All I Ever Do Is Leave – English Lyrics

• By: Luke Combs
• Album: Fathers & Sons

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Luke Combs' heartfelt country track, "All I Ever Do Is Leave," to explore the nuances of parental sacrifice and changing perspectives as you age. This song offers a window into the emotional complexities of balancing a demanding career with fatherhood, a universal theme in human experience. Its raw honesty, typical of modern country storytelling, makes it a powerful piece for reflecting on the relationship between a child's perception and a parent's reality.

[English]

Worn out stitches on a baseball up against the wall

Me and myself tryin' to play catch

'Cause daddy ain't home yet

I was Batman, Robin, and the Joker, too

It was Gotham City lonesome in the livin' room

And mama'd say, "You pray 'cause your daddy's gonna be late"

But the lights stayed on somehow

And love filled up our little house

Yeah, life ain't always what it seems

'Cause I thought all he ever did was leave

But somebody played Tooth Fairy

Left the cash, took out the trash

Made mama feel pretty, put a dent in the whiskey

There were tip-toe prayers and midnight kisses

I love you's, and little boy wishes for Saturday's

Where we could play all day

But the lights stayed on somehow

And love filled up our little house

Yeah, life ain't always what it seems

'Cause I thought all he ever did was leave

...

Worn out stitches on a baseball up against the wall

He and himself tryin' to play catch

'Cause I ain't home yet

But the lights stayed on somehow

And love fills up our little house

Yeah, life ain't always what it seems

I hope he don't think

I hope he don't think

All I ever do is leave

All I ever do is leave

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
stitches /ˈstɪtʃɪz/ B1	noun - sewing stitches; sutures used to close a wound
baseball /ˈbeɪsbɔːl/ B1	noun - a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams
wall /wɔːl/ A1	noun - a vertical structure that encloses or divides an area
play /pleɪ/ A1	verb - to engage in an activity for enjoyment noun - a dramatic performance
catch /kætʃ/ A1	verb - to seize or receive something that is moving noun - the act of catching; a game of throwing and catching
daddy /ˈdædi/ A1	noun - informal term for father
home /hoʊm/ A1	noun - the place where one lives
Batman /ˈbætmæn/ B2	noun - the fictional superhero who fights crime in Gotham City
Gotham /ˈɡɒθəm/ B2	noun - the fictional city where Batman lives
lonesome /ˈloʊnsəm/ B2	adjective - feeling sad because one is alone
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - deep affection verb - to feel deep affection for someone
house /haʊs/ A1	noun - a building for human habitation
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the existence of an individual human being or animal
leave /liːv/ A2	verb - to go away from a place
tooth /tuːθ/ A1	noun - a hard structure in the mouth used for chewing
fairy /ˈfɛri/ A2	noun - a small mythical being with magical powers
whiskey /ˈwɪski/ B2	noun - a distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash
midnight /ˈmɪdnaɪt/ B1	noun - the middle of the night; 12 a.m.
kisses /ˈkɪsɪz/ A2	noun - acts of pressing the lips to someone or something as a sign of affection
wish /wɪʃ/ A2	verb - to desire or hope for something that may not happen noun - a desire for something to happen

Key Grammar Structures

• Worn out stitches on a baseball up against the wall

  ➔ Past participle adjective

  ➔ The phrase 'worn out' is a past participle used as an adjective to describe the stitches.

• 'Cause daddy ain't home yet

  ➔ Contraction

  ➔ 'Ain't' is a contraction of 'am not' or 'is not', used informally here.

• I was Batman, Robin, and the Joker, too

  ➔ Comma splice with 'too'

  ➔ The use of 'too' at the end of the list emphasizes inclusion.

• But the lights stayed on somehow

  ➔ Adverb of manner 'somehow'

  ➔ 'Somehow' indicates an unknown or unspecified way the lights stayed on.

• I hope he don't think

  ➔ Subjunctive mood

  ➔ The subjunctive mood is used to express a wish or hope, here with 'hope' and 'don't think'.

• All I ever do is leave

  ➔ Emphatic structure

  ➔ The phrase 'all I ever do' emphasizes the exclusivity of the action 'leave'.