Mehldau is first and foremost an improviser, and greatly cherishes the surprise and wonder that can occur from a spontaneous, directly expressed musical idea. But he also has a deep fascination for the formal architecture of music, which informs everything he plays. In his most inspired playing, the actual structure of his musical thought serves as an expressive device. As he plays, he listens to how ideas unwind, and the order in which they reveal themselves. Each tune has a strongly felt narrative arc, whether it expresses itself in a beginning and an end, or as something left intentionally open-ended. The two sides of Mehldau’s personality--the improviser and the formalist--play off each other, and the effect is often something like controlled chaos.
Mehldau has performed around the world at a steady pace since the mid-nineties, with his trio and as a solo pianist. His performances convey a wide range of expression, and he favors juxtaposing extremes. Often, the intellectual rigor and density of information in the abstraction of one tune is followed by a stripped down, emotional directness in the next. Over the years, he has attracted a sizeable following, which has grown to expect a singular, intense experience in his performance.
She's Leaving Home
Brad Mehldau Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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 back door 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)
“She's Leaving Home” is a melancholic song by Brad Mehldau Trio, a jazz interpretation of the Beatles hit. The lyrics tell the story of a young girl who leaves her family and home behind, searching for independence and freedom. The first verse presents the events of the day she leaves, silently closing her door, leaving a note, and escaping through the back door. The second verse showcases the reaction of the girl’s parents, who are devastated by the sudden abandonment. The third and final verse reveals the girl’s motive, as she seeks fun and freedom that she never had before.
The song’s interpretation changes based on the listener's perspective. Some see the girl’s departure as inevitable and even necessary for her growth, while others see it as a selfish and harsh act. On a broader level, the song highlights the generational divide, where the younger generation is eager to break free of the norms and restrictions imposed by the older generation.
Line by Line Meaning
Wednesday morning at five o'clock
The day has just started and it is early in the morning
As the day begins
The start of a new day
Silently closing her bedroom door
She leaves her bedroom quietly so as not to disturb anyone
Leaving the note that she hoped would say more
She left a note expressing her feelings that she couldn't say in person
She goes downstairs to the kitchen
She heads down to the kitchen
Clutching her handkerchief
Holding her handkerchief tightly, perhaps feeling emotional about leaving
Quietly turning the back door key
She locks up the back door quietly
Stepping outside she is free
She is free from the situation she was in before
She (we gave her most of our lives)
The parents gave their daughter everything they had
Is leaving (sacrificed most of our lives)
Their daughter is leaving them, causing them to feel like they sacrificed everything for nothing
Home (we gave her everything money could buy)
They provided financial stability and material things their daughter needed
She's leaving home after living alone for
She's been on her own for quite some time now and is finally leaving home
So many years (bye bye)
An extended period of time has passed and she's saying goodbye
Father snores as his wife gets into her dressing gown
Her father is still sleeping as her mother gets dressed
Picks up the letter that's lying there
Her mother picks up the letter that her daughter left behind
Standing alone at the top of the stairs
She's isolated and feeling a lot of emotions while standing at the top of the stairs
She breaks down and cries to her husband
She becomes emotional and cries to her husband about their daughter leaving
Daddy our baby's gone
Their daughter is gone and they're feeling the loss
Why would she treat us so thoughtlessly
They're questioning why their daughter would leave without a second thought
How could she do this to me
The mother is feeling personally affected and hurt by her daughter's departure
She (We never thought of ourselves)
The parents never prioritized themselves over their daughter
Is leaving (never a thought for ourselves)
Their daughter is leaving without caring for how her departure affects her parents
Home (we struggled hard all our lives to get by)
The parents have faced many struggles to provide for their child
Friday morning at nine o'clock she is far away
She's far away at the appointed time on Friday morning
Waiting to keep the appointment she made
She's waiting for the person she's supposed to meet
Meeting a man from the motor trade
She's meeting a man who works in the automotive industry
She (what did we do that was wrong)
The parents are questioning what they did wrong and why their daughter left
Is having (we didn't know it was wrong)
Their daughter is doing something they didn't know was wrong
Fun (fun is the one thing that money can't buy)
Their daughter is doing something that brings her joy, which money can't buy
Something inside that was always denied for
Their daughter is finally experiencing something she couldn't have before
So many years (bye bye)
It's been a long time and she's saying goodbye
She's leaving home (bye bye)
Their daughter is leaving home and saying goodbye
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul Mccartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind