lover, leave him for me" can be said that a girl is to leave her love so that she can be with the person that is singing, but it can also easily be portrayed as someone leaving the lover alone, so that the person singing can love the lover instead of the person. Not sure if that makes sense but thats how I see it. And Sam is just pure genius, huge fan.
@TheCOUNTRIE
Yep well said
@sophiav39
YES! OMG just so beautiful!
@samsungs3hottie
Great explanation! Its until the end I realized that it was the guy he was in love with!
All this time I was thinking he was singing to the gorgeous girl lol