Twenty years, it's breaking you down
Now that you understand
There's no one around
Take a breath, just take a seat
You're falling apart and tearing at the seams

Heaven forbid you end up alone
You don't know why
Hold on tight, wait for tomorrow
You'll be alright

It's on your face, is it on your mind?
Would you care to build a house of your own?
How much longer? how long can you wait?
It's like you wanted to go and give yourself away

Heaven forbid you end up alone
And don't know why
Hold on tight, wait for tomorrow
You'll be alright

Heaven forbid you end up alone
And don't know why
Hold on tight, wait for tomorrow
You'll be alright

It feels good (is that reason enough?)
It feels good (is that reason enough?)
It feels good (is that reason enough?)
It feels good

Heaven forbid you end up alone
You don't know why
Hold on tight, wait for tomorrow
You'll be alright

Heaven forbid you end up alone
You don't know why
Hold on tight, wait for tomorrow
You'll be alright

Yeah, out of this one
I don't know how to get you, out of this one
I don't know how to get you, out of this one
Don't know how to get you, out of this one
I don't know how to get you, out of this one


Lyrics submitted by Alli-oh!

Heaven Forbid Lyrics as written by Joseph King Isaac Slade

Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Heaven Forbid song meanings
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55 Comments

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  • +5
    General Comment

    First off, I'll start by saying that I am completely in love with this song. I'm not sure if someone already mentioned this, but I take this song to be about depression and hurting.

    So, the song goes: Twenty years it's breaking You down, now that you Understand there's no one around. Take a breath, just take a seat, you're Falling apart and tearing at the seams. (Basically strightforward and literal. you feel completely alone, like you are falling apart everyday)

    Heaven forbid you end up Alone and don't know why Hold on tight, wait for tomorrow, You'll be alright. (Narrator of song is telling the listeners to stick it out, get through all the issues in life, and you'll be alright in the end.)

    It's on your face, is it on your mind, Would you care to Build a house of your own? How much longer, How long can you wait, It's like you wanted to go And give yourself away. (I think this is saying do you show the world what you feel? or is it only inside your head? Basically speaking to the people who wear emotional masks. It goes on to say "Would you care to build a house of your own?" I think this is saying that you can start from scratch and build something beautiful for yourself. You don't have to give up. then it says how much longer can you wait? How much longer can you go through life feeling the way that you do?)

    It feels good. Is that reason enough for you? It feels good. Is that reason enough for you? (Then these few lines make me think that the subject of the song is talking back to the narrator. In my mind, the hurting person could also be thinking about suicide, or even cutting to release the pain. When the narrator says "How much longer can you wait?", the subject replies by saying that when they hurt themselves to get rid of the pain it feels good. They are hostile and angry, and just want the narrator to understand that it makes them feel good.)

    Out of this one Don't know how to get you out of this one, Don't know how to get you out of this one, Don't know how to get you out of this one, Don't know how to get you out of this one. (The narrator becomes somewhat baffled and begins to tell the subject that he doesn't know how to help her and to get her out of her hell. I think he is saying that if she wants to improve her life and find happiness, she has to make it happen for herself.)

    God, I love this song!

    stephaniehoffyon February 28, 2008   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I personally love this song.

    I believe that the song is about a person who has never had a relationship and finds someone like a hookup and gets hurt. They think they need to give up on relationships all together. The songwriter is giving advice by saying its okay to be alone and not have anyone. He is getting frustratred hence the "Heaven forbid you end up Alone and don't know why" He is somewhat mocking the person But he also cares for this person and tells them to not give up. I can relate to this song because i have never been in a relationship and can realize that its tough.

    I love the fray.

    votre_mereon March 06, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I think it can be interpreted several ways. Firstly theres the whole drug thing "It feel's good.. is that reason enough for you?" Is very relevant to drug use, eg heroin. "Tearing at the seams etc, the damage the drugs have done" "Heaven forbid you end up alone, and don't know why, hold on tight and wait for tomorrow..." The drugs are isolating her from everyone else, hes telling her to hold on and it will be alright, to be strong and avoid the drugs etc.

    Then theres the whole aspect that she could be just a promiscuous girl 'u end up alone and dont know why' 'it feels good' applies in the same way 'twenty years now' 'wait for tomorrow' could be a form of mocking the girl. 'dont know how to get u out of this one' he doesn't know how to stop her acting so promiscuously, its going to hurt her in the end

    i prefer the drugs interpretation, 'its on your face' etc leads more strongly to that

    javsavon August 02, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Words cannot express how much this song means to me, how much I love it. I got the CD during christmas break, when I was really sad and lonely. I played this song over and over.

    Initially, I took the lyrics literally. I related to them. Someone has been alone all their life and wants someone, wants happiness and love and all that good stuff, but doesn't expect they will ever get that. I have never been in any relationship, and while I'm young, it still hurts to see so many other people happy, in love, with someone and knowing that I'm alone. This song makes me sad and happy at the same time. The lyrics can offer hope, and even became sort of a mantra for me "hold on tight, wait for tommorrow, you'll be alright."

    But at the same time, "don't know how to get you out of this one" proves that no one can do this for you, you have to help yourself.

    Once I read other people's comments, I noticed that the lyrics could be slightly sarcastic, reflecting someone who gives themself away too easily because they fear being alone. "It feels good, is that reason enough for you?" The person feels good about themself at the time, but it's not a permanent feeling, and when they finish with a meaningless relationship, they go back to feeling bad.

    This song is great because different people can relate to it. Personally, I relate to the first version I gave. This song makes me feel better. I heard Joe wrote it for his sister.

    hopeful_canyonon April 26, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    This song feels like it could be written to me. I'm twenty-ish and I've never been in a proper relationship. Sometimes I fear I never will be and it IS "breaking me down" because I family is the one thing I really want in life. To realise that it might not happen is ... hard. For that reason I got involved with a guy until I realised that I was doing it out desperation and the want to "feel good" - I wasn't in love. I broke it off, but it has given me a renewed sense of hope that it'll happen - someday.

    This song means so much to me, telling me to "hold on tight, wait for tomorrow, you'll be alright" and not to seek meaningless relationships. (And coming here, seeing that there are others like me makes me less depressed thinking about the girls at school saying stuff like "Can you imagine being 18 and never having been kissed? Ridiculous", because I was 18 when I received my first kiss).

    Enough rambling now.

    Ulrikkeon June 20, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I see this as a chick who has never actually had a companion, but the opportunity has arrived where she has what she sees as a 'hope' of love. But the singer(who is probs a friend of hers)knows the relationship isn't right, and she is going into it for the wrong reasons. He is advising her to just hold on and wait, don't give into the temptation. He says 'it feels good, is that reason enough for you?' which once again implys slightly the situation. By the end he seems drained and out of advice by saying 'Don't know how to get you out of this one'.....it's a great song very emotional with true feelings.

    colinryonoon September 20, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Maybe about a women who is in a relationship that she doesn't think she could work out. . . a young women. I think the 'twenty years' is a metaphor. But then again, I shouldn't overanalyze lyrics. Good song, though. Love it.

    Rinse_It_Awayon December 29, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think it's about an ex girlfriend who's on the rebound. She has to have someone all the time and she throws herself into relationships and realizes they're not right for her. He's mocking her in a sense with the chorus. He wants to help her but he doesn't know what will get through to her.

    SCRunner2on January 04, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i think this song's about someone who spent their (twenty years of) life casually dating, thinking they had their entire life to settle into a committed relationship. they probably reached a point where they find that all their friends are in relationships, & they're on their own, kind of "alone" since their friends are all off doing their own things in their relationships, & they panic that they might be alone the rest of their lives. when you reach your 20s & you're on your own, you start wondering whether you'll find somebody who's right for you, & start wondering if you should just go it alone & start leading your life solo. rather than "build a house on your own," you might opt to just "give yourself away" in an effort to find somebody, anybody, who'll keep you from being alone. the song is saying, in a sense, that it's not so horrible being alone ("heaven forbid you end up alone"), & that instead of just trying to find any random person to spend your life with, just hold out for the right person for you.

    kutmedeepon March 11, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i think this song is about someone who had a relationship with another person, and that person really had some issues with everyone they had a relationship with, and really cant make relationships work. the person who broke it off with them is kind of saying, "twenty years from now youll STILL be alone, and maybe you'll finally understand why." its kind of mocking that they wont understand why and they will still, heaven forbid, be alone. they just let everyone good go, and dont think twice about why all thier relationships fail. and no one can help them anymore. just what i think haha

    thelemonon March 26, 2006   Link

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