"Regret" as written by and Bernard (gb 2)/hook Sumner....
Maybe I've forgotten
The name and the address
Of everyone I've ever known,
It's nothing I regret
Save it for another day, 'cause
The school is out
And the kids have run away
I would like a place I can call my own
Have a conversation on my telephone
Wake up everyday, that would be a start
I would not complain 'bout my wounded heart
I was upset, you see
Almost all the time
You used to be a stranger
Now you are mine
I wouldn't even trust you
I've not that much to give
We're dealing in the limits,
And we don't know who with
You may think that I'm out of hand
That I'm naive, I'll understand
On this occasion, it's not true
Look at me, I'm not you
I would like a place I can call my own
Have a conversation on the telephone
Wake up everyday, that would be a start
I would not complain 'bout my wounded heart
I was a short fuse
Burning all the time
You were a complete stranger
Now you are mine
I would like a place I can call my own
Have a conversation on the telephone
Wake up everyday, that would be a start
I would not complain 'bout my wounded heart
Just wait 'till tomorrow
I guess that's what they all say
Just before they fall apart
The name and the address
Of everyone I've ever known,
It's nothing I regret
Save it for another day, 'cause
The school is out
And the kids have run away
I would like a place I can call my own
Have a conversation on my telephone
Wake up everyday, that would be a start
I would not complain 'bout my wounded heart
I was upset, you see
Almost all the time
You used to be a stranger
Now you are mine
I wouldn't even trust you
I've not that much to give
We're dealing in the limits,
And we don't know who with
You may think that I'm out of hand
That I'm naive, I'll understand
On this occasion, it's not true
Look at me, I'm not you
I would like a place I can call my own
Have a conversation on the telephone
Wake up everyday, that would be a start
I would not complain 'bout my wounded heart
I was a short fuse
Burning all the time
You were a complete stranger
Now you are mine
I would like a place I can call my own
Have a conversation on the telephone
Wake up everyday, that would be a start
I would not complain 'bout my wounded heart
Just wait 'till tomorrow
I guess that's what they all say
Just before they fall apart
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Of everyone I've ever known
It's nothing I regret
-He has not kept in touch with those in his past....and he does not regret that aspect because he wants to block his past out.
Save it for another day
It's the school exam and the kids have run away
-He avoids thinking about his past regrets, keeps putting it off to another day, like kids do when they have to study for a school exam...he's running away from his past problems.
I would like a place I could call my own
Have a conversation on the telephone
Wake up every day that would be a start
I would not complain of my wounded heart
-He's idealizing a simple life as a solution to his angry & depressed feelings, and as a way to heal his wounds from past regrets.
I was upset you see
Almost all the time
You used to be a stranger
Now you are mine
-This part almost seems like he realized his goal of a simple life with someone he loves, where he is emotionally calm & freed from his past mistakes. However, I think this part is something like a fantasy of being able to look back & not feel regret because you're happy with your current life. It's not something that has actually happened.
I wouldn't even trust you
I've not got much to give
We're dealing in the limits
And we don't know who with
-He realizes that his fantasy is unrealistic. In reality, he would not even trust this "stranger" to be emotionally open with, and due to his depressed feelings, he doesn't have much to give to a relationship anyway. Plus, it's a huge risk ("in the limits"), and you never quite know who you're dealing with in a new relationship. In short, he knows that in reality, a new love would not solve his bad feelings & ease his regret.
You may think that I'm out of hand
That I'm naive, I'll understand
On this occasion, it's not true
Look at me, I'm not you
-He's justifying his feelings. He may appear naive & out of hand emotionally at times, but he's saying its valid. No one else can really know how you feel & judge if it's justified or not.
repeat chorus
I was a short [out] fuse
Burning all the time
You were a complete stranger
Now you are mine
-Pretty much the same as above, only here he compares himself to a fuse that's shorted out to describe his emotional state. He continues to fantasize that a new love & simple life would solve his bad feelings.
repeat chorus
Just wait till tomorrow
I guess that's what they all say
Just before they fall apart
-People often tell you that things will work out, get better in the future ("tomorrow"), etc, but he's mocking them here, saying that they say such things right before their own life crumbles. It's cliche advice and little comfort.
-The song has a pessimistic view: the fantasy that life will improve is just that, a fantasy. In reality, life is a series of regrets.
Why slice up a line into 50 different meanings which were never intended?
I would like a place I could call my own
Have a conversation on the telephone
Wake up every day that would be a start
I would not complain of my wounded heart
the part i really like about this song is the last verse. as if it was some last thought Bernard Sumner hastily tacked onto the end. to me, it makes the entire song and sums it up nicely.
it's about living life without any regrets, i guess. New Order's songs tend to be so beautifully cryptic, it's anybody's guess what they really mean.