La Havas was born in London, England to a Greek father and Jamaican mother. She was raised in Tooting and Streatham, spending the majority of her time with her grandparents, following her parents' separation as a child. La Havas' cites her parents' diverse musical tastes as having the biggest influence on her music. She began singing at seven. Her mother played Jill Scott and Mary j. Blige, while her father, an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, taught her the basics of guitar and piano. Lianne wrote her first song at the age of 11 but did not learn to play the guitar until she was 18 years old. At 18, Lianne began attending Norbury Manor Business and Enterprise College for Girls in Croydon, where she studied art and planned to take her A-Levels in art foundation. However, she left college and decided to pursue a career in music full-time.
While attending sixth-form in Croydon, a friend of La Havas', (who attended the Brit School) introduced her to other musicians who assisted La Havas in the recording of her first demos. Through that same friend, La Havas was also introduced to British singer, Paloma Faith; she later sang backing vocals on tour for Faith. La Havas was co-writer and performer in 'The Paris Parade' alongside Christian Pinchbeck (who designed the artwork for Lost & Found) and also is now part of the duo Elephant (Memphis Industries). They had a short career but it began La Havas' career in commercial music. In 2010, Lianne signed to Warner Bros. Records, spending two years developing her songwriting skills before releasing music publicly.
La Havas made her television debut on October 21, 2011, broadcast of BBC Two's Later, with Jools Holland, a program that also featured Wisconsin folk band Bon Iver. Following her appearance on Later, with Jools Holland, it was announced on October 25, 2011 that La Havas would be the supporting act for Bon Iver's December 2011 North American tour.
La Havas released her debut EP, Lost & Found, on October 12, 2011 on the Labour of Love label and featured Willy Mason on the opening track, No Room For Doubt. That same month, La Havas released a live EP, titled Live in LA, which was made available for free download on her website. La Havas released her third EP titled Forget, on December 30, 2011 on the label Warner Brothers.
Her official debut single, Lost & Found was released in the UK on April 30, 2012. Her debut album, Is Your Love Big Enough?, was released on July 9, 2012 in the UK on Warner Brothers.
Please don't make me cry
Lianne La Havas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tread carefully and I'll never leave
False memories make it hard to believe
But knowing my half of my tale isn't easy for me
Overflow, love comes at a cost
You'll never know how much has been lost
I'll try and let it go, my fingers are crossed
They make us whatever we are
(My) Oh my, oh my, oh my
Please don't make me cry
Oh, my baby
All these reasons why
Please don't make me cry
Oh, my baby
Don't you make me
History has secrets to keep
This mystery is barely skin deep
You won't find another dream
If you don't get no sleep
If we're gonna make this love
Just read what's written above
Oh my, yeah yeah (oh my)
Please don't make me cry
Oh, my baby
All these reasons why
(Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah)
Please don't make me cry
Oh, my baby
Don't you make me
Your sleeve, oh
Ohh, (don't, don't) Cry
All these reasons why
Please don't make me cry
(Oh no) No, no, no, no
Don't make me, yeah
Oh my, yeah
Please don't make me cry
Oh, my baby
All these reasons why (these reasons why)
Please don't make me cry
Oh, my baby
Don't you make me
Oh my
Please don't make me cry
Oh, my baby
All these reasons why
Please don't make me cry
Oh, my baby
Don't you make me
The song "Please Don't Make Me Cry" by Lianne La Havas is about vulnerability and the fear of being hurt in a relationship. The lyrics reveal a longing for someone to stay and be careful with the singer's heart. The line "my heart on your sleeve" suggests that the person the singer is addressing is wearing their heart on their sleeve, which makes them vulnerable to being hurt. The singer is asking them to be gentle and tread carefully so that they will never leave.
False memories make it hard for the singer to believe in love, but knowing "half of my tale" isn't easy for the singer either. This suggests that the past experiences and trauma of the singer have made it hard for them to trust and open up. Love, the song suggests, comes at a cost, and the singer has lost much in their quest for it. The singer promises to try and let go and show their partner their prettiest scars, which make them who they are.
The chorus repeats the line "Please don't make me cry," with the singer begging their partner not to hurt them. The lines "all these reasons why" and "don't you make me" suggest that the singer is aware of the potential for their partner to hurt them and is hesitant to fully open up because of it. The final lines of the song "don't make me cry" and "please don't make me cry" drive home this plea for safety and gentleness in a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Stay for me, my heart on your sleeve
Stay with me, but be gentle with my heart as it is vulnerable.
Tread carefully and I'll never leave
If you treat me with care, I will stay with you forever.
False memories make it hard to believe
Past experiences have skewed my perception of reality and trust.
But knowing my half of my tale isn't easy for me
It is difficult for me to open up and share my experiences and emotions.
Overflow, love comes at a cost
Love can be overwhelming and sometimes requires sacrifices.
You'll never know how much has been lost
The price of love is often hidden and can never truly be known.
I'll try and let it go, my fingers are crossed
I will attempt to move on and forget the past, but am unsure of the outcome.
I'll show you my prettiest scars
I am willing to reveal my vulnerabilities and past traumas to you.
They make us whatever we are
Our past experiences shape who we are as individuals and partners in a relationship.
History has secrets to keep
Our pasts hold secrets that we may not be willing to share.
This mystery is barely skin deep
Our secrets may not be as deep as they seem and can be easily uncovered.
You won't find another dream
If we end this relationship, it will be difficult to find another similar connection.
If you don't get no sleep
If we cannot resolve our issues and conflicts, it will cause sleepless nights and stress.
If we're gonna make this love
If we want to continue with our relationship and love, we need to address our problems.
Just read what's written above
We need to acknowledge our experiences and address them for our relationship to flourish.
Oh my, oh my, oh my
An expression of worry and anxiety.
Please don't make me cry
Please don't cause me emotional pain or distress.
All these reasons why
There are many reasons why I don't want to cry or be hurt.
Don't you make me
A plea to avoid triggering emotional distress or pain.
Don't, don't cry
An inner reminder to the self to avoid giving into emotional vulnerability and breaking down into tears.
Oh, no, no, no, no
An expression of negative reaction, rejecting a potential outcome or situation.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lianne La Havas, Matthew Nicholas Hales, Nicolas Hakim
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-lz7bo3yl8f
Stay for me, my heart on your sleeve
Tread carefully and I'll never leave
False memories make it hard to believe
But knowing my half of my tale isn't easy for me
Overflow, love comes at a cost
You'll never know how much has been lost
I'll try to let it go, my fingers are crossed
I show you my pretty scars, they make us whatever we are
My (Oh my, oh my, oh my)
Please don't make me cry, oh, my baby
All these reasons why
Please don't make me cry, oh, my baby
Don't you make me
History has secrets to keep
This mystery is barely skin deep
You won't find another dream if you don't get no sleep
If we're gonna make this love, just read what's written above, oh
My (My, yeah)
Please don't make me cry, oh, my baby
All these reasons why (Yeah, yeah)
Please don't make me cry, oh, my baby (Make me cry)
Don't you make me
You'll see, oh, cry
All these reasons why
Please don't make me cry, yeah
(Oh, no) No, no, no
Don't make me, yeah
My (My, yeah)
Please don't make me cry, oh, my baby (Make me cry, baby)
All these reasons why (All these reasons why)
Please don't make me cry, oh, my baby (Please)
Don't you make me
My (Oh)
Please don't make me cry, oh, my baby
All these reasons why (All these reasons why, oh, no, no, no)
Please don't make me cry, oh, my baby (Please)
Don't you make me
@lafemmelointaine5445
Stay for me, my heart on your sleeve
Tread carefully and I'll never leave
False memories make it hard to believe
But knowing my half of my tale isn't easy for me
Overflow, love comes at a cost
You'll never know how much has been lost
I'll try and let it go, my fingers are crossed
I'll show you my prettiest scars
They make us whatever we are
Oh my, oh my, oh my
Please don't make me cry
Oh, my baby
All these reasons why
Please don't make me cry
Oh, my baby
Don't you make me
History has secrets to keep
This mystery is barely skin deep
You won't find another dream
If you don't get no sleep
If we're gonna make this love
Just read what's written above
Oh my, yeah yeah (oh my)
Please don't make me cry
Oh, my baby
All these reasons why
(Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah)
Please don't make me cry
Oh, my baby
Don't you make me
Your sleeve, oh
Ohh, (don't, don't) Cry
All these reasons why
Please don't make me cry
No, no, no, no
Don't make me, yeah
Oh my, yeah
Please don't make me cry
Oh, my baby
All these reasons why (these reasons why)
Please don't make me cry
Oh, my baby
Don't you make me
Oh my
Please don't make me cry
Oh, my baby
All these reasons why
Please don't make me cry
Oh, my baby
Don't you make me
@nicolasratany5857
y’all need to credit the pianist in the description as well and the other video as well. he deserves it all. Lianne is, of course, amazing, but he adds so much to this as well. please reconsider
@tearwordmelody
I totally agree. Musicians are also important.
@toussantlbisso
Dude been with her for years !
@Wayria5659
James Wyatt from her band is piano player
@juanclaudio1103
Well, we could also credit the camera guy, or the guy who did the lightning.. look, it has always been this way. Some people get the spotlight, others don't. But real ones know to give credit where it's due
@Wayria5659
Many moving parts to any successful production. They all get their respective credit , but the talent is the one who is featured
@rooberz
I'm so in love with this woman's voice it's crazy.
@iroseart3369
I've never heard anything like it before. Its so soft but powerful and strong. So beautiful and unique
@DeishaGuy
@@iroseart3369 Yes, very unique. One of my fav and very few voices that makes me emotional when hearing it. Whew.
@a.yh.7336
Me too. Just discovered. Her voice breaks me down