Released: September 22, 1998

Songwriter: Dave McPherson (USA) Keith Sweat Tonyatta Martinez

Producer: Keith Sweat

[Intro]
The rumor in the street, baby, girl
Is that you're leavin' me
After all I've done for you
How could you leave me
Baby, all your girlfriends say
That you're leavin' me
After all I've done for you
How could you leave me

[Verse 1]
Everybody's talkin' and the word is on the street
That you're playin' games and sayin' things like you're leavin' me [Mmm]
I don't know just what to do after all the things that we've been through
It should have come to you, and thought that you won't play just like a fool [Mmm, hmm]

[Pre-Chorus]
Your so-called girlfriends would never lie on you [No, no]
So everything they say, girl, it must be true
You got me lying here, oh, baby, by myself
The rumor in the street, you're with somebody else

[Chorus]
The rumor in the street, baby, girl
Is that you're leavin' me (The rumor in the street is that you're leavin' me)
After all I've done for you
How could you leave me (After all I done for you, my, my, my, baby)
Baby, all your girlfriends say
That you're leavin' me (All your girlfriends said that you're leavin' me)
After all I've done for you
How could you leave me (Oh, yeahyeah)

[Verse 2]
Now you got another lover tryin' to take my place
You can try to hide it all you want, it's written [Mmm] on your face [Mmm]
Now I'm sad and lonely because I thought I was your only
But you run behind my back, now tell me how you gonna act

[Pre-Chorus]
You had those proper things and, baby, diamond rings
Anything for you, oh, girl, I wouldn't do [Uh-huh]
Now I'm lying here, oh, baby, by myself
The rumor in the street, you're with somebody else

[Chorus]
The rumor in the street, baby, girl
Is that you're leavin' me (The rumor in the street is that you're leavin' me)
After all I've done for you
How could you leave me (After all I done for you, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh)
Baby, all your girlfriends say
That you're leavin' me (All your girlfriends said that you're leavin' me)
After all I've done for you (Oh, baby)
How could you leave me (Ohoh'oh'yeah')

[Bridge]
Mmm
[Yeah, yeah]
Yeah, yeah, oh

[Chorus]
The rumor in the street, baby, girl
Is that you're leavin' me (The rumor in the street is that you're leavin' me)
After all I've done for you
How could you leave me (How could you leave me, oh, yeah)
Baby, all your girlfriends say
That you're leavin' me (All your girlfriends said that you're leavin' me, oh, yes, they are)
After all I've done for you
How could you leave me (How could you leave me, girl, oh'ohohoh')
The rumor in the street, baby, girl
Is that you're leavin' me (The rumor in the street is that you're leavin' me)
After all I've done for you
How could you leave me

Keith Sweat

Keith Sweat is an R&B singer-songwriter from New York. He helped innovate the New Jack Swing genre with his first album in 1987, Make It Last Forever, which featured the upbeat “I Want Her” and the provocative title track.

Almost a decade later, Sweat found the R&B groups Silk and Kut Klose and signed them to his own record label. His fifth album, which was self-titled and released in 1996, resulted in the certified-platinum hits, “Twisted” and “Nobody.” He went on to win “Favorite Male R&B/Soul Artist” at the 1997 American Music Awards.

Currently, he hosts a syndicated R&B radio show in New York City.