Discography:
1995 - Sleater-Kinney (Chainsaw)
1996 - Call the Doctor (Chainsaw)
1997 - Dig Me Out (Kill Rock Stars)
1999 - The Hot Rock (Kill Rock Stars)
2000 - All Hands on the Bad One (Kill Rock Stars)
2002 - One Beat (Kill Rock Stars)
2005 - The Woods (Sub Pop)
2015 - No Cities to Love (Sub Pop)
2019 - The Center Won't Hold (Mom+Pop)
2021 - Path of Wellness (Mom+Pop)
Leave You Behind
Sleater-Kinney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
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
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.