Leave You Behind
Sleater-Kinney Lyrics


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I wonder how you looked the day you were erased
To look down at your heart and watch it fade
Did you disappear or were you just misplaced
Left behind with no one else to blame

It's all gone but something lingers on
a place i used to call home
Now me, you, and the ghost
Looking for thing we lost
Laughing at the way it was,
Looking for the one we lost
(are you letting go?
Thinking clearer now that it's over
There's no one to blame
As we walk away
Why is it I just feel so heavy
What do I take away?)

When you're in a room
it's all that i can feel
Get so used to loving
what's not real
There's nothing I can hold,




No real tears to cry
You can't breath life back into lie

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of this song from Sleater-Kinney, "Leave You Behind," delve into the idea of death, questioning how a person looks right before they die. The lyrics suggest that the person may have been erased and witnesses this person's heart gradually fading away. The second line repeats the first idea but now from the perspective of the person who has been left behind, wondering if the person actually disappeared or was forgotten. The third line shifts back to the idea of blame, wondering if anyone is responsible for this person's passing.


The song later expands on this concept of loss, with the chorus reflecting on what once was and the bittersweet feeling of nostalgia. It speaks to the confusion that comes with healing from a huge loss, particularly the loss of a loved one. "Me, you, and the ghost" represent the three would-be entities still lingering around, searching for what they lost: "something" in the singer's case, this person in the other two cases. There's reminiscence and happiness in the way it was but still a deep sense of longing for what they have lost forever.


The final lines of the song suggest the dead person was once precious to the one who sings these lines. But now, looking back, they see that they were loving something that wasn’t real. So, realizing this, they are left choking on their tears and unable to breathe life back into the lie they had been living.


Line by Line Meaning

I wonder how you looked the day you were erased
I can't help but think about how you appeared when you were gone or forgotten from my life


To look down at your heart and watch it fade
I witnessed your emotions slowly dissipate and vanish


Did you disappear or were you just misplaced
I'm unsure if you vanished entirely or if you just ended up in the wrong place


Left behind with no one else to blame
You were abandoned alone and there's no one else responsible for it


It's all gone but something lingers on
Everything has vanished, but there's still a remaining feeling or thought


a place i used to call home
An area that I used to consider familiar and comforting


Now me, you, and the ghost
The three of us, consisting of myself, you, and a lingering memory or presence


Looking for thing we lost
We're searching for what we once possessed but can no longer find


Laughing at the way it was,
We're finding humor in the past, but recognizing it can never be the same


Looking for the one we lost
We're searching for the individual we misplaced or left behind


(are you letting go?
Asking if you're finally releasing yourself from the situation


Thinking clearer now that it's over
Having a clearer perspective now that the situation has ended


There's no one to blame
No individual holds fault in what has occurred


As we walk away
As we depart from this encounter


Why is it I just feel so heavy
I'm perplexed as to why this makes me feel so burdened


What do I take away?)
What can I learn or acquire from this experience?


When you're in a room
When you're present and in close proximity to me


it's all that i can feel
My emotions are overwhelmingly consumed by your presence


Get so used to loving
I become accustomed to admiring and cherishing something


what's not real
I become attached to something that isn't genuine or authentic


There's nothing I can hold,
I can't grasp or contain anything substantial


No real tears to cry
There aren't any authentic emotions for me to express


You can't breathe life back into a lie
You can't revive or bring back to life an artificial or fake situation




Contributed by Bentley V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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