Even before his birth, Toby Hitchcock was already hearing the music. Born i… Read Full Bio ↴Even before his birth, Toby Hitchcock was already hearing the music. Born in Kokomo, Indiana on September 19, 1977, the first child of Greg and Marcia Hitchcock was exposed to all types of music, especially southern gospel, through the talented voice and keyboards of his dad, plus his crooning paternal grandfather, Howard, who at 71 is still sounding very much like Sinatra.

Toby's mom, keeper of the family scrapbooks, has a picture of him still in diapers, already holding a mic and singing. Through the years Toby learned to hear harmony, singing with his parents, and eventually his sister, Tori, an awesome vocalist in her own right.

From church musicals to "stealing the stage", and some girls' hearts, at school variety shows Toby's parents were always sitting in the crowd, smiling, knowing what road he was destined to follow. Working with his dad, an excellent musician who plays from his heart, he began to feel the music in a new way at the age of 12, putting it into the steady beat of the drums and becoming an excellent musician himself. In high school, he was in the top chorus, the Varsity Singers. At 17 he advanced to nationals in Fine Arts and was also a finalist in local and state competitions.

Though he struggled through the difficult teen years that many young men experience he came to find himself exactly where he started, in the middle of the music. Becoming a D.J., he first just played the music for others, engaging the guests with his easy charm and wit, loved by young and old alike. In 1999, he joined the team at H.Y.P.E. Productions, an entertainment company who has hit Chicago by storm in the last couple years, supplying interactive dancers, live bands and vocalists for various events. In addition to being the lead singer & musical director of the bands, Toby has held just about every job at the company, including roadie, dancer, deejay, emcee, p.r. and engineer of their digital recording studio.

Toby came to Jim Peterik’s attention when Jim’s talented niece, Kelly Moulik, brought him to Jim’s studio to sing a duet on a new song that Jim and Kelly had just written called “No Long Goodbyes”. The two of them met at a Dick Clark audition just a few days earlier. “The first moment I heard Toby on mic I knew I had come across someone really special.” When Jim’s band, The Ides of March played the Popcorn festival in Toby’s home town of Valparaiso, Indiana about a year later,Toby went up to say hello to Jim and the guys after the show.. This could not have come at a better time. Little did Toby know that Jim was in the beginning stages of planning his own album and was looking for a voice that could perform the powerful new songs that Jim loves to write. They exchanged numbers and rock and roll took it’s course.

With the unconditional love and support of his parents, sister, grandparents, great friends and his best bud through the years, Josh Hrapek, and the influence of the church and a musical family, Toby Hitchcock has come of age (or "to this point in his life"), where his childhood, love and family, the tough lessons of life, and the beauty of music has molded him into one of the most promising male vocalists of this decade.

Don't leave
Toby Hitchcock Lyrics

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Don't Leave
MusicLyrics: Mike Palace

Haven't been so in love before
Didn't think I could feel anymore
But you showed me
That nothing is forever, for long

Didn't notice your falling tears
How could I have when I wasn't there
When your sad heart
Was singing it's final song

And I know
That you never wanted
it that way
That all that you wanted was to stay
And while you we're calling out may-day
I was caught up in the heat

Don't leave
Don't leave me lonely
Believe
You are the only
Oh-uh-oh-oh
I'm begging from the dephts of my heart

Don't leave
Don't leave me stranded
Believe
Our love is candid
Oh-uh-oh-oh
I'm begging from the dephts of my heart
Don't leave

Feeling empty without you here
How much I wish that you
Reapeared

Cause my sadness
Is getting far to heavy to bear

Overall Meaning

In the song "Don't Leave", Toby Hitchcock expresses his love for someone who has already left him. The song speaks of a past relationship, where he didn't realize the pain his partner was going through until it was too late. The opening lines of the song acknowledge the feeling of being in love and how it was a new experience for him. However, the love fades in time, and the songwriter realizes the hard truth that nothing lasts forever, and things come to an end.

The second verse signifies regret on his part for not realizing the situation earlier. He didn't notice the tears or how sad his partner felt because he wasn't there at that moment. She might have tried to convey to him that she wanted to stay, but he was caught up with other things, and he did not listen to her. The chorus of the song is a plea to make her stay, begging her not to leave him lonely and stranded. He tells her that she is the only one and that their love is candid. He begs from the depths of his heart to not leave him.

The lyrics of the song are emotive and relatable, expressing a very familiar situation, an overflowing love that dies down over time. Toby Hitchcock's voice is powerful and emotional, making the song a great listen. The lyrics emphasize the importance of making time and listening to your partner, so as not to have regrets in the future.

Line by Line Meaning

Haven't been so in love before
I have never felt this way before

Didn't think I could feel anymore
I didn't think I could love anyone more

But you showed me that nothing is forever, for long
You made me realize that even love doesn't last forever

Didn't notice your falling tears
I didn't see you cry

How could I have when I wasn't there
I wasn't present when you needed me

When your sad heart was singing it's final song
You were hurting so much, and I didn't notice

And I know that you never wanted it that way
I know you didn't want to end things with me

That all that you wanted was to stay
All you wanted was to be with me

And while you we're calling out may-day
While you were asking for help

I was caught up in the heat
I was distracted and didn't realize how much you were hurting

Don't leave
Please don't go