In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Sands in the hourglass fall for us all
You don't answer me anymore when I call
So much is trapped inside, tangled in your brain
It's getting cold outside and it looks like rain
The sky is falling and my heart is caving in
So, now the time has come to say the long goodbye
The setting of the sun reflecting in your eyes
Day after day after day the world will pass you by,
You forget to remember
If this is living, what the hell is living for?
You've boarded up your eyes, your mind has locked the door
I'm just a stranger now with an unfamiliar face
You can't recall me at all,
There's not a trace, not a trace, not a trace
I don't know where you are and my world is crumbling in
So, now the time has come to say the long goodbye
The setting of the sun reflecting in your eyes
Day after day after day the world will pass you by,
You forget to remember
I just want to talk
What do you want?
But you've nothing to say
Leave me alone
I beg you to come
Get away from me
And you just walk away
I have no idea who you are!
I curse the day that your smile fades away, till then I pray
A burning candle in-between and at both ends
With all that we've learned, yet we still pretend
I just wish you could say my name again
They made the lock and broke the key,
The culprit was the mercury
The vaccine wipes your memories,
Till you forget even how to breathe
A tangled web they weave, when they practice to deceive
So, now the time has come to say the long goodbye
The setting of the sun reflecting in your eyes
Day after day after day the world will pass you by
I said that I'd be strong, but you know I had to lie
You forget to remember it's time to say the long goodbye
You don't answer me anymore when I call
So much is trapped inside, tangled in your brain
It's getting cold outside and it looks like rain
The sky is falling and my heart is caving in
So, now the time has come to say the long goodbye
The setting of the sun reflecting in your eyes
Day after day after day the world will pass you by,
You forget to remember
If this is living, what the hell is living for?
You've boarded up your eyes, your mind has locked the door
I'm just a stranger now with an unfamiliar face
You can't recall me at all,
There's not a trace, not a trace, not a trace
I don't know where you are and my world is crumbling in
So, now the time has come to say the long goodbye
The setting of the sun reflecting in your eyes
Day after day after day the world will pass you by,
You forget to remember
I just want to talk
What do you want?
But you've nothing to say
Leave me alone
I beg you to come
Get away from me
And you just walk away
I have no idea who you are!
I curse the day that your smile fades away, till then I pray
A burning candle in-between and at both ends
With all that we've learned, yet we still pretend
I just wish you could say my name again
They made the lock and broke the key,
The culprit was the mercury
The vaccine wipes your memories,
Till you forget even how to breathe
A tangled web they weave, when they practice to deceive
So, now the time has come to say the long goodbye
The setting of the sun reflecting in your eyes
Day after day after day the world will pass you by
I said that I'd be strong, but you know I had to lie
You forget to remember it's time to say the long goodbye
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings, edited by Ashram
Forget to Remember Lyrics as written by Dave Mustaine
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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A beautiful, but very sad song. Seems to be about someone whose relationship has broken down and who can't cope with it, becoming very depressed. I think the "long goodbye" is his suicide.
I read that this song is about Dave Mustaine and his family dealing with his mother-in-law's diagnosis and suffering with Alzheimer's disease. I haven't had to deal with a loved one with the disease, but this song communicates to me some of the pain that it must be like to have a loved one suffer in this way. At least that's the impression I get from most of the song, particularly the first part.
The section starting with "I just want to talk" and ending with "I just wish you could say my name again" sounds like a relationship that has soured.
The part about "the culprit was the mercury" sounds like mercury poisoning or when they used to use mercury in treatments.
...or he's blaming mercury containing vaccines...