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Have You Forgotten Lyrics

I can't let you be
'Cause your beauty won't allow me
Wrapped in white sheets
Like an angel from a bedtime story
Shut out what they say
'Cause your friends are fucked up anyway
And when they come around
Somehow they feel up and you feel down

When we were kids
We hated things our parents did
We listened low
To Casey Kasem's radio show
That's when friends were nice
To think of them just makes you feel nice
The smell of grass in spring
And October leaves cover everything

Have you forgotten how to love yourself?

I can't believe all the good things that you do for me
Sat back in a chair
Like a princess from a faraway place
Nobody's nice
When you're older your heart turns to ice
And shut out what they say
They're too dumb to mean it anyway

When we were kids
We hated things our sisters did
Backyard summer pools
And Christmases were beautiful
And the sentiment
Of colored mirrored ornaments
And the open drapes
Look out on frozen farmhouse landscapes

Have you forgotten how to love yourself?
Song Info
Submitted by
xpretox On Dec 17, 2001
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Cover art for Have You Forgotten lyrics by Red House Painters

ive never felt more introspective or vulnerable from a song before. i heard it for the first time yesterday, driving through the mountains of pennsylvania.my tears came streaming. "have you forgotten?" was all i could focus on the first time i heard this song, and it evoked this feeling of the loss of a relationship i had once loved with all my heart. The pain came through me, and i was reminded that even though i suffered greatly, the loss of that love was more painful than the actual loss of the person. Upon listening to it again, I was reminded of my mother and how she haphazardly injures and destroys the relationships she has with my brothers and i "when we were kids we hated the things are parents did". Lastly, "have you forgotten how to love yourself?", this line shook me to my soul because i questioned the authenticity of loss of love for anyone else or from anyone else as compared to myself. I have to love myself before anyone can love me, or even forget about me. Haunting and true, this song is wildly powerful.

@rahanley I think it's a song about growing up and looking back (not) in anger.

Cover art for Have You Forgotten lyrics by Red House Painters

It's easy to twist the facts and become nostalgic as you grow old, but there's an undeniable simplicity that's inherent to youth. Probably because we're so uncomplicated then, and also because we're much easier on ourselves, which I think is part of the point the song is driving home. The lovely memories of childhood juxtapose perfectly with the idea of remembering how to not be too harsh on yourself. I guess we all can identify with growing up to become adults who take everything much too seriously, until all we're able to do is reach out for the time when things seemed fun and exciting. That's the reason this song resonates with so many people.

The beautiful delicate music makes the lyrics even more meaningful to me. I love the way Mark sings this lovely melody over a plain guitar for most of the song - almost like the type of ballad you learn to play with your friends when you're a teenager - only to be joined by a breathtaking steel guitar near the end. The song successfully awakens a nostalgic feeling, becoming nostalgic itself.

This is no ordinary song. This is the kind of music that enriches our existence, drawing from us moods we then become aware and grateful of. Few can evoke these sensations through their arts, and Mark Kozelek is definitely one of them.

My Opinion
Cover art for Have You Forgotten lyrics by Red House Painters

i agree with gleebs there. this is a fucking amazing song, absolutely stunning

Cover art for Have You Forgotten lyrics by Red House Painters

i particularly question the line "hated things our parents did" i think it can be interpreted as they hated the same things as their parents. like influecned. rather than the parents actions. like listening casey kasem for instance.

Yes, I love the ambiguity in this line. Whether intentionally or not, Kozelek has written a line that can simultaneously be interpreted two ways that mean completely the opposite of each other. As we grow from teenagers into adults, isn't it true that we move from hating our parents' actions to hating the same things they hate?

Not Valid
Cover art for Have You Forgotten lyrics by Red House Painters

I'm not crying, I just have something in my eye.

Cover art for Have You Forgotten lyrics by Red House Painters

I am the girl that he sings about, in my own world

My Interpretation
Cover art for Have You Forgotten lyrics by Red House Painters

Beautiful. Makes me think of innocence, of childhood.

Cover art for Have You Forgotten lyrics by Red House Painters

oh, God, this is so tender and touching

Cover art for Have You Forgotten lyrics by Red House Painters

one of the most beautiful songs in the world. it's just gorgeous. i don't even know what else to say about it.

Cover art for Have You Forgotten lyrics by Red House Painters

this song is definately in my all time top 10, it just reminds me of life and how one person can chang everything