Given that all the songs on Is This Desire? are reflections of yourself, wa… Read Full Bio ↴Given that all the songs on Is This Desire? are reflections of yourself, was there one particular reflection that made you realise you needed help?

"Yeeeeessss. It was 'My Beautiful Leah'." The fourth track on the album, "Leah" starts with a very simple Casio rhythm track. After four bars, the nastiest, blackest bass comes in: whale-like and distorted, it vies with a very unhappy church organ and a mashed-up brass cymbal for the most disturbing and compulsive sound on the song and, indeed, the album. Harvey sings as if she has been shot and is trying to spring the bullets back out of her body by force of will."

"I listened back to that song and I thought 'No! This is enough! No more of this! I don't want to be like this.' Because it was all so black and white, and life just isn't black and white. I knew I needed to get help. I wanted to get help."

It was Harvey's bandmate John Parrish, and video and art director, Maria Mochnacz, who offered help. They moved her into the basement of their house in Bristol. "They basically saved me," she says. "I needed to be rescued, and I was."

* Jan 1999, The Guardian

My Beautiful Leah
PJ Harvey Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Did you see her walking?
Did she come around here, Sir?
Black hair, brown eyes
My beautiful Leah
She was always so needing

Said, "I have no-one"
Even as I held her

She went out looking for someone
She only had nightmares,
And her sadness never lifted
And slowly over the years
Her lovely face twisted
Did she come around here, Sir?
I swear you would remember
Black hair, Brown eyes

Late September
October
November
December
It never leaves my mind
The last words she said

"If I don't find it this time,
Then I'm better off dead".

Overall Meaning

The song "My Beautiful Leah" by PJ Harvey is a haunting and emotional ballad about a woman named Leah who is desperately seeking love and connection. The lyrics suggest that Leah has been through some tough times and is dealing with a lot of sadness and personal struggles. She is described as having black hair and brown eyes, and the singer of the song, possibly a former lover or friend, is asking if anyone has seen her recently.

Leah is portrayed as being very needy, and even when someone is holding her, she still feels like she has no one. She is always searching for someone to fill the void in her life, but she is plagued by nightmares and never seems to find the emotional support she craves. As time goes by, her sadness takes a toll on her, and her once-beautiful face becomes twisted. The singer is haunted by Leah's story and the last words she said to him when they last spoke. She expressed that if she didn't find what she was looking for this time, she would rather be dead.

Overall, the song is a powerful commentary on the human need for connection and the devastating consequences of not finding it. It highlights the struggles that some individuals face and serves as a reminder of the importance of empathy and support for those around us who may be struggling.

Line by Line Meaning

Did you see her walking?
Did you happen to see Leah walking around?

Did she come around here, Sir?
Did Leah come to this specific location?

Black hair, brown eyes
Leah had dark hair and brown eyes

My beautiful Leah
The artist fondly refers to Leah as 'beautiful'

She was always so needing
Leah had a constant need for something

Said, 'I have no one'
Leah expressed that she had nobody in her life

Even as I held her
Even when the singer was physically with Leah

She went out looking for someone
Leah actively searched for companionship

She only had nightmares,
Leah's dreams were only unpleasant

And her sadness never lifted
Leah's mood never improved

And slowly over the years
Over a period of time