Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: psych-rock
Song Meaning of “Leonard” by Sharon Van Etten
Leonard by Sharon Van Etten paints a vivid and haunting portrait of heartbreak. The lyrics tell the story of a woman left standing in the wake of a relationship built on broken promises. She recounts how he promised her the world but all he ever gave her were lies. As the relationship progresses, she becomes increasingly vulnerable and fractured until he finally up and leaves her.
The song is filled with raw emotion as it speaks to the devastating effects of a broken heart. The lyrics depict how the pain of being rejected and feeling abandoned seeps through to her every pore and how his absence left her feeling unable to love ever again. Despite the sorrow, there is still a glimmer of hope implied in her singing “Sometimes I can still feel the sun”, which suggests that if she finds the strength to weather the hurt, one day she’ll feel the warmth of the sun on her skin again.
Leonard is, in its essence, a song of profound sadness and hurt. Yet the last lines offer a somber but soothing insight; that one day her wounds will heal and the sun will shine again.