Leave Lyrics — Once

Song Overview

Review and Highlights

Quick summary

• Track 2 on Once: A New Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording), sung by Steve Kazee as Guy, with production by Martin Lowe and Steven Epstein.
• Written by Glen Hansard, carried over from the film and Swell Season catalog and re-shaped for the stage as Guy’s first big statement.
• Serves as the true opening number of the Broadway show: a bare, guitar-driven confessional that drops the audience straight into a breakup aftermath.
• Broadway arrangement is slower and more exposed than the film version, giving Kazee room for a volcanic build and long high notes.
• Part of the Grammy-winning cast album and a calling-card song for baritone actors taking on the role of Guy.

Review: music, performance, and key takeaways

He starts almost conversational, like someone muttering in a corner of the bar after closing. A dry acoustic guitar figure underpins short, bitter phrases; the verses sit low and speech-like, so it feels as if Guy is trying to stay calm, re-telling a breakup story he has rehearsed in his head a hundred times. Then, on the first title hook, the melody suddenly climbs and widens. The word "leave" stretches across the bar, sustained and slightly frayed at the edges, confirming what a 2012 listening guide hinted at: this track is engineered to show that Kazee can do much more than indie mumbling.

Musically, "Leave" lives where folk-rock, singer-songwriter, and Broadway storytelling intersect. The harmony leans on a familiar pop-rock progression, but the texture stays stripped back: guitar and voice are the spine, with strings slipping in later like the memory of better days. You can hear the Irish folk DNA in the modal inflections and the way the melody curls around the word "leave," turning it over and over as if the character is obsessing in real time.

From a performance standpoint, the build is everything. Kazee starts with a narrow, almost pinned resonance and gradually opens into a huge, ringing belt on the final section, moving from hurt to fury to something close to catharsis. A voice-training article in 2024 actually uses this recording as a textbook example of vowel modification on the word "leave" - he shifts the vowel shape as the pitch rises so the high notes stay powerful instead of strained. That is not just vocal fireworks; it tracks Guy’s emotional escalation, each repeat a little rougher and more desperate than the last.

What keeps the number from turning into pure rage is the text: underneath the bark of "leave" you hear resignation, even a self-own. He mocks the idea that someone else could "disappoint" him because, as he snaps, he can do that himself. The song sits in that bitter-sarcastic lane that pop rarely sustains for three minutes, and it suits a character who is both self-aware and stuck.

Screen & Stage Uses

Once: A New Musical (2012) - Stage musical - diegetic. In the stage version, "Leave" is sung at the top of Act 1 on a Dublin street, Guy busking alone. He finishes the song and is about to walk away from his guitar when Girl approaches him, impressed by what she has just heard. The placement matters: it shows he is on the verge of quitting both music and hope, so everything that follows feels like a rescue mission.

Once (2007) - Film - diegetic. Glen Hansard performs the original version in the film, also as an on-the-street performance that sketches his recent breakup and simmering resentment. The Broadway cut slows the tempo and leans into a more theatrical dynamic arc, but the core narrative function stays the same: this is the musical’s first real portrait of a man who has been left behind.

Contemporary dance & concert work - non-diegetic. Kazee’s recording has turned up in contemporary dance pieces and concert work, often used for solos that explore heartbreak and rupture. One dance-teaching outlet singled out a Stacey Tookey piece set to this track for its clear narrative arc, which tells you how story-ready the song already is even outside the show.

Creation History

"Leave" began life in Glen Hansard’s folk-rock world, appearing on The Swell Season’s 2006 album before being woven into John Carney’s film Once. When the story moved to the stage, Hansard’s songbook formed the spine of the score, with music director and arranger Martin Lowe reshaping the material for actor-musicians. The Broadway cast version, produced by Steven Epstein and Lowe and recorded at Avatar Studios in New York in January 2012, keeps the bones of the earlier arrangement - voice and guitar front and center - but stretches the form: slower tempo, more space for breath, subtle string writing in the back half. Critics at the time noted how the show’s acoustic textures felt closer to chamber music than to bombastic show tunes, and "Leave" is one of the clearest examples: a folk confession reimagined as a theater curtain-raiser without losing its scars.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

Within the narrative of Once, "Leave" is Guy’s first testimony. We do not yet know the full story of his breakup; we only know that his former partner told him she could not wait forever and walked away. As he plays on the street, the song functions like an overheard diary entry: he relives the moment she left, replays the words they exchanged, and tries to turn that pain into something resembling control. By the time Girl appears and questions why he would abandon his guitar, we have already seen how deep the damage runs. This is not just a random busker with a sad song; it is someone singing at the edge of giving up.

Song Meaning

"Leave" tracks the emotional whiplash of being left by someone who has been half-gone for a long time. The opening lines sketch a partner who announces limits - she will not "wait forever" - but the way Guy tells it, she was already absent before she stood up to leave. There is a double sting: the breakup itself and the realization that the relationship quietly ended long before that final conversation.

Every chorus circles the same paradox: he wants her to walk away and free herself, but the hurt is so fresh that he cannot stop talking to her as if she were still there. On paper, "Leave, and free yourself at the same time" sounds noble, almost generous; in the performance, it comes out laced with accusation. That tension is the heart of the song. Guy is trying to spin the narrative so he is the one cutting ties, but the lyric keeps slipping and betraying how abandoned he feels.

The recurring image of letting go of his hand works on two levels. It is literal - two people physically separating - and symbolic: she is releasing him from the story he thought they were still writing together. The more he insists that she has "said what [she] came to," the more obvious it becomes that he is the one who still has things to say. By the last repeat, the word "leave" is less a command to her than a plea to himself: please, let this go.

Annotations

"I can do that myself."

This is one of the sharpest lines in the song. On the surface, he is saying he does not need anyone else to let him down; underneath, there is self-blame. He is talented enough at self-sabotage that he almost does not know how to accept kindness. It reads like a bitter punchline, but it also hints that he has seen this pattern before.

"And the truth has a habit of falling out of your mouth."

That image gives the relationship a history. He casts his ex as someone whose honesty always arrives messily and too late, blurting out confessions only when they cannot be contained. The word "habit" implies this breakup speech is just the latest in a series of half-truths and delayed revelations. Dramaturgically, it sets up why he is so wary and guarded when he later begins to open up to Girl.

"Leave, and please yourself at the same time."

Here the tone slides from anger toward a kind of grim acceptance. He accuses her of acting selfishly, but he is also acknowledging that she might genuinely need to leave to be happy. That ambiguity is very Irish in sensibility: sarcasm and compassion share the same sentence, and the listener is left to decide which half is louder.

Genre blend and emotional arc

Stylistically, "Leave" belongs to the singer-songwriter ballad tradition that runs from Van Morrison to contemporary indie folk, but the Broadway frame magnifies its arc. The verses float over a steady, folk-inflected groove in 3/4 time, while the choruses ramp up into rock-adjacent belts. According to one Broadway listening guide, the stage version is deliberately slower than the film cut; that extra space lets the emotion build from numb recounting to raw release. You can practically map the emotional journey to the register: chesty mid-range on the story-telling sections, then a climb into a strained, almost shouted upper range as he runs out of ways to rationalize the breakup.

Idioms, symbols, and key phrases

Two simple motifs do a lot of heavy lifting: waiting and leaving. The line about not being able to wait forever taps into a long cultural thread about lovers who hang on too long to something that is already gone. In Irish storytelling, leaving often carries economic and migratory echoes - people leaving towns, countries, entire lives. While the song never mentions geography, that cultural backdrop shades the word: when this woman leaves, she is not just stepping out of a flat; she is stepping out of the future he imagined.

There is also an undercurrent of self-assertion. When he tells her she has already gone, he is trying to wrest back narrative control. The repeated refrain functions almost like a spell, turning an event that happened to him into an action he is now choosing. That trick - using repetition to rewrite a memory - is part of what makes the piece hit so hard for performers and listeners alike.

Vocal and production details that deepen the story

On the production side, the track is almost stubbornly unadorned. The guitar sits close and dry in the stereo field, with only a touch of room around the voice. As the song progresses, subtle strings slide in underneath, not as a big swell but as a kind of ache in the background. Reviews of the album at the time talked about the acoustic ensemble having the refinement of chamber music rather than a typical pit orchestra, and that approach is felt keenly here.

Vocally, Kazee shapes the word "leave" differently every time he hits it. A vocal pedagogy piece in 2024 actually zooms in on the way he shifts his vowel as he climbs higher - from a more pure "ee" toward something warmer and more open - to keep the sound supported. To the average listener, that just registers as the note ripping open, but technically it is a smart adjustment that lets the story reach a climax without wrecking the singer. It is a neat little intersection of character psychology and craft: a man barely holding it together, portrayed by an actor who knows exactly how to keep things from flying apart.

Technical Information

• Artist: Steve Kazee (with the Original Broadway Cast of Once)
• Featured: Cast ensemble providing instrumental support later in the track
• Composer / Lyricist: Glen Hansard
• Producer: Martin Lowe, Steven Epstein
• Release Date: March 13, 2012
• Genre: Musical theatre, folk rock-inflected ballad
• Instruments: Lead vocal, acoustic guitar, supporting strings, mandolin, ukulele, violin, cello, accordion, percussion (cajon and light kit) in the broader session band
• Label: Masterworks Broadway
• Mood: Raw, resentful, cathartic, introspective
• Length: Approximately 3:08
• Track #: 2 on Once: A New Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
• Language: English
• Album: Once: A New Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
• Music style: Intimate singer-songwriter ballad framed within a Broadway cast-album sound world
• Poetic meter: Largely conversational free verse with patches of loose iambic rhythm that follow spoken English stress more than strict metrical patterning

Questions and Answers

Who produced "Leave" on the Original Broadway Cast Recording of Once?

Martin Lowe and Steven Epstein produced the track, overseeing both the theatrical arrangements and the studio recording.

When was this version of "Leave" released?

It was released on March 13, 2012 as part of the album Once: A New Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording).

Who wrote "Leave"?

The song was written by Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard.

Where does "Leave" appear in the stage musical?

It is the first full song in Act 1 after the instrumental prelude "The North Strand," sung by Guy as he busks on a Dublin street and considers giving up music.

How is the Broadway version different from Glen Hansard’s earlier recording?

The Broadway cut is a little slower and more spacious, with a stronger dynamic build and a more dramatic high belt at the end, tailored to showcase Steve Kazee’s voice and to function as a stage-opening statement.

What key and tempo is "Leave" usually performed in on Broadway?

The cast album version sits in E major with a slow, lilting feel in roughly the low 60s BPM, giving it the feel of a dark waltz rather than a straight pop power ballad.

What vocal range does "Leave" cover for the role of Guy?

In this arrangement, the line typically spans from low baritone territory around B2 up to a sustained mix or belt around C5, with the heaviest demands in the upper middle of the range on repeated cries of the title word.

Does "Leave" use any notable vocal techniques?

Yes. Teachers often point to Kazee’s use of vowel modification on the repeated high "leave" - he subtly shifts the vowel shape as he goes higher so the notes stay focused, powerful, and sustainable across eight shows a week.

Is "Leave" connected to any major awards?

While the song itself was not singled out for awards, the cast album that features it won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, and Once as a musical collected multiple Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Actor for Steve Kazee.

How do the lyrics deepen our understanding of Guy’s character?

They show him as bitterly self-aware: he jokes about being fully capable of disappointing himself and calls out his ex’s "habit" of late-arriving honesty. That mix of sarcasm and vulnerability sets up his guardedness in later scenes with Girl.

Why do actors and coaches gravitate toward "Leave" as a study piece?

It combines clear storytelling, an accessible folk-rock groove, and a challenging vocal climax, making it a great laboratory for learning how to build a song from quiet hurt to full-voiced release without losing textual clarity.

Is "Leave" ever used outside the context of the show?

Yes. Kazee’s recording has been used in contemporary dance works and standalone concerts; its clear narrative arc and slow-burn build make it a favorite for solo pieces that explore heartbreak and letting go.

What makes "Leave" stand out among the other songs in Once?

It is one of the most nakedly furious tracks in a score that often leans toward quiet melancholy. Opening with it tells the audience that this story is not just wistful; it has teeth and a protagonist who is still burning.

Awards and Chart Positions

As a standalone track, "Leave" was not released as a charting single, but its impact is tied to the success of the cast album and the musical.

Album-level recognition

• The album Once: A New Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording), which features "Leave" as track 2, debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Cast Albums chart shortly after release.
• The same album went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, with Steve Kazee and Cristin Milioti listed as principal soloists and Steven Epstein and Martin Lowe as producers.
• The show Once itself collected eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Actor in a Musical for Steve Kazee, raising the profile of every track on the recording, "Leave" very much included.

How to Sing "Leave"

From a singer’s point of view, "Leave" is a classic slow-burn baritone showcase: deceptively simple at the top, then suddenly fierce by the end. It is also a great case study in how not to wreck your voice on a big belt - Steve Kazee’s vocal journey on the role is a cautionary tale about how demanding this material can be eight times a week.

Core metrics

• Suggested key: E major (standard cast album key)
• Approximate tempo: about 60–66 BPM, in a slow 3/4 pulse
• Time signature: 3/4, with a strong "one" that keeps it grounded
• Vocal range (Guy): roughly B2 to C5 in this arrangement
• Primary challenges: sustained high phrases on the word "leave," managing grit without strain, and keeping text clarity while the intensity spikes

Step-by-step approach

1. Lock in the tempo and feel. Practice the song first as a spoken monologue over a metronome set around 62 BPM in 3/4. Count "1-2-3, 1-2-3" and feel the lyric fall naturally across the bar. The groove should feel like a slow waltz, not a dirge.
2. Sort out diction and storytelling. Before worrying about big notes, speak and then lightly sing the verses on a comfortable mid-range pitch. Aim for clear consonants on the hard-edged words (truth, habit, long, hand) while keeping the line conversational. This song sounds best when it feels like speech lifted onto pitch.
3. Plan your breathing. Mark breath points before each big "leave" in the chorus. Take low, silent breaths that expand the ribs and back rather than shrugging the shoulders. Because the climaxes are on long, held words, you want to start each one with full lungs and a relaxed throat.
4. Shape the vowels on "leave." Follow the lead of the cast recording and let the pure "ee" vowel round very slightly as you ascend - somewhere toward "ih" or even a hint of "eh." You are not changing the word so much as giving the sound more space. This small adjustment helps you avoid the tight, pinched sound that tires the voice.
5. Build the emotional arc through dynamics. Map out a clear plan: verse 1 almost under the breath, first chorus medium, second verse a touch more energized, and the final chorus blazing. Practice crescendos across lines rather than jumping suddenly loud, so the song feels like one long escalation instead of a switch flipping halfway through.
6. Coordinate ensemble moments or doubles. If you are singing with guitar, practice the pattern slowly until your right hand can keep the waltz accompaniment going without thought. Then layer the vocal on top and notice any spots where the rhythm wants to rush as you get louder. For studio-style doubles (common on covers), keep secondary takes slightly darker and less intense so they support rather than compete with the lead.
7. Mic technique for live performance. On a handheld mic, sing the quiet verses close to the capsule, then pull back a little - even a handspan - on the biggest "leave" cries. This lets you keep the same physical effort while preventing distortion and keeping the lyric intelligible.
8. Watch for pitfalls. The main danger zones: going full blast on every chorus, locking the larynx high on the first big belt, or copying Kazee’s rasp without his training. If you feel the need to push harder than about 7 out of 10 effort, dial back and redistribute the intensity into phrasing and acting instead of sheer volume.

Practice materials and strategies

• Start by listening to both the Swell Season/Hansard version and the Broadway cast version back-to-back to hear how the same song can live in slightly different keys and textures.
• Work with a stripped-down piano or guitar reduction at first rather than the full cast track so you are not tempted to oversing.
• Use a simple five-note exercise on the word "leave," starting in mid-range and gliding up by semitone, focusing on vowel shape and release on the "v" consonant.
• If you plan to perform it regularly, consider working with a voice teacher on sustainable belt technique; Kazee’s own vocal injury during the run of Once is a reminder that this material is no joke when done night after night.

Additional Info

Once the musical exploded faster than anyone involved expected. As Rolling Stone reported in its coverage of the 2012 Tony Awards, the show swept eight awards, including Best Musical and Best Actor for Steve Kazee, turning a small off-Broadway experiment into a commercial and critical hit. That wave of attention carried this track along with the more famous "Falling Slowly."

The cast album’s acoustic approach also stood out in a Broadway landscape loaded with big-band spectacle. According to the New York Times, the show’s sound world - actor-musicians on guitar, violin, cello, accordion, and cajon - came closer to chamber music than to a traditional pit orchestra, and "Leave" is one of the purest distillations of that idea: no chorus, no big modulation, just a man and his guitar under a quiet storm of strings.

The path from film to stage was far from guaranteed. A long-form oral history in 2017 traced how Glen Hansard initially worried that a stage adaptation might flatten his fragile film into something generic. Those fears eased when he met the eventual leads, Steve Kazee and Cristin Milioti, in an Irish pub jam session where they were, quite literally, tested on their folk chops. "Leave" made the jump not just because it was a strong song, but because it expressed what Hansard once called the central tension of the story: wanting to move on and wanting to hold on at the same time.

In parallel, Hansard’s Oscar win for "Falling Slowly" put Once firmly on the radar of the rock and folk press. NME magazine noted how that Academy Award suddenly thrust the Frames’ guitarist and his tiny Irish film into global visibility, paving the way for the musical that would later spin "Leave" into a new theatrical life. Years later, critical surveys of modern movie musicals still cite Once as a touchstone for low-budget, songwriter-driven storytelling.

Key Contributors

Sources: Once: A New Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording) liner and label credits; Masterworks Broadway press and chart announcements; Broadway and theatre press coverage; Musical Theatre Resources voice training article; Sketchy Details listening guide; Consequence oral history of Once; MTI show synopsis; Grammy and Billboard chart records; Rolling Stone and New York Times reporting on Once.