In 1985, she signed to A&M Records, who released her debut album Union in 1988. She had previously provided backing vocals on David & David's album Boomtown. Later that year, she was nominated for two Grammy Awards, Best New Artist and Best Rock Vocal Performance (female). Her first national tour was opening for Bob Dylan. Her follow-up album House of Hope yielded a large hit in Australia with "I've Got To Go Now", but did not sell well in the US and was dropped from the A&M label. DGC Records, a subsidiary of Geffen Records, signed her and released her third album, The Woman's Boat. Although she was nominated for another Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Performance, the album sold poorly, and Childs was again left without a recording label. She recorded another album in 1996, but could not find a label to release it. Also in 1996, "The Very Best Of Toni Childs" was released, becoming the fifth biggest-selling album of 1996 in Australia. She retired from touring in 1997 after contracting a serious illness and starting the "Dream a Dolphin" charity. Childs released a song entitled "Because You're Beautiful", which won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Music & Lyrics in 2004. She has recorded a new album entitled Keep the Faith, which is expected to be released in Australia in 2006 and in the US and UK in 2007.
Don't Walk Away
Toni Childs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ripping out the root of love
Don't walk away
Ripping out the root of love
Tell me now what is in my heart
The kind of lies that have torn us apart
You lay down in the road
Don't need no satisfaction
Guaranteed my main attraction
Ripping love out by the roots
Though my ghost is still with you
It hurts to watch you turn away
So I'm tearing out the truth
Don't walk away
Ripping out the root of love
Don't walk away
Ripping out the root of love
Don't walk away
Ripping out the root of love
Don't walk away
Ripping out the root of love
Time passes slowly, time passes on
Waiting for my man to call
When there's no man at all
Do I stand here waiting
For the earth to turn to dust
Give up my passion
Rendering my lust
Or do I walk away
Don't walk away
Ripping out the root of love
Don't walk away
Ripping out the root of love
Ripping out the root of love
Ripping out the root of love
Don't walk away
Ripping out the root of love
Don't walk away
Ripping out the root of love
Don't walk away
Ripping out the root of love
Don't walk away
Ripping out the root of love
Ripping love out by the roots
Though my ghost is still with you
It hurts to watch you turn away
So I'm tearing out the truth
Don't walk away
Ripping out the root of love
Don't walk away
Ripping out the root of love
Don't walk away
Ripping out the root of love
Don't walk away
Ripping out the root of love
It hurts to watch you turn away
So I'm tearing out the truth
The song "Don't Walk Away" by Toni Childs is an emotional plea to a lover not to leave, as it will result in the tearing out of the root of their love. Throughout the song, the singer grapples with the pain of the breakup, refusing to give up on their love, and begs their partner to stay. The lyrics reveal the internal struggle of someone who is torn between holding onto their love and wanting to walk away from it.
The first verse establishes the heartbreak of the singer and the reason for the imminent breakup. The line "Ripping out the root of love" is repeated as a warning of the destruction that will follow the end of the relationship. The second verse addresses the pain of waiting for a call from a lover who never comes, leading the singer to question if they should give up their passion to avoid more heartbreak. The chorus repeats several times, emphasizing the urgency of the plea, and a final verse repeats the earlier themes of pain and heartbreak.
Overall, the lyrics can be interpreted as a desperate attempt to save a relationship from collapsing. The singer is willing to do whatever it takes to keep their love alive, even if it means tearing out the truth and confronting their own disillusionment with the relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't walk away
Please don't leave me and end our love.
Ripping out the root of love
Ending our love will be painful and destructive, like tearing out the foundation of a plant.
Tell me now what is in my heart
Be honest with me and tell me how you truly feel.
The kind of lies that have torn us apart
Your dishonesty has damaged our relationship.
You lay down in the road
You are showing vulnerability by exposing your true feelings.
Baring your bloody soul
You are revealing your deepest wounds and emotional pain.
Don't need no satisfaction
I don't need you to fulfill all of my desires, I just need your love.
Guaranteed my main attraction
I am committed to our love and it is my top priority.
Time passes slowly, time passes on
Life moves forward even if we don't.
Waiting for my man to call
I am waiting for the one I love to reach out to me.
When there's no man at all
If the one I love doesn't come back, I will be alone.
Do I stand here waiting
Should I hold on and hope for their return?
For the earth to turn to dust
Is it worth waiting for something that may never happen, for the end of the world?
Give up my passion
Should I let go of what I love because it may never come to fruition?
Rendering my lust
If I give up my passion, I will also be losing my desire for it.
Or do I walk away
Should I give up on waiting and move on from this relationship?
It hurts to watch you turn away
It is heartbreaking to see the person I love reject me and our love.
So I'm tearing out the truth
I am being honest with myself and facing the reality of our situation.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MURRAY JAMES, JEZ LARDER, ADAM JAMES FALKNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rayleenstirling3664
It's 2024 and I still love listening to aToni Childs❤❤
@jamesmcgee6689
Her voice is like lightning striking a tin roof !!! Raw, gritty, overpowering, and warm. What talent !!!
@007superc
Absolute......James
@kokewolfxo9710
Her voice is terrible
@barryphillips7327
110% NATURAL NOT digitally altered ie Adele!!!!!!!!!!
@franzhonley9052
Them that is a great way of describing her . Just like tj.
@AldenRDavis
Still loving this classic in 2021.. anyone else?
@clairemorrisdobie9977
You bet. My fave of hers.
@cherriblackmore2002
Found the Union CD at a thrift store. The most wonderful music I've ever heard. Now where is she? Is she still performing?
@AldenRDavis
@@cherriblackmore2002 She’s still around and she’s now living in Byron Bay, New South Wales.