When You’re Gone
Producers
You never know how good you have it, oh-oh
Until you're starin' at a picture of the only girl that matters, ah-ah
[Pre-Chorus]
I know what we're supposed to do
It's hard for me to let go of you
So I'm just tryna hold on
[Chorus]
Hold on
I don't wanna know what it's like when you're gone
I don't wanna move on
I don't wanna know what it's like when you're gone for good
You're slippin' through my fingertips
A little bit by a little bit
I didn't know that loving you was the happiest I've ever been
So I'm just tryna hold on
[Verse 2]
I need to learn how to cope without you
I'm tryna protect myself but only you know how to, yeah
[Pre-Chorus]
Oh, I know what we're supposed to do
Oh, but I hate the thought of losing you
So I'm just tryna hold on
Hold on
I don't wanna know what it's like when you'rе gone
I don't wanna move on
I don't wanna know what it's like whеn you're gone for good
You're slippin' through my fingertips
A little bit by a little bit
I didn't know that loving you was the happiest I've ever been
So I'm just tryna hold on
[Bridge]
Startin' to feel like you don't need me
Wanna believe it's all for the better
It's gettin' real, I'm missing you deeply
So I'm just tryna hold on
Startin' to feel like you don't need me
Wanna believe it's all for the better
It's gettin' real, I'm missing you deeply
So I'm just tryna hold on
[Chorus]
Hold on
I don't wanna know what it's like when you're gone
I don't wanna move on
I don't wanna know what it's like when you're gone for good
You're slippin' through my fingertips
A little bit by a little bit
I didn't know that loving you was the happiest I've ever been (Oh, I've ever been)
So I'm just tryna hold on
I'm just tryna hold on
About
“When You’re Gone” is a raw, vulnerable breakup song about Mendes’s ex-girlfriend Camila Cabello. Shawn Mendes heart-wrenchingly describes all the feelings he’s had about this particularly difficult breakup.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
I wrote this a couple, like a month after Camila [Cabello] and I split up. It’s interesting, because I think after you get over, like, the shock, of just like “wow, I’m not gonna see that person every day,” comes in the way that you realise you were relying on that person. And for me, Camila was a lot of my support system, and kind of realising “okay, I’ve gotta be there and cope by myself and for myself, and a lot of that just came through in the song, and… a lot of that is very true to me, and it feels right […] It doesn’t have to stay that way, but it’s nice to get it while it’s there.
When speaking with Genius VERIFIED, Shawn stated,
The song actually started like a real slow ballad. It was right after “It’ll Be Okay” came out and we were, like, inspired by ballads. Jonah [Shy], who produced the song, came over, a young kid from New York. He just immediately like pulled it up and was, like sped it up by 50 BPM, and we got to where we got.
- 2.SPACE MAN
- 3.Bam Bam
- 4.Potion
- 8.Big Energy
- 10.IFTK
- 11.BMW
- 12.Stay The Night
- 13.Good Luck
- 15.Hard 2 Forget
- 16.When You’re Gone
- 17.In The Stars
- 18.Love Me More
- 20.My Love
- 22.Bad Life
- 23.SUPERMODEL
- 24.Stefania
- 25.Hold My Hand
- 28.First Class
- 29.Cooped Up
- 30.Thousand Miles
- 31.21 Reasons
- 32.Run
- 33.Mixed Emotions
- 35.Baby
- 36.Charmer
- 37.Honest
- 38.Remind Me
- 39.Getting Started
- 41.Better Days
- 42.Questions
- 43.Goodbye
- 44.Flowers
- 45.Colours Of You
- 46.All For You
- 47.You Only Want Me