She first gained fame with her trip hop-inspired debut album, Whoa, Nelly! (2000), which was a critical and commercial success that spawned two top-10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, "I'm Like a Bird" and "Turn Off the Light". The first of the two singles won her a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Furtado's introspective folk-heavy 2003 second album, Folklore, explored her Portuguese roots. Its singles received moderate success in Europe, but the album's underperformance compared to her debut was regarded as a sophomore slump.
Furtado's third album, Loose (2006), was a smash hit and became her bestselling album, with more than 10 million copies sold worldwide, also making it one of the bestselling albums of the 2000s. Considered a radical image reinvention, Furtado continued to explore her Portuguese heritage while leaning heavier into hip hop. The album spawned four successful number-one singles worldwide; "Promiscuous", "Maneater", "Say It Right" and "All Good Things (Come to an End)".
She released her first Spanish-language album, Mi Plan, in 2009, which won her a Latin Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Album. In 2012, Furtado released her nostalgia-inspired fifth album The Spirit Indestructible. Furtado split with her management and went independent thereafter, releasing her indie-pop sixth album, The Ride, in 2017 under her own label Nelstar Entertainment.
She has won many awards throughout her career, including one Grammy Award from seven nominations, one Latin Grammy Award, ten Juno Awards, one BRIT Award, one Billboard Music Award, one MTV Europe Music Award, one World Music Award, and three Much Music Video Awards. Furtado has a star on Canada's Walk of Fame, and was awarded Commander of the Order of Prince Henry on February 28, 2014, by Aníbal Cavaco Silva, the then-President of Portugal.
Don't Leave Me
Nelly Furtado Lyrics
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With my head in my hands
When you say you’ll call but you don’t
And then I’ll pretend
This is the last time
That I’ll take you back when you say you’re sorry
Don’t leave me no more
I don’t know if you’re gonna come back around here anymore
Don’t leave me no more
Every time you walk out the door
I don’t know if you’re gonna come back to me here anymore
Don’t leave
Don’t leave
I used to be a queen
But now I’m a shadow of me
I deserve more but love is a chore
And wanting you has made me so weak
Don’t leave me no more
Every time you walk out the door
I don’t know if you’re gonna come back around here anymore
Don’t leave me no more
Every time you walk out the door
I don’t know if you’re gonna come back to me here anymore
Don’t leave
Don’t leave
I’m such a fool for you
And you keep playing and playing around
Until the sun comes down and rises again in the morning
And my heart keeps breaking and breaking
And I’m tired of wasting and wasting away for a cure
Don’t leave me no more
Every time you walk out the door
I don’t know if you’re gonna come back around here anymore
Don’t leave me no more
Every time you walk out the door
I don’t know if you’re gonna come back to me here anymore
Don’t leave
Don’t leave
My heart keeps breaking and breaking and breaking down
You keep playing and playing and playing around
In Nelly Furtado's song "Don't Leave Me," the singer is addressing a lover who repeatedly leaves but promises to call, only to not follow through. The singer expresses her struggle between wanting to believe in the lover’s apologies and wanting to move on from the constant heartbreak. She reveals that she used to be strong, but the constant wanting of the lover has made her weak, bringing her down. The song can be seen as a portrayal of a toxic relationship where one partner continues to forgive and take back the other partner despite their actions negatively impacting their emotional well-being.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the fear of abandonment that the singer feels every time the lover walks out the door. She doesn't know if they will come back, and this uncertainty leads to an intense desire for the lover to never leave again. She is a "fool" for the lover and keeps hoping for a resolution, despite knowing that the lover continues to play games and make promises they cannot keep. The singer’s heartbreak is emphasized through her use of repetition in the lyrics.
The song can be seen as an anthem for anyone struggling to leave a toxic relationship, as it expresses the complicated emotions involved in the decision to stay or leave. The lyrics emphasize the importance of self-worth and the danger of prioritizing toxic love over personal well-being.
Line by Line Meaning
Here I go again
Starting once more
With my head in my hands
Feeling dejected
When you say you’ll call but you don’t
Expecting to hear from someone who never follows through
And then I’ll pretend
Putting on a facade
This is the last time
Concluding oneself to break free from a toxic pattern
That I’ll take you back when you say you’re sorry
Forgiving someone who has repeatedly hurt you
Don’t leave me no more
Begging and imploring someone to stay
Every time you walk out the door
Leaving and putting distance between two people
I don’t know if you’re gonna come back around here anymore
Uncertainty and fear of abandonment
Don’t leave
A plea for someone to stay
I used to be a queen
Once confident and secure
But now I’m a shadow of me
Feeling diminished and insecure
I deserve more but love is a chore
Desiring better treatment in a relationship, but feeling trapped
And wanting you has made me so weak
Being vulnerable and powerless due to love
I’m such a fool for you
Knowing that love can cloud one's judgement
And you keep playing and playing around
Continuing to hurt and betray someone
Until the sun comes down and rises again in the morning
Continuation of this cycle of emotional pain
And my heart keeps breaking and breaking
Being unable to escape pain and heartbreak
And I’m tired of wasting and wasting away for a cure
Feeling exhausted and worn out from trying to fix the relationship
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: NELLY FURTADO, STEPHEN MCGREGOR, STEVEN MCGREGOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind