Between 1959 and 1961, Johnson would issue nine Hot 100 singles including two top ten singles, "You Got What It Takes" and "I Love The Way You Love". He scored his final top 40 single in 1960 with "(You've Got To) Move Two Mountains"
Johnson's early Motown-issued singles would be the precedent to the future sound and success of the label, which by the time Johnson began issuing his Motown records nationally in 1965, had become the biggest independent label in the world. After issuing his final Motown singles in 1968, Johnson remained with Motown working on sales and promotion throughout the 1970s.
Johnson continued singing into the 1990s releasing a solo album on London-based Motor City Records. Johnson died of a stroke on May 16, 1993 in Columbia, South Carolina at the age of 54.
Don't Leave Me
Marv Johnson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't leave me baby, baby, baby don't leave me
Oh no no no don't leave
Woah I had a dream last night
When I awoke I found myself crying
I dreamed that the girl I love told me
That our love was dying
Woah she said she said that she was falling
Falling for a buddy of mine
And she said that everyone knew
And how could I be so blind
I woke up and called my baby
She said no matter how real it seems
She would always be mine and losing her
Was something that I had dreamed
No no please don't leave me baby
If just a dream had made me cry
I know that if I lost you
Then I would surely die
Don't leave me, don't leave me
Don't leave me baby, baby, baby don't leave me
Oh no no no don't leave
The lyrics to Marv Johnson's song Don't Leave Me express the fear of losing a lover after having a dream about them falling out of love. The singer implores his lover not to leave him, repeating the phrase "Don't leave me, don't leave me" multiple times throughout the song. The dream has shaken the singer and made him question his lover's loyalty, but ultimately he is reassured by her that she will always be his.
The lyrics explore the power of dreams to affect our emotions and reveal our subconscious fears. While the dream may not have reflected reality, it still had a profound impact on the singer's feelings and caused him to worry about losing his lover. The repetition of the plea "Don't leave me" emphasizes the intensity of his fear and his desire to hold onto his relationship.
Overall, the song speaks to the universal fear of losing someone we love and the vulnerability we feel in expressing that fear. Through its simple but powerful lyrics and emotional delivery, Don't Leave Me conveys a message that resonates with listeners today as much as it did when it was first released.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't leave me, don't leave me
Please stay with me, don't go away
Don't leave me baby, baby, baby don't leave me
I don't want you to leave me, my love for you is so strong
Oh no no no don't leave
I am begging you not to go, I can't imagine life without you
Woah I had a dream last night
I had a dream that was so real it made me cry
When I awoke I found myself crying
The dream felt like a painful reality, and it brought me to tears
I dreamed that the girl I love told me
In the dream, the girl I love revealed something devastating to me
That our love was dying
The girl I love told me that our relationship was coming to an end
Woah she said she said that she was falling
In the dream, the girl I love confessed to me that she was falling in love with someone else
Falling for a buddy of mine
The girl I love admitted that she was falling for one of my friends
And she said that everyone knew
The girl I love revealed that everyone else knew about her feelings except for me
And how could I be so blind
I was oblivious to the truth and had no idea what was going on
I woke up and called my baby
After waking up from the dream, I immediately called the girl I love
She said no matter how real it seems
The girl I love assured me that the dream was not real
She would always be mine and losing her
The girl I love promised me that she would always be mine, and that losing her was not a possibility
Was something that I had dreamed
The dream was simply a nightmare, and losing the girl I love was not a reality
No no please don't leave me baby
I am pleading with the girl I love not to leave me
If just a dream had made me cry
The dream felt so real that it made me cry
I know that if I lost you
The thought of losing the girl I love is unbearable
Then I would surely die
Losing the girl I love would be like losing a part of myself, and it would be devastating
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave
Written by: ANTHONY FITZGERALD CLINT JR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@narta11
I’m halfway through cleaning and categorizing 13 thousand 45 records left to me by my Dad. Many rock n roll and R&B from the late 1950’s to early 1960’s. This song is from 1959 and I would say it is one of the first R&B records to have that 60’s Soul sound which would go on to dominate the charts the next 10 years. Beautiful song. I’m keeping this one.
@barbieroe8435
so jealous of your record collection!!!
@phillydog17
I'm doing something similar. I'm checking out 45's I've collected over the last 50 years; many I have never heard. Picked them up at thrift shops and many were given to me. I am so enjoying it. I know you are too.
@lindamccuff676
I've always been in love with that song. Sung best by Marv Johnson, I love Smokey Robinson and the Miracles but they really missed it on that one. Marv vividly and passionately sang the story to perfection. it made you glad that it was only a dream.
Beautifully done!😍
RIP Dad🥀
@torsten811
Ich Liebe dieses Lied, Tausende mal gehört !!. Grüsse aus Deutschland.
@robbk1
Yes, it is "Motown". It was co-written by Smokey Robinson, Berry Gordy, Brian Holland and Robert Bateman. The recording session was run by Holland and Bateman. Motown had a working agreement with United Artists to produce and record Johnson's records. They had signed him to a recording contract after picking up distribution of Johnson's first Tamla record, "Come To Me". When his contract ended in spring 1964, he returned to Motown.
@PhilTrigwell
i must have played this b-side' a millon times when i was young..in the early 60's(in chelsea london)
@RohshanJuliana
Beautiful🎤❤️
@leoappeal
JUST BRILLIANT !!!!
@gthefirm8986
Good tune! The way music should be! From the heart!