Drew Smith - Leaf by Leaf


April 06, 2025

IMC Listening guide

Best weather to enjoy this song


Sunny day

Best time to listen


Dusk reflections

Best place to listen


At home, Before bedtime

Does this song haunt the silence?


Melody lingers

Goosebumps scale


Chills guaranteed

Our thoughts

Have you ever heard an angel sing? Click play and discover the incredible voice of Drew Smith. He’s from Burlington, Ontario (Canada), and some of his songs already ended up on TV and in movies.

A folk love song with brass? Sounds weird, right? And yet… he went for it. And it works.

The song moves forward quietly, like a love story that takes its time and ends up bringing you something really beautiful. And if, like us, you just became parents, it might hit right where it’s most fragile.

There’s emotion everywhere. In the voice, in the melody, in the strange mix of instruments that shouldn’t go well together, but still do.
Total crush.

Drew Smith's take on "Leaf by Leaf"

I usually write songs very slowly, but for the most part, this song was written in a few hours. The lyrics quickly followed. I knew early on that it was a song about love, with the focus being on how people decide to grow their love. At one point, the song had a more extensive production behind it, but I felt it was much better in a stripped-down format.

A bit more about Drew Smith

Drew Smith is a songwriter from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Drew’s first album Fossils (2007) garnered national attention and subsequently saw multiple song placements in television and film. Most notably, his song Melee was featured in 2009’s The Stepfather (film and soundtrack). Smith’s follow up album The Secret Languages (2012) was featured in The New York Times and The Times of India after his video for Smoke and Mirrors went viral. Drew continues to write songs (for himself and others) from his home in Burlington, Ontario.

Reach out to Drew Smith

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Lyrics

How will your love grow?
Leaf by leaf, row on row.
How will your love grow?
Root by root, miles below.
How will my love know.
How will your love show?
Bit by bit, or something more.
How will your love show?
On the bed, or out the door.
How will my love know.
We’ve come a long way,
And there’s still a long way yet.
Don’t leave it to somedays,
Cause somedays are not for sure.
How will my love know.

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If you enjoyed this song, consider supporting the artist directly on platforms like Bandcamp, Patreon, and Twitch whenever possible. Streaming services are great for discovery, but they rarely provide fair compensation for musicians. Every purchase makes a difference! And if you enjoyed this article, feel free to support Indie Music Center with a donation.

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