are you going to leave me
Isobel Campbell Lyrics


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Are you going to leave me, love?

Are you going to leave me?

Would you give up your own love true?

To go with a girl you never knew


My true love stands in the bower door

Combing down his yellow hair

His bonnie face, I like to see

I wonder if my love thinks of me



When I wore my apron low

Couldn't keep you from my door

But now my apron's to my shin

You pass me by and won't come in



I wish my baby, it was born

Smiling on his daddy's knee

And I a poor girl, dead and gone

And the green grass growing over me



Now there's a bird in young church yard

They say he's blind and cannot see

I wish it'd been the same with me

Before I kept your company



I wish, I wish but it's all in vain

I wish I was a maid again

But a maid again, I will never be

Since that young man lay still with me



Are you going to leave me, love?

Are you going to leave me?

Would you give up your own love true?





To go with a girl you never knew

Overall Meaning

The song "Are You Going to Leave Me" by Isobel Campbell is a Scottish folk song that tells the story of a woman who is questioning her lover's commitment to her. She wonders if he would leave her for another woman he doesn't know. The lyrics suggest that the woman's feelings have changed as her lover has become distant, leading her to question his loyalty. The song is a poignant depiction of loneliness and heartbreak.


As the song progresses, the woman remembers her happier moments with her lover. She recalls his handsome face and wishes that they could be together again. The lyrics also suggest that the woman has children with her lover and that she wishes for their happiness even if she is no longer a part of their lives. Finally, the song ends with the woman expressing her sadness and regret for falling in love with someone who would eventually leave her.


Line by Line Meaning

Are you going to leave me, love?
Asking if their love will leave them.


Are you going to leave me?
Asking if their love will leave them.


Would you give up your own love true?
Asking if their love would leave them for someone else.


To go with a girl you never knew
Asking if their love would leave them for a stranger.


My true love stands in the bower door
Thinking of a certain person they love.


Combing down his yellow hair
Visualizing the image of the person they love.


His bonnie face, I like to see
Expressing affection for the person they love.


I wonder if my love thinks of me
Considering if the person they love thinks of them the same way.


When I wore my apron low
Recalling a time when they were easier to approach.


Couldn't keep you from my door
Remembering a time when their love would come to see them.


But now my apron's to my shin
Feeling less desirable than they once were.


You pass me by and won't come in
Feeling ignored by their love.


I wish my baby, it was born
Longing for a child with their love.


Smiling on his daddy's knee
Fantasizing about their child's happy life with their love.


And I a poor girl, dead and gone
Accepting a possible lonely fate.


And the green grass growing over me
Accepting the inevitability of death.


Now there's a bird in young church yard
Noticing things around them that symbolize loneliness and loss.


They say he's blind and cannot see
Comparing oneself to the blind bird to express feelings of helplessness.


I wish it'd been the same with me
Wishing to not have known their love to avoid this pain.


I wish, I wish but it's all in vain
Feeling hopeless and wishing for things that cannot be.


I wish I was a maid again
Longing for a simpler time before this heartache.


But a maid again, I will never be
Knowing that they cannot undo what has happened.


Since that young man lay still with me
Referring to a past intimate encounter with their love.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Isobel Campbell

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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