What Happened
Harry Lyrics


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I'm the green young gentleman
And you're the lady with the past
I admit I'm insecure about
How long we will last

I sort through in my mind
The little that I know
But the only things I find
From where my musings go

Is that kind of confusion
That just makes more questions come
About the wild and shady world
That you must have wondered from

You see, I have no real complaints
Of how you've left your past behind
I guess what gets me worried
Is you've erased him from your mind

I wonder what happened to him
Your past is a canyon
I'm a stranger on the rim
Looking down below

To where it's misty and dim
But, where there's still shining
A faint glow from a light
It makes me wonder where he is tonight

That drawer of your old photographs
Sits there like detective's leads
With the packets full of letters
That I do not dare to read

And then there is that negligee
That is made for candlelight
You know, I've never seen you wear it
Was it used on other nights?

You see, dream lover of a lady
What shakes me to the core
Is the thought as you caress me
You've done this all before

I think about the future
With me out and others in
Will I, too, have disappeared
Like I've never ever been?

I wondered what happened to him
Your past is a canyon
I'm a stranger on the rim
I'm looking down below

To where it's misty and dim
But, where there's still shining
A faint glow from a light
It makes me wonder where he is




I wonder where he is
Can't help but wonder where he is tonight

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of "What Happened" by Harry Chapin set the tone for the song's underlying theme of a relationship in flux. The "green young gentleman" is a naïve, innocent person who has recently entered into a relationship with the "lady with the past." He admits to feeling insecure about their future together and wonders how long it will last. He admits to sorting through what little he knows about her past, but his musings only lead him to more confusion.


The second verse reveals that the lady has left her past behind, but the green young gentleman is worried that she has erased her previous relationship completely from her mind. He wonders what has happened to her former lover and imagines him in the misty and dim canyon of her past. The presence of the drawer of old photographs and packets of letters suggests that there is indeed some history there, and the negligee that was never worn with the green young gentleman implies a past that she has never shared with him.


The song ultimately examines the universal question of how much of our past experiences we carry with us into our current relationships. It is a song of doubt, insecurity, and the search for answers. It reminds us that we can never fully know the complexities of another person's past, nor can we control how much of it they choose to share with us.


Overall, "What Happened" by Harry Chapin is a thought-provoking song that paints a vivid picture of a relationship in flux. It explores the complex emotions and insecurities that can arise when entering into a new relationship with someone who has a rich and complicated past.


Line by Line Meaning

I'm the green young gentleman
I am inexperienced in love.


And you're the lady with the past
You have had relationships before that have left a mark on you.


I admit I'm insecure about How long we will last
I am worried about our future together.


I sort through in my mind The little that I know But the only things I find From where my musings go
I am trying to understand your past but I only have limited information to work with.


Is that kind of confusion That just makes more questions come About the wild and shady world That you must have wondered from
Your past seems complex and difficult to understand.


You see, I have no real complaints Of how you've left your past behind I guess what gets me worried Is you've erased him from your mind
I am not judging you for your past but I am concerned that you have completely moved on from your previous relationship.


I wonder what happened to him Your past is a canyon I'm a stranger on the rim Looking down below
I am curious about your previous partner and your past relationships but I feel distant from them.


To where it's misty and dim But, where there's still shining A faint glow from a light It makes me wonder where he is tonight
I am imagining their current situation and wondering about their life without you.


That drawer of your old photographs Sits there like detective's leads With the packets full of letters That I do not dare to read
Your mementos from past relationships are like clues and evidence that I cannot bring myself to investigate.


And then there is that negligee That is made for candlelight You know, I've never seen you wear it Was it used on other nights?
I am curious about your past intimate moments and whether they involved other partners.


You see, dream lover of a lady What shakes me to the core Is the thought as you caress me You've done this all before
I am worried that you may be thinking of past lovers while we are intimate.


I think about the future With me out and others in Will I, too, have disappeared Like I've never ever been?
I am afraid that you will move on from me in the future and forget about our time together.


I wondered what happened to him Your past is a canyon I'm a stranger on the rim I'm looking down below
I am still wondering about your past relationship and how it ended.


To where it's misty and dim But, where there's still shining A faint glow from a light It makes me wonder where he is I wonder where he is Can't help but wonder where he is tonight
I am still thinking about your previous partner and imagining their life without you.




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY F. CHAPIN

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

@loganentertainment1814

SML Video: Harry’s Revenge.

Plot: Harry is back home (wherever it is), and decides to plot his revenge because Cody humiliated him in school.

We then cut to Y U Dumb Elementary School, where everyone is doing their usual, and a messenger comes in with a message to Cody, that he was accepted into a school called, “The School for the gifted).

Cody gets blinded with honor, despite Jr pointing out that the name of the school (The School for the Gifted) sounds fake.

Cody then goes to the address that’s listed on the letter, only to be abducted. Cody is then seen in a dark room, where Harry slowly spins around, revealing who he is. Cody, mentioning he hasn’t seen him sense 2016, asks why he captured him? (Despite it being obvious)

Harry then monologues to how his home life is pretty sad, with how no one appreciates his genius, and going to school was his last chance to prove how smart he was, and that Cody ruined everything. Cody then realizes that he was awful to Harry for ruining his chance, so he tries to apologize for taking away Harry’s chance at proving he’s smart, and even tells Harry to how his home life isn’t that great either. We then cut to Jr and Joseph questioning to what happened to Cody, because they haven’t seen him for a while. They then decide to visit Cody’s house to see if he’s home sick, only for Tyrone and Judith to reveal that Cody was at a friends house.

Cody and Joseph are confused, and claim that Cody wasn’t at Jrs house, only for Judith to reveal that he’s at another friends house with a kid named Harry.

Jr and Joseph gasp in shock, when they remember that Harry might have captured Cody to get revenge.

Cody and Joseph then head back to their house, and try to figure out how they will get Cody back, because they don’t know where Harry lives. They are about to call the police, only for Cody to show up at the couch, and talk about how Harry decided to let Cody go because of how much they had in common. Jr then questions to if we’ll see Harry again, with Cody addressing that, “that is if the fans want to see him again”. And the video ends with the circle Outro.

What do you guys think?



All comments from YouTube:

@voltingmaster5458

He was a temporary replacement for Cody during Covid-19 due to Pooby being unable to film with the crew, up until Cody meets Harry where Cody came back and thus there was no need to use Harry anymore.

@Gamingman12362

Thus…

@tiffany2806

WE ARE TALKING ABT THE SML UNIVERSE NOT IRL

@Imanza-vg4sp

Okay but did we ever think to take accountability in the fact that jr was recreating an argument between his mom and dad from when he was younger which could lead to a potential piece of back story

@zenitsu173

My pfp?

@Imanza-vg4sp

@@zenitsu173 nah when did you make it your pfp? Cause I made it mines wayyyyy before mugen train dropped

@Alli-joTupper

Are you talking to yourself lol

@Imanza-vg4sp

@@Alli-joTupper I guess so dude call me a magician

@Alli-joTupper

👌 that means ok

1 More Replies...

@noahmiller172

After his final appearance he went back home to become a world famous inventor and scientist I wonder if he will ever come back

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