Dave’s “Lesley” Lyrics Meaning

This song is about a particular lady named “Lesley” whom, as illustrated in the first verse, Dave met one day as they rode the same train. As time progressed he actually befriended her and started to become alarmed concerning her circumstances. For instance, when asked what she is currently doing in life, her response was “I don’t know myself no more”. And whereas this may not be literally what she said, overall such a statement is generally symbolic of an individual having some sort of mental issues.

Lesley is Depressed and Stressed

Meanwhile the second verse is centered on Lesley’s past. Dave depicts her as someone who used to be an infectiously-lively individual. But as alluded to earlier, she is now woefully-depressed. And to make a long story short, the source of said depression is that Lesley is committed to an abusive romantic partner. Or another way of phrasing the scenario, at least from Dave’s perspective, is that she fell in love with the wrong dude. And on top of the physical abuse he subjects her to, it seems that “Jason”, as he is called, also impregnated her. 

So basically the story plays out that, on top of the depression she developed from being abused, she is now additionally stressed out in anticipation of a child that she is not in the position to properly cater for economically, especially considering that she and Jason have broken up. But Dave eventually convinces her that life is a gift, and her disposition changes, as in she begins to become excited about the prospect of having a baby.

Sometimes shortly afterwards Lesley starts to date Jason again.  Now there’s another character in the song named “Hannah”.  Hannah is Lesley’s best friend and the one whom she is confiding in throughout her ordeal.  You can also say that Hannah is the voice of reason throughout, as Lesley seems hesitant to tell her that she become re-involved with the woman-beating Jason.

Big Time Betrayal

So the story climaxes as follows. Lesley did in fact get back with Jason but never told him that she was pregnant with his child. Then on the day she finally decides to do so, she discovers Jason in the bedroom with another woman. Amidst the commotion she reveals to him that she is in fact pregnant, which gets him quite upset considering she hasn’t told him earlier.  And in her distress, she remembers Hannah and other of her “girls” who were warning her about Jason.

Meanwhile Jason is hiding the woman whom he was having an affair with from Lesley by making her hide in the wardrobe of the bedroom. But Lesley is insistent on seeing who it is. A scuffle ensues between she and Jason as a result of that. Now Jason is of course “bigger than” she is. And he loses his cool and starts beating her profusely. So eventually the police have to intervene, and upon their arrival he flees. Then upon investigating the crime scene it seems to be revealed – and this is the story’s shocking twist if you will – that whom Jason was in the room bonking was none other than Hannah, Lesley’s best friend.

Lesley goes into Coma

So at the end of the day Lesley is left in a coma due to the brain damage she suffered as a result of Jason assaulting her. 

Is this a True Story?

While it is not disclosed in this particular song, it appears that “Lesley” is actually the story of one of Dave’s relatives. Moreover his purpose for recounting her harrowing ordeal in is to let other women know something very important. And this is to let them know that they do not have to tolerate such treatment from men, despite the fact that said individuals will try to “twist” things around to make it seem like it’s their own faults that they are being abused.

Now on a more-positive note, the song concludes with Dave having another conversation with Lesley. But this time around she has progressed in her “career and life”. And all things considered, it seems that she is moving on nicely without Jason. And accordingly Dave is congratulating her for getting her emotions and livelihood in order.

Conclusion

So at the end of the day this track serves as sort of a public-service announcement – albeit a lengthy and detailed one. But the fact that Dave has dedicated 11 hard minutes to getting this story across more than anything illustrates how passionate he is about its subject matter. Indeed some men are like that, as the idea of women being physically abused worries them to the point where they have to speak out. And upon witnessing this himself Dave not only tries to help this person he is personally acquainted with but also encourage those whom he will never meet that are experiencing the same to likewise overcome such a situation.

Facts about “Lesley”

“Lesley” was produced by Fraser T. Smith. Smith also co-wrote the song along with Maggie Eckford and Dave.

This song came out via a label called Neighbourhood Records on 8 March 2019. It was one of the tracks on Dave’s maiden album, “Psychodrama”.

On the closing track of the album, which is entitled “Drama”, Dave seemingly reveals that the story of “Lesley” is actually based on an ordeal one of his relatives went through.

This song features the vocals of American singer Ruelle (“Maggie”). FYI, Maggie is also one of the co-writers of “Lesley”.