Forgive Me
City and Colour City and Colour Lyrics


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So I'll cross my heart
And hope to die
Before I have a chance to lie
To you my dear
Oh I wish no harm
I know the end will turn out wrong
See I've been known to fall in love
But sometimes love just is not enough
My heart will stray
Before too long




So please forgive me when I sing this song
I sing this song

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Forgive Me" by City and Colour are a plea for forgiveness from a loved one. The singer acknowledges their own tendency to fall in love too easily and their history of straying from a committed relationship. Despite their awareness of this flaw, they cannot guarantee that they won't repeat past mistakes. The lyrics express a sense of desperation, as the singer hopes to be forgiven for their future sins before they even have a chance to commit them.


The use of the phrase "cross my heart and hope to die" adds an additional layer of sincerity to the singer's plea. The phrase is often used by children to make a promise or emphasize the truthfulness of a statement. The singer is essentially saying that they are willing to die rather than betray their loved one's trust. However, even with the solemn promise, the singer is aware that their heart will eventually stray, hence the request for forgiveness.


In the final line, "So please forgive me when I sing this song," the singer seems to be acknowledging that their act of confessing their tendency towards infidelity may not be enough to prevent them from straying. It's a heartbreaking admission but one that feels honest and genuine.


Line by Line Meaning

So I'll cross my heart
I promise with sincerity


And hope to die
I am truly committed to keeping this promise


Before I have a chance to lie
I want to be truthful with you and not deceive you


To you my dear
My love, this promise is meant for you


Oh I wish no harm
My intentions are good and I don't want to hurt you


I know the end will turn out wrong
I am aware that our relationship may not have a happy ending


See I've been known to fall in love
I have a history of falling in love with people


But sometimes love just is not enough
Love may not always be enough to keep a relationship strong


My heart will stray
I may develop feelings for someone else


Before too long
It may happen sooner than expected


So please forgive me when I sing this song
I am expressing my remorse in advance for the pain I may cause


I sing this song
This is my way of expressing my love and vulnerability




Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ROBIN F. MCDONALD, MICHAEL ROBERT 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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