Wiki
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Length
3:13
"All You Had to Do Was Stay" is about a former lover who keeps trying to enter the singer's life again after leaving her and causing a lot of emotional pain. The verses of the song describe how the singer still has feelings for this person and wants to believe that they have changed. However, the chorus reveals the main theme of the song, which is that the person could have prevented the breakup if they had just stayed and worked on their relationship.
The post-chorus lyrics "All you had to do was stay" are repeated throughout the song to emphasize that the fault of the failed relationship was entirely on the former lover's choice to leave. The bridge of the song suggests that the former lover is now regretting their decision and wants to come back into the singer's life, but the singer thinks it's too late for reconciliation.
Overall, the song is a message to someone who has caused the singer heartbreak and regrets, and the singer is telling them that they only have themselves to blame for the result of their relationship. The sadness and frustration in the song reveal the pain caused by being left by someone who did not value the relationship.
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