Category Archives: young love

Songs about young love lasting and ending and first love. How do the artists handle these first time experiences? Great teenage love songs.

#79 She’s Leaving Home- The Beatles

Something inside, that was always denied, for so many years/
She’s leaving home, bye, bye.

“She’s Leaving Home” is about a young woman who is thinking of moving out of her parent’s house and going to live with her boyfriend. We know how she feels. She is exited to start her new life. It is based on a true story. She leaves a note and leaves as the parents sleep.

Her parents believe she is making a big mistake. And they are hurt. Haven’t they done everything for her? Does she not see how hard have they struggled to provide? Everything they did for her and all they got was a note? They gave her everything money could buy!

She's Leaving Home Meaning
George Martin with The Beatles

She’s Leaving Home is so beautifully crafted. Specifically, Lennon gives voice to the parents’ concerns in the “Greek Chorus”.  The harp is the main instrument on this song. It sounds unique and the arrangement is perfect. The strings sound great too. You can hear the upright bass being bowed to create the deep sounds. McCartney sings verses and Lennon sings the choruses.

If there is such a thing as a hidden gem of a Beatles song, “She’s Leaving Home” is it. The song also makes a great case as George Martin as “The Fifth Beatle”–he produced the song. I don’t believe any Beatles contribute instrumental performances on this song, joining Eleanor Rigby as the other song in their catalog with that distinction.

She’s Leaving Home Lyrics
Wednesday morning at five o’clock
As the day begins,
Silently closing her bedroom door,
Leaving the note that she hoped would say more.

She goes downstairs to the kitchen
Clutching her handkerchief.
Quietly turning the backdoor key,
Stepping outside, she is free.

She(we gave her most of our lives).
Is leaving (sacrificed most of our lives).
Home (we gave her everything money could buy).
She’s leaving home, after living alone, for so many years (bye bye).

Father snores as his wife gets into her dressing gown.
Picks up the letter that’s lying there.
Standing alone at the top of the stairs,
She breaks down and cries to her husband,
“Daddy, our baby’s gone.
“Why would she treat us so thoughtlessly?
How could she do this to me?”

She (we never thought of ourselves).
Is leaving (never a thought for ourselves).
Home (we struggled hard all our lives to get by).
She’s leaving home, after living alone, for so many years.

Friday morning, at nine o’clock
She is far away.
Waiting to keep the appointment she made.
Meeting a man from the Motortrade.

She (what did we do that was wrong)?
Is Having (we didn’t know it was wrong).
Fun (fun is the one thing that money can’t buy).
Something inside, that was always denied, for so many years,
She’s leaving home, bye, bye.

songwriters lennon/mccartney

#63 Wild Horses- The Rolling Stones

Faith has been broken tears must be cried/
Let’s do some living after we die.

The Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses” is a song about young love and the transition into an adult relationship. Problems become more pronounced and it appears that the woman may be pushing the narrator away. But he isn’t having any of it. He is not going to let her ruin a good thing. Her theatrics and attempts to sabotage the relationship are not going to dissuade him. Not even wild horses will drag him away.

Wild Horses rolling stones Meaning
the Stones

The line above is very interesting: “Let’s do some living after we die.” It sounds like she wants to break up with him and live her life while she’s young…or something to that effect. He is saying “let’s be together now and worry about this ‘living’ at another time in the future.” It sounds very different than the typical impression we get of Jagger as a playboy. Here he comes off as a romantic.

The harmonies in the chorus are not elite level, but they are still good. Mick’s vocal’s sound good, but throughout even the mid seventies he was pretty consistent with his voice. Not only are his vocals clear, they sound somewhat heartfelt. That is what we want in a lyric.

Of course, I think it is the melody that stands out in “Wild Horses” as well as the overt romanticism that makes this song such a favorite. The guitar work sounds almost ad-libbed at times, but that is part of its charm. This is a song that is ripe for a great cover. There are a couple decent versions but nothing monumental.

Wild Horses Lyrics

Childhood living is easy to do,
The things you wanted I bought them for you.
Graceless lady you know who I am,
You know I can’t let you slide through my hands.

Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.
Wild, wild horses couldn’t drag me away.

I watched you suffer a dull aching pain,
Now you’ve decided to show me the same.
No sweeping exit or offstage lines,
Could make me feel bitter or treat you unkind.

Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.
Wild, wild horses couldn’t drag me away.

I know I’ve dreamed you a sin and a lie,
I have my freedom but I don’t have much time.
Faith has been broken tears must be cried,
Let’s do some living after we die.

Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.
Wild, wild horses we’ll ride them some day.
Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.
Wild, wild horses we’ll ride them some day.

written by Jagger/Richards