'Leavin's the Least I Could Do' by Morgan Wallen - Lyrics and Meaning

Since 2021's release of Dangerous: The Double Album, Morgan Wallen has been on the fast track to country music superstardom.

Bolstered by 2023's standout record, One Thing At A Time, the Tennessee native has become the biggest name in the format, even infiltrating across genre lines and landing singles atop the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.

After a little over two years, the award-winning entertainer has finally arrived with a new batch of music in the form of his 37-track opus, I'm the Problem, arriving May 16 and sprawling with his next era of record-breaking hits and beloved fan-favorites.

Coming way down as the 25th track on the album, ‘Leavin’s The Least I Could Do’ is a vulnerable offering from Wallen, telling a story in which he fully embraces the idea that he's the problem. Being aware of the breakdown of a relationship, he thinks the very best thing he could do is leave, and sometimes that’s the harsh reality.

Fuelled by acoustic guitar picking, this track has a slight melancholy feeling to it – but is more reflective rather than sad. Wallen’s heartfelt voice tells the story well as drums only kick in when we reach the chorus, remaining relatively low-key throughout.

Some bass in the background adds another layer of texture, as that guitar picking ties each verse together. An electric guitar solo fills space nicely before the emotional peak in the song’s bridge.

‘Leavin’s The Least I Could Do’ is a step away from some of the album’s poppier moments, making a nice live acoustic number from Wallen in the future.

"You see the way that I look out the window
I see the way that you lean on the wine
Why we lyin’ what we tryin’ to pretend for
We both know we got goodbye on our minds

Couple broke hearts runnin’ on fumes
Last time I wanna see you cry
So I’ma do what you’ll never do"

We’ve all been in the position where we’re looking out the window, watching the world go by and not really knowing how to feel about what’s happening in our mind.

On ‘Leavin’s The Least I Could Do’, we’re invited to look into the relationship of a couple who are in the midst of a breakup – one that’s hard to look in the eye. Whilst it can be easier to pretend that things are okay, to keep going rather than face reality, it doesn’t stop that possibility of goodbye from being there and, as time goes on, it might be starting to look like the better option.

One of those situations that are hard to witness, he doesn’t want to see his partner hurting any longer. Our narrator recognises that when things aren’t right, taking the harder road can ultimately lead to a better destination.

It’s not going to stop it from hurting for either one in the relationship, but when they’re "runnin’ on fumes", trying to force things to keep going might be too tiring. Especially when they’ve been running on “near-empty” for a while.

"We had a good run, it’s time to walk away
We done said it all, so all I got to say is
Don’t say don’t baby, let me just do it
For good kinda gone like there ain’t nothing to it
Open your eyes ain't no sense in us seein’ it through
Startin’ a fight every time after drinkin’ a few
I’m gettin’ tired of just tryin’ to get even with you
You’ll thank me later baby leavin’s the least I could do"

In a reflective chorus, the protagonist takes a look back on the relationship, knowing that they had a good run but that run might have come to an end.

Up until this point, the breakup has felt pretty even, but as he sings "Don’t say don’t baby, let me just do it", there might be some reluctance from the other side – is this a joint decision?

The arguments and fights have built up over time and now they’re just too much to ignore. You can’t always work through the low points and as our narrator suggests, closing that chapter might be the answer they need to turn to.

As tough as the moment might be, he comes to the conclusion that "you’ll thank me later baby leavin’s the least I could do."

"Don’t even try to call me up and talk me out of it
I’ll be runnin’ every horse underneath the hood
Ain’t like we didn’t see this going off the tracks comin’
It wasn’t all that bad"

From the sound of it, when the decision has been made there’s no turning back.

Although it wasn’t all bad, our narrator doesn’t want to be pulled back into trying again – it might just be one try too many. He’s hitting the road, heading out of town and looking for a fresh start.

"I could be the bad guy if it’s gonna put an end to the struggle
Ain’t nothin’ gonna save us so I might as well just save you the troubleWe had a good run, it’s time to walk away
We done said it all, so all I got to say is
Don’t say don’t baby, let me just do it
For good kinda gone like there ain’t nothing to it
Open your eyes ain't no sense in us seein’ it through
Startin’ a fight every time after drinkin’ a few
I’m gettin’ tired of just tryin’ to get even with you
You’ll thank me later baby leavin’s the least I could do"

In a way that not only summarises this song, but is perhaps a theme of the album as a whole, our narrator is prepared to be the bad guy, to hold his hands up and say that "I’m the Problem".

Whether this is one last act of kindness, a confession or something else, he seems to be prepared to make the harder choice and leave if it’s going to make things easier for who he’s leaving behind – in his eyes, it’s what he needs to do to "put an end to the struggle."

A hero? Perhaps not.

We’re only getting a three-minute glimpse into what seems to be quite a long relationship, so who’s to say. However, even as he’s walking away, he’s not forgetting the good times too. "We had a good run", he reminds himself, but even good runs have to come to an end sometimes.

As is often the case of late, the ‘Thought You Should Know’ singer-songwriter has so far remained tight-lipped on how the song came about.

However, when revealing the release date for I'm the Problem, Wallen provided fans with an insight into the theme of introspection that courses through the project as a whole.

“I have been a problem, for sure, and I've got no problem admitting that. But there are other sides to me as well," he explained. "I've spent the last 11 months really trying to figure out, 'Do I still want to be the problem? Is it time to move past that phase in my life? I think it probably is, and this might be the last time I get a chance to honestly say it.”

You see the way that I look out the window
I see the way that you lean on the wine
Why we lyin’ what we tryin’ to pretend for
We both know we got goodbye on our minds

Couple broke hearts runnin’ on fumes
Last time I wanna see you cry
So I’ma do what you’ll never do

We had a good run, it’s time to walk away
We done said it all, so all I got to say is
Don’t say don’t baby, let me just do it
For good kinda gone like there ain’t nothing to it
Open your eyes ain't no sense in us seein’ it through
Startin’ a fight every time after drinkin’ a few
I’m gettin’ tired of just tryin’ to get even with you
You’ll thank me later baby leavin’s the least I could do

Don’t even try to call me up and talk me out of it
I’ll be runnin’ every horse underneath the hood
Ain’t like we didn’t see this going off the tracks comin’
It wasn’t all that bad

We had a good run, it’s time to walk away
We done said it all, so all I got to say is
Don’t say don’t baby, let me just do it
For good kinda gone like there ain’t nothing to it
Open your eyes ain't no sense in us seein’ it through
Startin’ a fight every time after drinkin’ a few
I’m gettin’ tired of just tryin’ to get even with you
You’ll thank me later baby leavin’s the least I could do

I could be the bad guy if it’s gonna put an end to the struggle
Ain’t nothin’ gonna save us so I might as well just save you the trouble

We had a good run, it’s time to walk away
We done said it all, so all I got to say is
Don’t say don’t baby, let me just do it
For good kinda gone like there ain’t nothing to it
Open your eyes ain't no sense in us seein’ it through
Startin’ a fight every time after drinkin’ a few
I’m gettin’ tired of just tryin’ to get even with you
You’ll thank me later baby leavin’s the least I could do

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