"We'll sit together, side by side,
Like old friends watching time go by."
If You Leave
When love has lasted a lifetime, even goodbye cannot be the end.
Running time: 4 minutes 37 seconds
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
If you were to leave before I do,
There are things I'd need to say to you.
You'd leave your legacy behind,
Within my heart and in my mind.
Your memory would still linger on,
Never fading, never gone.
Every morning I would think of you,
Remembering all we used to do.
[Pre-Chorus]
I'd smile the way I've always smiled,
Picture you there for a little while.
Though tears may hide behind my eyes,
Love like ours never truly dies.
[Chorus]
If you leave before I do,
A part of me will stay with you.
Every beat of my heart,
Will keep us close though we're apart.
And when the night is deep and blue,
I'll still be reaching out to you.
For love like ours will always start
And live forever in my heart.
[Verse 2]
Secretly I'll know you're there,
I'd still love you, I'd still care.
Sometimes I might softly speak,
While walking through the week.
Never worry, never stress,
Our times together were the best.
Every laugh and every tear,
Made the years we shared so dear.
[Chorus]
If you leave before I do,
A part of me will stay with you.
Every beat of my heart,
Will keep us close though we're apart.
And when the night is deep and blue,
I'll still be reaching out to you.
For love like ours will always start
And live forever in my heart.
[Bridge]
And while I sleep, no matter where,
No matter how light the dreams I bear,
I'll find you waiting, calm and true,
Just like I've always known you'd do.
We'll sit together, side by side,
Like old friends watching time go by.
Until the morning calls my name,
And I must wake again.
[Final Chorus]
If you leave before I do,
A part of me will stay with you.
Every beat of my heart,
Will keep us close though we're apart.
Then one day when my time is due,
The road will lead me back to you.
And hand in hand we'll never part,
Forever holding heart to heart.
[Outro]
If you leave before I do,
Remember this will still be true:
No matter where eternity starts,
You'll always live within my heart.
Behind the Song
If You Leave grew from something Paul and Tara have always been conscious of in their own relationship. With eighteen years between them, there has inevitably been the occasional thought that one may have to face life without the other. From that very personal reality came an imagined conversation about love, memory and what remains when the person who has shared your life is no longer beside you.
There is sadness in the thought of being left behind, but the song is ultimately about reassurance rather than loss. It imagines memories becoming a source of comfort, conversations continuing long after goodbye, and the hope that somewhere beyond this life, two people who belonged together might simply find one another again.
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The Original Poem
If You Leave
If you were to leave before I do
There are things I’d need to say to you
You’d leave your legacy behind
Within my heart and in my mind
Your memory would still linger on
Never waning never gone
Each day I’d wake and think of you
Remembering things we used to do
I’d smile as I have always smiled
Picture you there for just a while
Veiling tears and saddened thoughts
Savouring the good times your life had bought
For secretly I’ll know your there
And I’d still love you I’d still care
Occasionally I may talk
Whilst thinking of you on a daily walk
But never worry, never stress
Our times together were the best
I know that whilst I lay sleep
No matter how light no matter how deep
That I’ll come to find you wherever you are
And we’d hold each other within my heart
And we’d sit together just like old mates
Until it’s time for me to wake
Then one day when my time is due
I’ll stay, forever holding you