Edward "Eddie" Holland, Jr. (born October 30, 1939 in Detroit, Michigan) is… Read Full Bio ↴Edward "Eddie" Holland, Jr. (born October 30, 1939 in Detroit, Michigan) is an African American singer, songwriter and record producer. Although Holland was an early Motown artist who recorded minor hits such as "Jamie", he started working behind the scenes due to stage fright. He is best known as a member of Holland-Dozier-Holland, the songwriting and production team that was responsible for much of the Motown sound and numerous hit records by artists such as Martha & the Vandellas, The Supremes, The Four Tops, and The Isley Brothers. Holland served as the team's lyricist, and also worked with producer Norman Whitfield on lyrics for the songs he produced for The Marvelettes and The Temptations.

Leaving Here 1963
Eddie Holland Lyrics

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Hey, fellas, have you heard the news,
Yeah, the women in this town have been misused,
Yeah, I seen it all in my dreams last night,
Girls leaving this town 'cause you don't treat 'em right.
Oh, take a train (take a train), fly by plane (fly by plane),
Yeah, gettin' tired (gettin' tired), sick and tired (sick and tired).

All you fellas better change your ways,

Yeah, leaving this town in a matter of days,
Girls are good, you better treat 'em true,
I seen fellas running around with someone new.

Gettin' tired (gettin' tired), sick and tired (sick and tired),
Yeah, leavin' here (leavin' here), leavin' here (leavin' here),
I said leavin' here, yeah yeah yeah, don't want to leave all here,
Be a while, oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah.

The love of a women is a wonderful thing (oh yeah),
Yeah, the way you treat 'em is a crying shame (oh yeah),
I tell you, fella, yeah, it won't be long (oh yeah),
Yeah, before these women they all have gone (oh yeah).

Yeah, gettin' tired (gettin' tired), sick and tired (sick and tired),
Yeah, take a train (take a train), fly by plane (fly by plane),
Yeah, gonna leavin' here, yeah leavin' here,

Yeah, leavin' here, ya gonna leave all here now,
Baby baby baby, please don't leave here.

Overall Meaning

In “Leaving Here,” Eddie Holland is addressing the men of his town, expressing concern about their mistreatment of the women. He says that he's seen detailed images of women leaving the town in his dreams because they're not being treated properly. The men have been taking their women for granted, and Eddie implores them to treat the women well before it's too late. He asks the men to change their ways and treat the women true, or else the women would be gone within days. Despite the love of women being a wonderful thing, Eddie is appalled by the men who neglect their women and their love.

The song is a reflection of Eddie Holland's bleak view on how relationships and love have been treated. In a way, "Leaving Here" is a call-to-action for men to take relationships seriously and treat women with respect. Holland's unique voice, combined with the driving instrumentals, gives the song a passionate and determined feel. The song also doubles as an entertaining rock tune, and it still resonates with listeners over 50 years after its release. Holland warns the men about their reckless ways and how their inconsiderate behavior will only lead to being “gettin' tired, sick and tired.”

Line by Line Meaning

Hey, fellas, have you heard the news,
Addressing the men in town, have you heard about the way the women are being mistreated?

Yeah, the women in this town have been misused,
The women in this town have been mistreated and taken for granted by the men.

Yeah, I seen it all in my dreams last night,
The mistreatment of women has become so common that it's appearing in the songwriter's dreams.

Girls leaving this town 'cause you don't treat 'em right.
Women are leaving the town because they're dissatisfied with the way they've been treated by men.

Oh, take a train (take a train), fly by plane (fly by plane),
Women are ready to leave the town and the men behind, no matter the means of transportation.

Yeah, gettin' tired (gettin' tired), sick and tired (sick and tired).
Women are fed up with being treated poorly by men in the town.

All you fellas better change your ways,
All men need to change the way they treat women, or they risk losing them all to other places.

Yeah, leaving this town in a matter of days,
Women are leaving the town soon due to mistreatment from the men.

Girls are good, you better treat 'em true,
Women are valuable and deserve to be treated with respect and care from men.

I seen fellas running around with someone new.
The songwriter has observed men being unfaithful and/or moving onto new partners quickly.

The love of a women is a wonderful thing (oh yeah),
Being in love with a woman is an amazing feeling and experience for a man.

Yeah, the way you treat 'em is a crying shame (oh yeah),
However, the way men are treating women in this town is deplorable and shameful.

I tell you, fella, yeah, it won't be long (oh yeah),
If men don't start treating women better soon, it won't be long until they're all gone.

Yeah, before these women they all have gone (oh yeah).
All of the women will leave the town if the men don't shape up and start treating them better.

Yeah, gonna leavin' here, yeah leavin' here,
Women are leaving this town since they're tired of being mistreated and want to start anew somewhere else.

Yeah, leavin' here, ya gonna leave all here now,
All women are leaving the town, including everything connected to it.

Baby baby baby, please don't leave here.
The songwriter begs the women not to leave and encourages the men to change their ways.

Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
Written by: BRIAN HOLLAN, EDWARD HOLLAND JR, LAMONT DOZIER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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