'All I Ever Do Is Leave' by Luke Combs - Lyrics & Meaning

It's likely difficult being a touring musician with a family at home. Important moments are missed and time gets lost while out on the road, in between selling out stadiums, headlining festivals and sharing music with fans.

This is a recurring theme in Luke Combs' latest album of father-son anthems. The record's 'All I Ever Do Is Leave' is one such offering, chronicling absence, longing but also understanding as the artist juggles family and fame.

'All I Ever Do Is Leave' is a bright acoustic track, full of airy keys and strums that shimmer like silver linings. It's among the punchier of the collection's 12 tracks, most of them gently arranged and even keeled.

While this tune deals with the weighty subjects of being gone and missing out, the composition sounds triumphant and hopeful. And, overall, the song is full of both hope and triumph, because no matter how long the artist has been away or how many times he has to leave, he knows that love remains in his absence.

"Worn-out stitches on a baseball up against the wall
Me and myself trying to play catch
'Cause Daddy ain't home yet
I was Batman and Robin, and the Joker, too
It was Gotham City lonesome in the living room
And Mama'd say, 'You pray
'Cause your Daddy's gonna be late'"

Opening the track, the artist examines his own childhood and his relationship with his father. A young Combs is left to play catch and stage a game of superheroes by himself because his dad is working late.

This is a really disheartening scenario and you feel for the young Combs, but he assures that it wasn't all bad.

"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"

Their family was taken care of and they never went without love growing up. As a child, the artist thought all his dad ever did was leave, but he was actually providing, and still around to do things like play Tooth Fairy, take out the trash and make the family feel loved.

When the chorus plays again, Combs flips the script because now he's in his father's position, having to leave and provide for his family. His own son is now the one left to throw:

"Worn-out stitches on a baseball up against the wall
Him and himself trying to play catch
'Cause I ain't home yet"

But the artist learned from his father that being away doesn't mean you have to be gone. "The lights stay on somehow / And love fills up our little house," he sings, praying that his children don't think that "All I ever do is leave."

Worn-out stitches on a baseball up against the wall
Me and myself trying to play catch
'Cause Daddy ain't home yet
I was Batman and Robin, and the Joker, too
It was Gotham City lonesome in the living 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
When 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
Him and himself trying to play catch
'Cause I ain't home yet

But the lights stay 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

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