Born in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, he attended Loyola High School and McGill University. Roberts formed the band William in 1993. The band's name was changed to Northstar in 1996. Although the band gained some notice in independent rock circles, they couldn't break through to a national audience, and broke up in the late 1990s. Roberts' bandmate George Donoso went on to significant success in indie rock circles with The Dears, but Roberts struggled for several years afterward.
In 2000 Roberts began his solo career by independently releasing his first studio album, Brother Down. The album was largely unsuccessful but the title track would later go on to be re-recorded and re-released on a six-song EP titled The Inhuman Condition. The EP sold slowly at first, but by the summer of 2002 Roberts was all over the Canadian airwaves: his first single "Brother Down" had become one of the biggest Canadian hits of the year, and the follow up single "Don't Walk Away Eileen" quickly followed suit.
Roberts then signed to Universal Music, releasing his full-length debut, We Were Born in a Flame, in 2003. That album's singles, "Where Have All the Good People Gone?", "Hard Road", "Brother Down" and "Don't Walk Away Eileen", became major hits, especially in Canada.
The band's album Chemical City, produced with Joseph Donovan and released on April 11, 2006, got major radio play in Canada after its release, especially the single "The Gate".
The band's latest release, the album Love at the End of the World (May 20, 2008), included the song "Them Kids", which reached #1 on the Canadian indie chart (the R3-30), and also #1 on CFNY's Thursday 30 chart.
The band released the album Collider on May 10, 2011.
Don't Walk Away
Sam Roberts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've been living for you since the age of seventeen
Don't walk away, Eileen
You've been telling lies and now it's time to come clean
Hey, you come around and I
Hey, you come around and I
Hey, you come around and I can't keep time
Hey, you turn around and I
Hey, you turn around and I'm left behind
Eileen says I'm a boy, not a man
Crying on the corner with my head in my hands
I called her name and she ran
Slipping through my fingers like a fist full of sand
Hey, you come around and I
Hey, you come around and I
Hey, you come around and I lose my head
Hey, you turn around and I
Hey, you turn around and I
Hey, you turn around and I'm left for dead
And she reads my mind when I'm sleeping
And she always arrives when I'm leaving
Yeah, she's blocking out the sun it seems
You're a pacifist with a gun, Eileen
Hey, you come around and I
Hey, you come around and I
Hey, you come around and I can't keep time
Hey, you turn around and I
Hey, you turn around and I
Hey, you turn around and I'm left behind
Hey, you come around and I
Hey, you come around and I
Hey, you come around and I lose my head
Hey, you turn around and I
Hey, you turn around and I
Hey, you turn around and I'm left for dead
Don't walk away, Eileen
Don't walk away, Eileen
Don't walk away, Eileen
Don't walk away, Eileen
Don't walk away, Eileen
Don't walk away, Eileen
Don't walk away, Eileen
The song "Don't Walk Away Eileen" by Sam Roberts is filled with romantic angst and desperation. The singer pleads with Eileen not to leave him, having been devoted to her since he was seventeen. He laments that she has been telling lies and now it's time to come clean. Despite the lies, he cannot bring himself to let her go.
The singer uses the refrain "Hey!" repeatedly, sounding frantic and distressed. He feels that Eileen has an unfair power over him, causing him to lose his grip on time and leaving him behind. Eileen dismisses him as a boy and not a man, reducing him to tears and hopelessness. The singer makes a desperate attempt to reconnect with Eileen, calling her name, but she slips through his fingers like a fistful of sand.
The song evokes the universal feeling of wanting someone so desperately that you feel powerless without them. The singer's vulnerability and desperation are relatable, allowing listeners to connect with the emotion of the song. Overall, "Don't Walk Away Eileen" is a stirring and emotional ballad about the struggles of love and heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't walk away Eileen
I don't want you to leave me Eileen
I've been living for you since the age of seventeen
I've been dedicating my life to you since I was seventeen years old
You've been telling lies and now it's time to come clean
You've been lying and it's time for you to tell the truth
Hey! You come around and I can't keep time
When you're around I lose track of time
Hey! You turn around and I'm left behind
When you leave, I feel left out and alone
Eileen says I'm a boy not a man
Eileen thinks I'm immature and not yet a man
Cryin' on the corner with my head in my hands
Feeling sad and vulnerable, with my head in my hands, crying in a corner
I called her name and she ran
I called out to her and she ran away
Slippin' through my fingers like a fist full of sand
She's slipping away from me and I can't hold on
Hey! You come around and I lose my hand
When you're around I feel like I'm losing control
Hey! You turn around and I'm left for dead
When you leave, I feel abandoned and hopeless
And she reads my mind when I'm sleeping
She knows what I'm thinking even when I'm asleep
And she always arrives when I'm leaving
She always shows up when I am about to leave
Yeah she's blocking out the sun, it seems
She's so overpowering that it feels like she's blocking out the sun
You're a pacifist with a gun, Eileen
You seem nonviolent, but you can still be dangerous, Eileen
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Sam Lewis Roberts
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mistysky184
Don't walk away Eileen
I've been living for you since the age of seventeen
Don't walk away Eileen
You've been telling lies and now it's time to come clean
Hey! You come around and I can't keep time
Hey! You turn around and I'm left behind
Eileen says I'm a boy not a man
Cryin' on the corner with my head in my hands
I called her name and she ran
Slippin' through my fingers like a fist full of sand
Hey! You come around and I lose my hand
Hey! You turn around and I'm left for dead
And she reads my mind when I'm sleeping
And she always arrives when I'm leaving
Yeah she's blocking out the sun, it seems
You're a pacifist with a gun, Eileen
@TheSilverSeason
I saw him long too long ago in Vancouver, it was fantastic. The bus back downtown was completely full with people from the concert, and mostly quiet until one guy started singing this. The entire bus joined in. It was a great moment.
@adaptercrash
He was at the restaurant when I was there
@carloscalderon2466
I can't understand why Sam Roberts isn't huge.
@drewsheffield3834
I played hockey with him. Trust me, he’s huge.
@resireg
That song plays on canadian radio. I heard it today for example
@TheSwearingChef
Probably because his pituitary gland limits his growth to that of an average adult.
@Jake_Reid
he is
@shihyuchu6753
He doesnt eat much?
@Goatchild90
This song has officially reached classic status
@kevinheatcoat2190
I First heard this Song in 2007.