The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
When will I see you again?
You left with no goodbye, not a single word was said
No final kiss to seal anything
I had no idea of the state we were in
I know I have a fickle heart and a bitterness
And a wandering eye, and a heaviness in my head
But don't you remember, don't you remember?
The reason you loved me before
Baby, please remember me once more
When was the last time you thought of me?
Or have you completely erased me from your memories?
I often think about where I went wrong
And the more I do, the less I know
But I know I have a fickle heart and a bitterness
And a wandering eye, and a heaviness in my head
But don't you remember, don't you remember?
The reason you loved me before
Baby, please remember me once more
Oh, gave you the space so you could breathe
I kept my distance so you would be free
And hope that you find the missing piece
To bring you back to me
Why don't you remember, don't you remember?
The reason you loved me before
Baby, please remember me once more
When will I see you again?
You left with no goodbye, not a single word was said
No final kiss to seal anything
I had no idea of the state we were in
I know I have a fickle heart and a bitterness
And a wandering eye, and a heaviness in my head
But don't you remember, don't you remember?
The reason you loved me before
Baby, please remember me once more
When was the last time you thought of me?
Or have you completely erased me from your memories?
I often think about where I went wrong
And the more I do, the less I know
But I know I have a fickle heart and a bitterness
And a wandering eye, and a heaviness in my head
But don't you remember, don't you remember?
The reason you loved me before
Baby, please remember me once more
Oh, gave you the space so you could breathe
I kept my distance so you would be free
And hope that you find the missing piece
To bring you back to me
Why don't you remember, don't you remember?
The reason you loved me before
Baby, please remember me once more
When will I see you again?
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
From what I understand, her boyfriend basically had enough of her antics. She loves him still and acknowledges her faults and wonders whatever happened to him. She would like him to come back because she doesn't know what the last straw was for him and she hopes he can remember why he loved her in the first place so he'll return.
She's clearly still in love with an old lover, but now she wants some sort of explaination for why it ended and a chance to start over again. Favorite part- "I know I have a fickle heart and a bitterness." She understands her faults but she wants a chance anyway
adele said in an interview that this was a hard song for her to write and sing because she's admitting things, admitting faults or traits, about herself that are true (i.e., fickle heart, bitterness, wandering eye). you can hear the pain in the way she sings the chorus. truly amazing.
correction: it's "no final kiss to seal any sins" in the first verse. it's in her handwritten lyrics.
That don't have any sens to me. It does to you? kiss to seal any sins?
I think she's still in love with her ex-boyfriend. She wants him to remember when he did love her and hopes that he will love her again. You know how much she still loves him because she says her faults and she knew she was like that but she tried to make it work: I gave you the space so you could breathe, I kept my distance so you would be free She tried but she 'had no idea the state we were in', She didn't even realise they had problems in their relationship and so it came as a shock. I love the last part where is changes from 'but don't you remember' to 'why don't you remember', it's one final try to get him to remember. She's so desperate to understand in the end and she just wants to know why. She wants him to remember why he loved her so desperately, if she can't have him back she at least wants to know why. Such a beautiful song and I know how she feels, baby please remember you used to love me <3
Pretty hopeless song, she's like begging him to remember when he loved her but at the same time she knows it's impossibile. She's trying to analyze herself in order to find the reason why the relationship went wrong and those are Adele's words ;) Just amazingly sad
i feel this song.. my heart aches. and i remember...
baby I know you love me and you might be wondering why I need to tell you this when things seem to be peaceful with us.but i wanted to tell you that I see all my many faults and say thank you baby for overlooking them.
She gave everything and told everything to her boyfriend and was real with him. She misses that and kind of wants it back. She is still kind of in love with her ex boyfriend. She just hopes her ex listens to this and realize all she has done, and to remember her always.
In the last chorus it's actually"
"Why don't you remember, don't you remember? The reason you loved me before, Baby please remember [me once more] based on the album version.
Love this song!!<3
When will I see you again?
You left with no goodbye, not a single word was said, No final kiss to seal ANY SINS, I had no idea of the state we were in.
I know I have a fickle heart and A bitterness, And a wandering eye, and a heaviness in my head…
But don't you remember? Don't you remember The reason you loved me before? Baby, please remember me once more.
When was the last time you thought of me? Or have you completely erased me from your memory? I OFTEN THINK ABOUT WHERE I WENT WRONG, AND THE MORE I DO, THE LESS I KNOW.
But I know I have a fickle heart and a bitterness, And a wandering eye, and a heaviness in my head,
But don't you remember? Don't you remember The reason you loved me before? Baby, please remember me once more.
Gave you the space so you could breathe, I kept my distance so you would be free, AND hope that you’d find the missing piece To bring you back to me.
Why don't you remember? Don't you remember The reason you loved me before? Baby, please remember me once more.
When will I see you again?
I think this song is about self-doubt and feeling insecure about yourself when a relationship ends. It's hard to let go when you don't know what you did wrong. She'd believed that her boyfriend loved her, yet he left w/o any warning or explanation. She can't make sense of it--the only explanation seems to be that he's just forgotten her! She acknowledges that she has faults, but why can't he remember that he loved her despite the faults?
The only thing she could do was give him space to figure it out on his own, and hope he'll come around. She's struggling to have faith to do this (faith that he did love her), though, because he gave up on the relationship so suddenly and abandoned her--she wonders if he is remembering her at all. Please remember the good lovable parts of me, I want to be loved by you. It's like she wrote this song about my life!! The end of the story is that you give them the space b/c you have no other choice and 2 years later when you try to ask "don't you remember," they get engaged to someone else a month later. Didn't those 6 years with me mean anything to him? "Baby please remember me once more."
The next chapter is "Someone Like You," which Adele has described as being about her imagining looking him up in 40 years and finding he's settled down and happy with someone else. But it's still not really over for her!
Don't you remember is such a pain in the ass to me. Longing does nothing but seal the deal for a likely "no". Sucks to be at the expense of your feelings for the other person. Despite it emotions during attraction... please remember me once more..... beautiful song...