I've been sittin' here, starin' at the clock on the wall
And I've been layin' here, prayin'
Prayin' she won't call
It's just another call from home, and you'll get it
And be gone, and I'll be cryin'

And I'll be beggin' you, baby
Beg you not to leave
But I'll be left here waitin'
My heart on my sleeve
Oh, for the next time we'll be here
Seems like a million years, and I think I'm dyin'

What do I have to do to make you see
She can't love you like me?

[Chorus]
Why don't you stay?
I'm down on my knees
I'm so tired of bein' lonely
Don't I give you what you need?
When she calls you to go
There is one thing you should know
We don't have to live this way
Baby, why don't you stay?

You keep tellin' me, baby
There will come a time
When you will leave her arms
And forever be in mine
But I don't think that's the truth
And I don't like bein' used, and I'm tired of waitin'

It's too much pain to have to bear
To love a man you have to share

[Chorus]

I can't take it any longer, but my will is gettin' stronger
And I think I know just what I have to do
I can't waste another minute
After all that I've put in it
I've given you my best
Why does she get the best of you?

So next time you find you wanna leave her bed for mine

Why don't you stay?
I'm up off my knees
I'm so tired of bein' lonely
You can't give me what I need
When she begs you not to go
There is one thing you should know
I don't have to live this way

Baby, why don't you stay?



Lyrics submitted by Crazeysexycool

Track duration: 04:44

"Stay" as written by John Shanks, Miley Cyrus

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, EMI Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Stay song meanings
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44 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:I heard about this song from my younger cousin, who said she had a "cute" song she wanted me to hear. She played the video for me On Demand, and I broke down in tears, it was that amazing. Especially when she started crying; I just completely lost it.

    I don't normally go for country music, and I detest songs about cheating, but this song just blows me away. Simple, straightforward, and no explanation needed. Listen to it back-to-back with Faith Hill's Cry and I swear you'll be sobbing for a good half hour, at least!(They just happen to be on my playlist in that order. Ugh.)

    cruzntopless, while I don't condone cheating(been cheated on WAAAY too many times to make that leap), there ARE exceptions to every rule. Now, if the woman went into the relationship KNOWING "her" man was married, then, the ho got what she deserved. However, what if, like so many situations, she didn't know he was married until it was WAY too late to back out of? Like they'd been together a couple of years with him successfully hiding his marital status up to that point? Or if he told his lover that he was married, but separated or in the middle of a divorce, then strung them both along until she realized the truth of the situation? And while you and I might have left as soon as we realized something like this was going on, a woman in love wants to believe the best in her man. And it's so much easier for the "other woman" to believe a man's lies: He's not in love with his wife, but staying for the sake of the kids, or because she's sick(physically or mentally), or because she'd ruin him financially or the millions of other lies that can fall from a man's lips so very easily. As long as one or both women involved don't start "nagging," the only one truly happy in that situation is HIM.

    Anyway, awesome song, phenomenal video, excellent artists!
    Flag lanakaelon August 13, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Sugarland puts so much emotion into it that you can tell she was seriously hurt.

    With the vague words, it makes me want to view it as both females could have been in the start of the relationship (maybe she didn't know how long for the other woman) and she was waiting for him to drop the other woman with all the promises he (men) made just to keep her lured in for however long he want her to be with him.

    Since women fall too hard after bedding together, it does lead me to believe that she was the second woman in a married relationship. One thing leads to another when your attracted to someone and reality is not at-hand so he didn't stop it in the first place. He wanted a piece of that cake and eat it too just like the typical lifetime single man today who will probably always will be. There is no satisfying a man like that huh?

    I don't think any band members were that because he was probably understanding that it wasn't nice of him to do that to her. I have seen it too but not sure how much was hidden. I have had an invite with a married man but I very much so declined it, because I don't want that to happen to me if something ever comes around. Wake up women, if he as already made his bed, he is not going anywhere, You are just the side dish, he won't ever leave her for you!!!!! All you do is promote this in all men then nobody is happy and once you go away and then the wife finds out then he won't pick either of those two in the end.

    She does show alot of power when she can't take it any longer for waiting and "I'm up off my knees" and maybe that "stay" is now stay where you are in her bed and now you can't "stay" with me. It is not easy being drawn into that situation especially when you have no clue whats going on but once you find out, you should immediately drop him. I am sure there are clues when you can't enter his house and everything is set away from the home town. Even if he has kids, watch out he still has to see her once in a while!!
    Flag LillyXiuon July 06, 2011   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:When I listen to this song, it is obviously about the other woman hurting because the married man won't leave his wife.

    But also think about a woman falling in love, but the man cannot leave his mother. She won't allow him to move on and be happy with the woman he loves. She constantly causes hell in their relationship because she wants to know her son is still loyal to her (I've been praying she won't call).

    But a man can't choose his mother over his wife and have a healthy marriage. Finally, his wife decides she doesn't have to live this way, and decides to leave her husband (here is where all those cheating lines come in "she can't love you like me," "to love a man you have to share" "I've given you my best, why does she get the best of you?"

    It breaks her heart because she is so in love with this man, and she doesn't want to leave him. So she asks him to start putting her first, and to put their marriage first, because she is fed up and to her, if he isn't willing to put more effort into their marriage, the only other option is leaving him, and finding happiness on her own.
    Flag Psuedonameon May 26, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i can say as someone who NEVER in a million years ever thought i could be the "other woman", it's the most painful thing in the world to be in love with someone who is married. obviously as a woman i would never be with a guy who is married, i would never do that to his wife. so technically, no, i have not been the "other woman", but in many ways i can empathize with her because i am in love with someone who is married, a friend of mine who is unhappily married and always saying they will never last. it's hard to understand if you've never felt it and people will always say there are other fish in the sea and you need to move on but believe me it is not that easy. i've never felt my emotions this out of control before. to first realize you are falling in love with someone who is married.. you blame them, then you blame yourself, then you are angry with yourself for being "that girl" and you lose respect for yourself and deem yourseld "messed up". then after the pain gets worse you just feel sad. sad that you are in love with someone who you can't have knowing that we CAN NOT CHOOSE WHO WE LOVE, but also being sad because you feel bad about the whole situation. being sad that you can't make yourself happy anymore. that someone has gotten the best of you. sad that you feel like this and sorry for yourself because you know you deserve love and happiness. to know that anything you could accomplish in your life and achieve would pale in comparison to getting to be with this person. really be with them without feeling guilty or ashamed. that is the hardest reality to face and it tears me up inside constantly because all i can think about is him. that is love. for those of you who have fallen in love with someone you CAN have, who loves you back and only you, who has not promised his/her self to someone else.. you are very lucky. to have people constantly ask you, why don't you have a boyfriend?, why don't you date more?. you can't tell them the truth because they will judge you and they may repeat it. you keep it bottled in and it eats at you. but yes, cheating is wrong. i fully believe that. but before you judge someone who has feelings for a married man, try to put yourself in her shoes. it is heart wrenching to go through that and i would not wish it upon my worst enemy.
    Flag itskammyon May 17, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:you can say what you want and call the other girl a whore and say she is so horrible and the poor wife, and so on! but i will say this men are real decietful and the other woman could have meet this guy, fell in love and then found out he had a wife, months or even years later and shes so in love its hard to just walk away at the drop of a dime!! DONT JUDGE ANYONE WITHOUT FULL KNOWLEDGE OF THIER SITUATION!!! great song!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Flag casObaybay12on January 15, 2011   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:i believe that maybe she's having an affair with the cosinger of this song because if you watch in the video they show him tearing up, idk that's just my thoughts. but i know that she's a very strong woman, any woman that's strong enough to walk away from that sort of situation is an amazing woman in my eyes.
    My mom and i sing this song all the time. we've both experienced something like this in our life, it's our favorite song to sing out of all the sugarland cd's. I love Sugarland so much this is such a beautiful song.
    Flagged Samiepinkerzon September 27, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I love watching her sing this song. She gets so emotional. You see hope in her eyes and pain... I like how she tries to reason with him, "I can make you happy".. I was the other woman. Did it for a few years and now that I quit that and am trying to have some thing real, my recents all are trying to get even with me. Even for what? I have no idea. I imagine it's karma getting even for that wife I hurt. My current b/f claimed to have gotten even with me. My last ex thinks he's getting even with me. Don't know. I am sure I have it coming. 5 years w/ someone else's husband. Yeah.. guess I don't deserve happiness. Just a bunch of cheats thinking they going to teach me a thing or 2.

    ----Love this song.. having been the other woman myself, this song hits it right on the head. Sucks, shitty decisions we make but.. I'm sorry, I did it. This song hits every feeling you go through when making this shitty decision.
    Flag turnedMyExIntoAnAsson August 10, 2010   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:i love this song. but it pisses me off the same time. I don't feel sorry for the homewrecker. and the man is a piece of a shit. Poor wife.
    Flag AshCadon August 09, 2010   Link
  • +2
    Song Meaning:I know most hear this song as if she is the mistress.....I did at first too, and hated this song! Then I discovered that my husband of 12 years had created a separate life for himself with another woman--for 3+ years before I found out. I heard the song in a different way and it spoke volumes to me--I was the wife, but had been made to feel like the "other woman"...and I heard the song from that stand point. After, wanting to try and work things out...because we have kids...I had a light bulb moment--realized I'm better than anything he could offer and my life is better without him!! Me and my kids are better for the decision I made!
    Flag KaytieDydon May 18, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song makes me SICK!! My husband downloaded it to his iPod and he and his homewrecker sing it to each other. They are now living together while I care for his kids and his other responsibilites. I wish the homewrecker was moral enough to just give up on him like in the song, especially when she found out he had 3 small kids. What is happening to our society that not only we do these things, but we sing about them?
    Flag somuchemotionon April 25, 2010   Link

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