Steve returned to New York and, with the help from some musicians, including former Suzanne Vega guitarist Jon Gordon, started a rock and roll project. This turned into his debut album Big Señorita. It was chosen as one of Performing Songwriter Magazine’s Top 12 Independent Releases of 2001. After the release he started touring nationally and winning national and international awards, including the Grand Prize in the USA Songwriting Competition.
His second solo CD “Stopped at a Green Light” was released in September 2003. He is currently frontman to The Weepies, along with his wife Deb Talan, whom he met in 2001 and now resides with in Topanga, CA with their three sons, Theo, Alexander, and Nicholas.
Don't Go Away
Steve Tannen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She leans down in the back seat
Spend my money I don't mind
Come on it's closing time
Chorus:
Love stands still to catch you in a spotlight
The moon is pale like it was left on all night
Don't go away oh no stay outside my door
Don't you know it will be different in the light
The way the night turns into yesterday
Don't go away
You can lie to me and I'll be true to you
The more you fake the act the less you feel it's true
Don't go baby everybody does it like that
I want to see you with your head thrown back
Repeat chorus
Does she love you, you know that she does
That's all I meant when I said heaven above
How can I believe when she leaves she leaves
Drunk in a taxi
And last night takes a back seat to the morning
Morning traffic, morning rain
And the total silence on the morning train
In Steve Tannen's song Don't Go Away, the lyrics depict a night of passion and recklessness as the singer is caught up in the moment with his lover. The opening lines suggest that the woman he is with gets him drunk in a taxi and spends his money, indicating a sense of danger or lack of control. The chorus, however, hints at a more romantic sentiment as it speaks of love catching someone in a spotlight, but with a sense of inevitability that things will change by morning when the light exposes the truth.
The second verse acknowledges the potential for deceit and artifice in relationships, but also suggests a desire for authenticity and a genuine connection. The repeated plea for the woman to stay, coupled with the line "everybody does it like that," suggests a need for reassurance and a fear of being left alone. The final verse, however, implies a sense of resignation or maybe even bitterness as the singer questions the sincerity of their lover's actions and implies a lack of trust.
The imagery in the song is particularly evocative, with lines such as "the moon is pale like it was left on all night" and "last night takes a back seat to the morning" creating a sense of fleeting, impermanent beauty. The song's structure is also noteworthy, with the repetition of the chorus emphasizing the theme of transience and the inevitability of change.
Line by Line Meaning
She gets me drunk in a taxi
She manipulates me into intoxication during our cab ride
She leans down in the back seat
She alters her posture to cause an impact in the rear of the cab
Spend my money I don't mind
I don't care about the expenditure caused by her
Come on it's closing time
The club or bar is about to close, hurry up
Love stands still to catch you in a spotlight
Love makes you halt as if you are in a spotlight
The moon is pale like it was left on all night
The moon has a faint appearance like it was on for an extended duration
Don't go away oh no stay outside my door
Please remain by my doorway and don't leave me
Don't you know it will be different in the light
Things will appear distinct in the clarity of daylight
The way the night turns into yesterday
Night transforms rapidly into the previous day
You can lie to me and I'll be true to you
Even if you deceive me, I'll remain faithful to you
The more you fake the act the less you feel it's true
The more you feign, the less veracious it appears
Don't go baby everybody does it like that
Don't leave; everyone behaves like that
I want to see you with your head thrown back
I desire to observe you in full abandon
Does she love you, you know that she does
You are aware that she cares for you
That's all I meant when I said heaven above
By heaven above, I implied her love for you
How can I believe when she leaves she leaves
How can I find it convincing when she abandons like that
Drunk in a taxi
Intoxicated inside a cab
And last night takes a back seat to the morning
Last night's events assume a secondary role compared to the daytime activities
Morning traffic, morning rain
Commute congestion and precipitation in the early hours
And the total silence on the morning train
The complete stillness on the morning train
Contributed by Ian L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.