Interested in music from a young age, the San Francisco-born Leff took piano and viola lessons as a child before picking up the guitar around age 11. During high school, he played in several bands and studied jazz before discovering electronic music production. However, it was while attending N.Y.U. as a music tech major in 2014 that a bad breakup found Leff on his own and digging deep into his writing and recording process. Out of this period came the song "The Other," co-written with songwriter/instrumentalist Michael Matosic. Released under Leff's stage name Lauv (inspired by the Latvian "lauva" or lion), the song went viral after gaining blog attention and peaked at number three on blog aggregator Hype Machine. In 2015 he returned with his debut EP, Lost in the Light, which featured "The Other."
More tracks followed, including 2015's "Reforget" and 2016's "Question," featuring Travis Mills. In 2017 Lauv headed his own Late Nights, Deep Talks tour and premiered the official video for "The Other," along with a series of remixes. Released in May of that year, Lauv's single "I Like Me Better" became a breakout international hit and was later featured on his self-titled second EP that October. The single was also included on his full-length debut, 2018's I Met You When I Was 18, which also featured the singles "Paranoid" and "Bracelet." Hit collaborations with Julia Michaels ("There's No Way") and Troye Sivan ("I'm So Tired...") carried him into 2019. Lauv's debut album "~how i'm feeling~" is set to be released in March 2020.
Julia
Lauv Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
"Yeah"
(When we met)
"That seems right, yeah"
When we met
I wasn't me
I was so numb
Out on the run
I wasn't free
And you came along
But you couldn't save me
My hesitation and holding my breath
I led you in to the garden of my loneliness
Wish that you left
Before it all burned down
Oh, Julia
I'm sorry what I do to you
I push and pull and mess with your head
Then get in your bed 'cause I'm weak, deep down
Oh, Julia
I wish I never lied to you
I never meant to hurt you like that
And if I could go back I'd leave you alone
When I left
I wasn't sure
That I could love
Love anymore
But my hesitation and holding my breath
I led you in to the garden of my loneliness
Wish that you left
Before it all burned down
Oh, Julia
I'm sorry what I do to you
I push and pull and mess with your head
Then get in your bed 'cause I'm weak, deep down
Oh, Julia
I wish I never lied to you
I never meant to hurt you like that
And if I could go back I'd leave you alone
I won't lie to you no more
I won't lie to you no more
'Cause I know I did before
Hope you find what you looking for
The lyrics to Lauv's song "Julia" depicts a man's regret about the way he treated a woman named Julia. The lyrics start with a conversation between Lauv and his colleague, where they are recalling the time they first met. It then shifts to Lauv talking about his state of mind when he met Julia. He confesses that he was not himself, but rather, he was numb and lonely. Lauv was on the run but wasn't free until he met Julia. However, he realizes that even though Julia came into his life, ultimately, she couldn't save him from his problems.
Lauv reflects on how he led Julia into "the garden of his loneliness" with his hesitation and breath-holding. These actions led to Julia's hurt even though it was not his intention to hurt her. Lauv expresses his sorrow and regrets for lying to Julia and messing with her head before getting in her bed. He wishes he never lied to her, never meant to hurt her, and could go back and leave her alone.
In the end, Lauv promises that he won't lie to Julia anymore, recognizing that he had lied to her before. He also hopes that she finds what she is looking for, indicating his acceptance of the end of their relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
My colleague, kinda
I met you when I was in a bad place and wasn't really myself.
Yeah
I agree that we met at the right time.
(When we met)
When we met, I was in a state of numbness and loneliness.
That seems right, yeah
I feel like you and I clicked, even though I wasn't really myself at the time.
Out on the run
I was trying to escape my problems.
I wasn't free
Even though I was running, I didn't feel like I could escape.
And you came along
But then I met you.
But you couldn't save me
You couldn't fix everything that was wrong in my life.
My hesitation and holding my breath
I was scared to let you in because I didn't want to get hurt.
I led you in to the garden of my loneliness
But eventually, I let you in.
Wish that you left
Looking back, I wish I hadn't let you in because it all went wrong.
Before it all burned down
Before everything fell apart.
Oh, Julia
You're the person I'm talking to in this song.
I'm sorry what I do to you
I messed things up and hurt you.
I push and pull and mess with your head
I messed with your emotions and played games with you.
Then get in your bed 'cause I'm weak, deep down
I used physical intimacy as a way to distract myself from my own emotional problems.
I wish I never lied to you
I regret the times I wasn't honest with you.
I never meant to hurt you like that
I didn't intentionally set out to hurt you.
And if I could go back I'd leave you alone
If I could do it all again, I would stay away from you because it ended up causing both of us pain.
When I left
After everything went wrong, I left.
I wasn't sure
I was confused and unsure about things.
That I could love
I didn't know if I was capable of love anymore.
Love anymore
I was jaded and didn't know if I could open myself up to love again.
I won't lie to you no more
I promise to be honest from now on.
Cause I know I did before
I acknowledge that I lied in the past.
Hope you find what you looking for
I wish you the best and hope you find what makes you happy.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ari Leff, Jordan Kendall Johnson, Marcus Durand Lomax, Michael Pollack, Stefan Johnson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MAX U DEMIT
When we met
When we met
I wasn’t me, I was so numb, yeah I was so lonely
Out on the run, I wasn’t free
Then you came along, but you couldn’t save me
My hesitation and holding my breath, I led you into the garden of my loneliness
Wish that you left before it all burned down
Oh, Julia
I’m sorry what I do to you
I push and pull and mess with your head
Then get in your bed cause I’m weak deep down
Oh, Julia
I wish I never lied to you
I never meant to hurt you like that
And if I could go back, I’d leave you alone
When I left, I wasn’t sure
That I could love, love anymore
But my hesitation and holding my breath, I led you into the garden of my loneliness
Wish that you left before it all burned down
Oh, Julia
I’m sorry what I do to you
I push and pull and mess with your head
Then get in your bed cause I’m weak deep down
Oh, Julia
I wish I never lied to you
I never meant to hurt you like that
And if I could go back, I’d leave you alone
I won’t lie to you no more
I won’t lie to you no more
Cause I know I did before
I hope you find what you’re looking for
Sarahana
Intro]
Can we call it kinda? Yeah
When we met
That seems really good
[Verse 1]
When we met, I wasn't me
I was so numb, yeah, I was so lonely
Out on the run, I wasn't free
And you came along, but you couldn't save me
[Pre-Chorus]
My hesitation and holdin' my breath
I led you into the garden of my loneliness
Wished that you left before it all burned down
[Chorus]
Oh, Julia
I'm sorry what I do to ya
I push and pull and mess with your head
Then get in your bed 'cause I'm weak deep down
Oh, Julia
I wish I never lied to ya
I never meant to hurt you like that
And if I could go back, I'd leave you alone
Ad
[Verse 2]
When I left, I wasn't sure
That I could love, love anymore
[Pre-Chorus]
But my hesitation and holdin' my breath
I led you into the garden of my loneliness
Wished that you left before it all burned down
[Chorus]
Oh, Julia
I'm sorry what I do to ya
I push and pull and mess with your head
Then get in your bed 'cause I'm weak deep down
Oh, Julia
I wish I never lied to ya
I never meant to hurt you like that
And if I could go back, I'd leave you alone
[Outro]
I won't lie to you no more
I won't lie to you no more
'Cause I know I did before
Hope you find what you're looking for
Asia Rayne
LYRICS:
[Intro]
Can we call it kinda? Yeah
When we met
That seems really good
[Verse 1]
When we met, I wasn't me
I was so numb, yeah, I was so lonely
Out on the run, I wasn't free
And you came along, but you couldn't save me
[Pre-Chorus]
My hesitation and holdin' my breath
I let you into the garden of my loneliness
Wished that you left before it all burned down
[Chorus]
Oh, Julia
I'm sorry what I do to ya
I push and pull and mess with your head
Then get in your bed 'cause I'm weak deep down
Oh, Julia
I wish I never lied to ya
I never meant to hurt you like that
And if I could go back, I'd leave you alone
[Verse 2]
When I left, I wasn't sure
That I could love, love anymore
[Pre-Chorus]
But my hesitation and holdin' my breath
I let you into the garden of my loneliness
Wished that you left before it all burned down
[Chorus]
Oh, Julia
I'm sorry what I do to ya
I push and pull and mess with your head
Then get in your bed 'cause I'm weak deep down
Oh, Julia
I wish I never lied to ya
I never meant to hurt you like that
And if I could go back, I'd leave you alone
[Outro]
I won't lie to you no more
I won't lie to you no more
'Cause I know I did before
Hope you find what you're looking for
(PS I was most excited to hear this song when LAUV announced the song list for this album, and I must say I AM NOT DISAPPOINTED! As a fellow songwriter, I understand all too well how hard it is to write about painful things...really letting yourself feel the whole weight of your heavy emotions. I am literally tearing up over these lyrics...I can hear that he was trying really hard not to cry in some parts. LAUV, thank you for your vulnerability. Thank you for changing the industry the way that you dive deep into the most painful experiences.)
Ole !
LYRICS
When we met
When we met
I wasn’t me, I was so numb, yeah I was so lonely
Out on the run, I wasn’t free
Then you came along, but you couldn’t save me
My hesitation and holding my breath, I led you into the garden of my loneliness
Wish that you left before it all burned down
Oh, Julia
I’m sorry what I do to you
I push and pull and mess with your head
Then get in your bed cause I’m weak deep down
Oh, Julia
I wish I never lied to you
I never meant to hurt you like that
And if I could go back, I’d leave you alone
When I left, I wasn’t sure
That I could love, love anymore
But my hesitation and holding my breath, I led you into the garden of my loneliness
Wish that you left before it all burned down
Oh, Julia
I’m sorry what I do to you
I push and pull and mess with your head
Then get in your bed cause I’m weak deep down
Oh, Julia
I wish I never lied to you
I never meant to hurt you like that
And if I could go back, I’d leave you alone
I won’t lie to you no more
I won’t lie to you no more
Cause I know I did before
I hope you find what you’re looking for
How I'm Feeling: https://lauv.lnk.to/HIFplaylist
Official Videos: https://lauv.lnk.to/OMVplaylist
Without You: https://lauv.lnk.to/withoutyouplaylist
DDWilliamsYT
I like how this isn't a diss song. He truly feels bad for whatever went down between them and is basically apologizing. That's awesome and many artists don't do that.
T.Khosa
DD Williams I was thinking the same thing, it’s a nice change.
Aaron Lee
He understands that breakups aren't always a person's fault, and instead of blaming her, he accepts his responsibility.
Tortis
@Aaron Lee? How does understanding breakup is not one's fault related to him not blaming her. He's basically blaming himself lol
marshmallow
and instead of being selfish & want her back/force her to forgive, instead he wishes her all the best too✨
Aaron Lee
@Tortis and he accepts responsibility that the relationship was his failure. Where a lot of celebrities fall short, they come out of the relationship faulting the other person instead of themselves. He may be blaming himself, but if he's right, he's right.
Racheal M
I love an artist that is not afraid to write their feelings, be so transparent, and produce such original, raw music.
Bryan Diaz
Racheal Moua @ Shawn Mendes album
Luis Ángel Carbajal Ruiz
I truly think that he was afraid to, but he wanted to get to her (opinion)
pt ed
Can someone tell me y did they break upppp pleaseee