Don't You Leave Me Here
Hot Tuna Lyrics


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Now don't you leave me here
Said don't you leave me here
Now pretty baby if you go
Leave me a dime for beer

Now I never had one woman at a time
Now if you see me tell me I've had
six seven eight or nine

Well that rooster crows
Said that hen run around
She's cryin' if you want to try my fricassee
you'd better run me down

Now don't you leave me here
Don't you leave me here




Now pretty baby if you go
Leave me a dime for beer

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Hot Tuna's song "Don't You Leave Me Here" can be interpreted as an appeal from the singer to their lover not to abandon them. The song's opening line, "Now don't you leave me here, Said don't you leave me here," establishes this theme right away. The singer then requests that, should their lover leave, they leave them a dime for beer, indicating that they want to drink their sorrows away.


The next stanza sees the singer bragging about their romantic conquests. They claim to have never had just one woman at a time, and that they've had six, seven, eight, or nine women at once. The singer is likely trying to impress their lover and dissuade them from leaving.


The final stanza references a rooster and a hen. The hen is running around and crying, with the implication that she's been hurt. The singer then invites their lover to try their fricassee, but warns that they'll have to catch them first. It's unclear if this is a metaphor for sex or if the singer is literally offering their lover food. Overall, the song can be seen as a plea from a flawed lover who fears being left behind.


Line by Line Meaning

Now don't you leave me here
The singer is pleading with someone not to abandon him.


Said don't you leave me here
Reiterating that he wants the person to stay with him.


Now pretty baby if you go
If the person goes, the singer asks for a small amount of money to buy beer.


Leave me a dime for beer
He wants the person to give him enough money for a beer before departing.


Now I never had one woman at a time
The singer has never been faithful or committed to one woman exclusively.


Now if you see me tell me I've had
He challenges anyone who thinks they know how many women he's been with, to tell him.


six seven eight or nine
He's had countless relationships with different women.


Well that rooster crows
The rooster crows at dawn, signaling the start of a new day.


Said that hen run around
The hen is busy getting ready for the day, running around doing chores.


She's cryin' if you want to try my fricassee
The hen is offering her cooking, specifically her fricassee, to whoever wants to try it.


you'd better run me down
Whoever wants to try her food will have to catch her first.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: FERD MORTON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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David Lobato


on Half/Time Saturation

I believe it is, "And life's ain't gonna be the way it was before." You can clearly hear him say "ain't", and it sounds like "life". I always hated it there were no lyrics to this inside the record sleeve.

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