Belafonte is perhaps best known for singing the "Banana Boat Song", with its signature lyric "Day-O". Throughout his career, he was an advocate for civil rights and humanitarian causes.
Belafonte won three Grammy Awards (including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award), an Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. In 1989, he received the Kennedy Center Honors. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1994. In 2014, he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy's 6th Annual Governors Awards and in 2022 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Early Influence category and was the oldest living person to have received the honor.
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forgive me
Harry Belafonte Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Than hold with an empty heart
We were better left unspoken
Than a million miles apart
It's torture to hear in the spaces between
As you're lovin' and leavin' me
You say there's nothing left to fight for
'Cause this feels like too much
Of the pain you'll have to touch
You'll only win, if you don't give up
'Cause love is war and war is love
Trying to give up on perfect
And your battle of one oh-ohhh
Tryin' to belive you're within
When every piece of you wants to run
So now that you're caught in the spaces between
And you're the only end of me
You say there's nothing left to fight for
'Cause this feel like too much
Your heart is so afraid to want more
Of the pain you'll have to touch
You'll only win, if you don't give up
'Cause love is war and war is love
Instrumental
You say there's nothing left to fight for
'Cause this feel like too much
Your heart is so afraid to want more
Of the pain you'll have to touch
You'll only win, if you don't give up
When everything wont be enough
'Cause love is war and war is love
The lyrics of Harry Belafonte's "Forgive Me" depict a relationship that has run its course, yet one of the partners is still holding on. The opening lines, "You'd rather leave me broken than hold with an empty heart. We were better left unspoken than a million miles apart," show this partner's reluctance to let go of the relationship, despite the fact that it has become emotionally unsatisfying. However, as the song progresses, the other partner reveals that they have given up on the relationship, stating "You say there's nothing left to fight for 'cause this feels like too much. Your heart is so afraid to want more of the pain you'll have to touch." This partner has grown weary of the relationship and is unwilling to continue the fights and the pain that come with it.
The line "trying to give up on perfect" shows that the singer is grappling with their own expectations of what a perfect relationship should be, and perhaps they are realizing that it is unrealistic. This is further emphasized by the line "you'll only win if you don't give up cause love is war and war is love." Here, the song implies that being in love and being in a relationship is a battle, in which both partners must fight to make it work. Love can be painful, but you have to keep fighting for it, or else you will lose.
Line by Line Meaning
You'd rather leave me broken
You would rather end the relationship than fix it
Than hold with an empty heart
You would rather be alone than be together without love
We were better left unspoken
Our issues were better left unsaid than addressed
Than a million miles apart
Being together but emotionally distant is worse than being physically apart
It's torture to hear in the spaces between
The silence between our words hurts
As you're lovin' and leavin' me
As you show me affection only to leave me again
You say there's nothing left to fight for
You believe the relationship is beyond saving
'Cause this feels like too much
It feels like too much work to make things better
Your heart is so afraid to want more
You're afraid to want more from the relationship due to fear of emotional pain
Of the pain you'll have to touch
Of the pain you will feel if you open yourself up to love fully
You'll only win, if you don't give up
You will only find happiness if you don't give up on love
'Cause love is war and war is love
Love can be challenging like war, but it can also bring triumph and joy
Trying to give up on perfect
Trying to let go of the idea of a perfect relationship
And your battle of one oh-ohhh
Your struggle to overcome your fears and doubts alone
Tryin' to belive you're within
Trying to believe in yourself and your ability to make the relationship work
When every piece of you wants to run
When you feel like giving up on the relationship entirely
So now that you're caught in the spaces between
Now that you're stuck in the middle of uncertainty and doubt
And you're the only end of me
And you're the only one who can complete me
When everything wont be enough
When everything else feels like it's not enough
Writer(s): 6ftdown, nao
Contributed by Harper P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@rNamikaze7
RIP Harry Belafonte!
@sufiyanur5198
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