We Leave / We Forget

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a stark picture of human nature's cyclical patterns of destruction and self-deception. The opening lines, "We leave / We forget," immediately establish a tone of transience and a failure to learn from the past. This is compounded by the admission that "our imagination's too poor" to break free from "expected forms," suggesting a societal or personal inertia that leads to repeating mistakes. The narrator observes a tendency to "rage" and "break whatever we've cared for," not out of malice, but simply "because we got bored," a chilling indictment of fleeting attention spans and a lack of deeper engagement. The core tension lies between this destructive impulse and a desperate hope for absolution. The lines "We lie and / We pray / And we hope that we will get away / With whatever weakness we carry" reveal a profound shame and a desire to escape consequences. This internal conflict between flawed actions and the yearning for forgiveness is a central theme, highlighting a fundamental human struggle with imperfection and the fear of judgment. The lyrics suggest a pattern of seeking external validation or divine intervention to absolve internal failings. A striking shift occurs in the latter half, moving from observation of flawed behavior to a powerful exhortation. The imagery of "light and the waves / Pound your flesh to the ground" is intense, urging a complete surrender to experience. This isn't about destruction, but about a forceful awakening, a "calling" from life itself. The narrator implores the listener to "embrace all the love / That is given to you," positioning it as inherently "grander than pain / And much grander than doubt." This transformation is achieved through a direct address, shifting from the observational "we" to an imperative "you." The effectiveness lies in this stark contrast: the bleakness of observed human folly is met with an almost spiritual call to action. By urging a turn "to hope" and "to your heart," the lyrics offer a path out of the cycle of forgetting and breaking, suggesting that true connection and resilience are found not in escaping weakness, but in embracing life's inherent goodness and beauty, which ultimately "sing out / To the oceans, to the sky."