If You Ever Should Leave
Ella Fitzgerald and Her Savoy Eight Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why would I want to live?
Darling, you must believe
Won't you try to forgive
What a fool I would be
If I fooled with your love for me?
I'd be wrong from the start
I'd be unfair to my heartSo whatever you do
Don't you say that we're through
I'd do nothing but grieve
If you ever should leave
Oh, what a fool I would be
If I fooled with your love for me
I'd be wrong from the start
I'd be unfair to my heart
So whatever you do
Don't you say that were through
I'd do nothing but grieve
If you ever should leave
I'd do nothing but grieve
If you ever should leave
The lyrics to Ella Fitzgerald and Her Savoy Eight's song "If You Ever Should Leave" convey the deep emotional attachment and love that the singer has for their significant other. The song expresses the belief that without the other person in their life, their existence would be empty and meaningless. The lyrics suggest that the singer acknowledges any mistakes they may have made in the past and begs for forgiveness, fearing that they could lose the love they have.
The song emphasizes the point that the singer would never want to take their significant other for granted and would never want to manipulate or toy with their feelings. The singer admits that they would be a fool to jeopardize such a loving relationship by playing games with their partner's love. The singer is willing to do whatever it takes to continue building and maintaining a strong and long-lasting bond of love, and begs for their partner to not leave them.
Overall, "If You Ever Should Leave" is a powerful love ballad that emphasizes the importance of love and the devastating effects that can come from losing it. The song communicates the deep emotions that come with being in love and the willingness one has to fight to maintain and grow that love.
Line by Line Meaning
If you ever should leave
I cannot imagine a life without you
Why would I want to live?
You're my reason to breathe, my whole world
Darling, you must believe
Please trust that I will always love you
Won't you try to forgive
Please don't hold a grudge, let's move forward together
What a fool I would be
If I dared to play games with your affection for me
If I fooled with your love for me?
It would only end in heartache and pain for us both
I'd be wrong from the start
To toy with your emotions would be a terrible mistake
I'd be unfair to my heart
I couldn't bear to hurt myself and lose you in the process
So whatever you do
I implore you to think carefully about your actions
Don't you say that we're through
Because I don't want to imagine a life without you
I'd do nothing but grieve
If ever you were to leave me, my heart couldn't take the pain
If you ever should leave
I cannot imagine a life without you
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SAMMY CAHN, SAUL CHAPLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind