Dirty Leaves
The Bronx Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I never wanted to admit to this but my love wasn't true
I rescue the lonely because I'm lonely too
And the way you smile the way you laugh
Reminds me of myself
Before I fell apart like a drug infected heart
All along in a city by the sea
Dirty leaves fall around
All alone and suddenly it seems
Dirty leaves fall for you and me
I never wanted your heart to break
But we still knew it would
Impossible to save
But did when I could
I replaced your tears your loneliness with cigarettes and wine
But you needed more and we ran out of time
Now your love is gone
All all alone in the city by the sea
Dirty leaves fall all around
And suddenly it seems
Dirty leaves fall for you and me
And once again I'm torn between saving you or saving me
That's why I begged you not to stay
Any longer than you should
Because I always knew you would
And now it builds more every day
Until you're just an object in my way
Choking on the words I never wanted you to say
All all alone in the city by the sea
Dirty leaves fall all around




And suddenly it seems
Dirty leaves fall for you and me

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of The Bronx’s Dirty Leaves reveal the singer’s inner turmoil about a relationship he was once in. He admits that his love for his partner wasn’t true, but he sought out other lonely souls because he too was lonely. The mention of cigarettes and wine as replacements for his partner’s tears and loneliness further highlights the singer’s own issues and unwillingness to confront his emotions.


The chorus of the song paints a bleak and lonely image of a city by the sea. Dirty leaves falling all around add to the desolate atmosphere. The sudden arrival of these dirty leaves seems to signify the unpredictable nature of life, where things can change in an instant. In this case, it could symbolize the end of a relationship that seemed to be going well, but it has now come to an abrupt halt.


The final verse sees the singer admitting that he always knew his partner would leave, despite his pleas for her not to stay for longer than necessary. He is torn between saving her and saving himself, indicating that he is not in a healthy state of mind. The image of his partner becoming an object in his way further emphasizes his internal conflict and inability to deal with his emotions effectively. Overall, Dirty Leaves is an emotionally charged song that delves into themes of loneliness, relationships, and inner turmoil.


Line by Line Meaning

I never wanted to admit to this but my love wasn't true
I have been hesitant to acknowledge it, but I realize that my affection for you was not sincere.


I rescue the lonely because I'm lonely too
I try to help people who are alone because I also feel lonely.


And the way you smile the way you laugh
The manner in which you smile and laugh


Reminds me of myself
Brings to mind my own behavior


Before I fell apart like a drug infected heart
Before I lost control like a heart damaged by drugs


All along in a city by the sea
The entire time, I have lived in this seaside city


Dirty leaves fall around
Leaves covered in filth fall to the ground


All alone and suddenly it seems
Now I am alone and it seems like nobody is there for me


Dirty leaves fall for you and me
The unclean leaves fall for both of us, representing our troubles


I never wanted your heart to break
I did not want to cause you emotional pain.


But we still knew it would
Even though it was inevitable that your heart would eventually break.


Impossible to save
It was not possible to prevent the heartbreak.


But did when I could
Despite this, I did everything in my power to save the relationship.


I replaced your tears your loneliness with cigarettes and wine
To help you cope with your sadness and solitude, I gave you cigarettes and wine.


But you needed more and we ran out of time
However, you needed more than just cigarettes and wine, and we did not have enough time to fix things.


Now your love is gone
Now that you have left, your love is gone.


All all alone in the city by the sea
Once again, I find myself completely alone in this seaside city.


Dirty leaves fall all around
Filthy leaves cover the ground.


And suddenly it seems
It feels like everything has changed so quickly.


Dirty leaves fall for you and me
Once again, the dirty leaves represent the pain and sadness that we share.


And once again I'm torn between saving you or saving me
As before, I am conflicted between trying to save you or looking out for myself.


That's why I begged you not to stay
This is why I pleaded with you to leave.


Any longer than you should
So that you would not remain here longer than you needed to.


Because I always knew you would
Because I knew that your heartbreak would eventually lead you to leave.


And now it builds more every day
Now my inner turmoil continues to worsen every day.


Until you're just an object in my way
Until the thought of you becomes nothing more than an obstacle to my own happiness.


Choking on the words I never wanted you to say
Struggling to cope with the things that you said to me, things that I never wanted to hear.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JAMES TWEEDY, JOBY J. FORD, JORMA VIK, MATT CAUGHTHRAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions