I figured I'd post this here instead of creating a new thread. I just wanted to talk about how great the lyrics are. It might be one of JLB's finest moments lyrically.
I finally looked the lyrics over in detail and yeah, in particular the context of the words, "don't leave me now", in each part of the song really stood out to me.
As we know, the song is about trying to hold together a relationship after something traumatic happens to one of the partners in the relationship. More specifically, JLB said it's about a girl who was raped, and the strain that it put on her relationship with her partner.
So the first part of the lyrics, it's the boyfriend/husband, trying to get through to her, trying to get her to trust him, to open up, to keep what they have alive, and telling her, "Don't leave me now," I know that it's hard, but just stay with me, we can get through this. It's such a struggle and he's at wit's end, trying to get through to her.
But when the quiet section kicks in, the perspective shifts to the woman, an internal dialogue, the inner struggle that she's feeling, "not admitting what I've lost is still in you". And at the end, "Don't leave me now," is coming from her, finally breaking down and reaching out for his support, because she's at wit's end with her emotional state, which she doesn't want to be in. It's not just a phrase repeating itself, it takes on a whole new meaning. Maybe it's very B-line and obvious to some of you, I don't know, but I thought it was very nicely nuanced, and I just wanted to point it out and, well, show my appreciation.