Forgive Me
City and Colour Lyrics


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I'll cross my heart and hope to die
Before I have the chance to lie
To you, my dear, who I wish no harm
But I know in the end this will turn out wrong

See I've been known to fall in love
But sometimes love just is not enough
And my heart will stray before too long
So please forgive me for when I sing this song





Overall Meaning

The opening lines of City and Colour's song Forgive Me express a sense of solemnity and a commitment to honesty. By crossing his heart and hoping to die, the singer emphasizes the importance of speaking the truth to the person he addresses. He acknowledges the potential harm that lying can cause, and expresses a desire to avoid such harm. At the same time, he knows that despite his intentions to be truthful, the relationship is likely doomed to fail. His admission that "in the end this will turn out wrong" suggests that he has difficulty maintaining his emotional commitments, and that this pattern is likely to repeat itself in the future.


The second verse of the song continues this theme, as the singer describes his struggles with falling in love. Although he recognizes the importance of love, he also knows that it is often not enough to sustain a relationship. He acknowledges his own tendency to be unfaithful and to stray outside of committed relationships. By singing this song, he is asking for forgiveness in advance for the damage that his behavior is likely to cause.


Line by Line Meaning

I'll cross my heart and hope to die
I promise to be completely honest


Before I have the chance to lie
I pledge to tell the truth before giving in to temptation


To you, my dear, who I wish no harm
I care for you deeply and have no intention of hurting you


But I know in the end this will turn out wrong
Despite my good intentions, I fear that our relationship will not end well


See I've been known to fall in love
I have a tendency to develop strong feelings for others


But sometimes love just is not enough
Despite love being a powerful emotion, it isn't always enough to make a relationship work


And my heart will stray before too long
I know that I might be unfaithful or lose interest in our relationship


So please forgive me for when I sing this song
I hope that you can forgive me for being honest about my doubts and fears




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Dallas John Green

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@raspberry481

I'll cross my heart and hope to die
Before I have the chance to lie
To you, my dear, who I wish no harm
But I know in the end this will turn out wrong

See I've been known to fall in love
But sometimes love just is not enough
And my heart will stray before too long
So please forgive me for when I sing this song



All comments from YouTube:

@e11m36

Someone I love said goodbye to me once. I listened to this song a lot more than usual afterwards, realizing that he's so lost with who he is and that I was not able to help, no matter how hard I tried. One day he asked me to forgive him for not loving me anymore, and that he couldn't love me the way I loved him. And even though it still hurts, I am more at peace than ever before. A bittersweet kind of peace. I hope that he finds happiness because, after all, that is what I wish for those that I love.

@jairontango8492

e11m36 Beautiful. Just beautiful 💕

@sk3l1y63

This a mirror of things im going through rn, reading this made me dizzy

@dimerra5673

Me too man lol

@shawnsuave5694

Man the amount of soul Dallas packs into his songs, it's just incredible

@elfiejuggalogirl

every song i hear by him gives me chills <3

@joaovictorsilvadeoliveira8557

I used to listen to these tunes a lot when I was a teenager, now at college, I think I need this type of music more than ever

@Aliinax0

Just found this song and I'm continuously replaying it. Wish it was longer. I feel like there is so much more he could say.

@katemackenzie3030

city and colour just hits you unexpectedly.. it puts me in such a mood that I cant even explain it- thank you dallas green

@dyllandrake

An amazing artist and I love all his songs

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