On “I Miss The Days,” NF reminisces about his childhood and exposes many pa… Read Full Bio ↴On “I Miss The Days,” NF reminisces about his childhood and exposes many parts of himself that he has never talked about in his music. He talks about the days when he was truly happy and free from the high expectations and horrible criticisms of others. He also questions when and how that happiness changed into what we know so well from songs like “How Could You Leave Us” and “Let You Down.”

Nate usually alters, mixes, and layers his voice in his music to add effects like that (most popularly in “Let You Down”) but he probably used his background vocalists' vocals for this song, possibly in addition to his own vocals.

I Miss the Days
NF Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Mmh, mmh
Mmh, mmh

I miss the days when
I had a smile on my face and
Wasn't so caught up in all of the small things
Wasn't so adamant that I could handle everything alone
And wasn't so cautious and always exhausted

And actually listen to things that my heart said (heart said)
Ridin' my bike, just ridin' my bike
Not overthinkin' my life
Not always wonderin' if I'm a likable person
Or someone that nobody likes
Not always stressin' 'bout money or losin' my job
Or scared I ain't makin' a flight
Not always goin' to bed every night
With this knot in my stomach that never unwinds
What happened to me? Yeah, what happened to me?
When did I start to believe I wasn't worth it
Then question my purpose to breathe?
Wonderin' who I should be
Happiness out of my reach
Scared to get back on my feet
Need to get rid of what's detrimental, but it's hard to let go
When the thing that hurts you help you get to your dreams
See, I miss the days when I wasn't so faded
Love wasn't always invasive, I could embrace it
Just innocent, waitin', not always livin' in anguish
When did I break and become overtaken?
What was the moment I caved and
Gave away all of my faith and made a replacement?
I miss the days when, I miss the days when

I miss the smiles we had when we were young (oh)

I miss the memories of feeling love (oh)
I miss us runnin' underneath the sun (oh)
Staring out the window when the rain would come (oh)
I miss the smiles we had when we were kids, yeah (oh)
I feel like life was so much simpler then, yeah (oh)
When we had joy and we were innocent (oh)
I'd give it all to feel that way again, way again

Give me my mind back, yeah
Give me my mind back
The one that told me I was worth somethin' when I fall flat
Yeah, fall flat
The one that told me I was worth somethin' when I'm off track
Back when my imagination wasn't in a cage and it was free to run fast
Yeah, give me my mind back
Yeah, give me my, give me my mind back
Before it was hijacked and wasn't described as
A place of limitation, always indicating I can't
Handle everything from my past
Handed anything it dissects 'til I'm depressed
I know I'm blessed, but I'm cursed too
Take me back when I was happy, but I wasn't actin'
Vulnerable but didn't see it like some kind of weakness
Or a thing that's unattractive
Had emotion, but I learned to mask it
Didn't know what I was runnin' after
Didn't know the older I would grow
The more I'd lose control and take in all the baggage
It's really sad when everything you thought was stable crashes
Everything you thought would take the sadness
Really only made it deeper, got me off the deep end askin'
Will we ever feel like we imagine?
Will we ever feel like we adapted?
Will we ever feel like we did back then?
Just take me back when, just take me back when

I miss the smiles we had when we were young (oh)
I miss the memories of feeling love (oh)
I miss us runnin' underneath the sun (oh)
Staring out the window when the rain would come (oh)
I miss the smiles we had when we were kids, yeah (oh)
I feel like life was so much simpler then, yeah (oh)
When we had joy and we were innocent (oh)
I'd give it all to feel that way again, way again

Oh-oh-oh (oh)
Oh-oh-oh (way again)
Oh-oh-oh (mmh)
Oh-oh-oh (way again, way again)
Yeah, oh-oh-oh (oh) (had when we were kids)
Oh-oh-oh (oh) (so much simpler then)
Oh-oh-oh (oh) (and we were innocent)
Oh-oh-oh (oh), yeah, ay

I miss the smiles we used to have when we were young (oh)
I miss the memories of feeling love (oh)
I miss us runnin' underneath the sun (oh)
Staring out the window when the rain would come (oh)
I miss the smiles we had when we were kids, yeah (oh)
I feel like life was so much simpler then, yeah (oh)
When we had joy and we were innocent (oh)
I'd give it all to feel that way again, way again (oh)

Oh-oh-oh (oh)
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh

Mmh, mmh
Mmh, mmh

Overall Meaning

In the song "I Miss the Days," NF reminisces on the days where he felt happier and carefree. He remembers the time when he wasn't so consumed with the stresses of life such as finances, career, and the fear of not being liked. He longs for the time when he was more in tune with his heart and not so cautious and exhausted all the time. He reminisces about riding his bike and not overthinking his life, not stressing about money, and going to bed without any knots in his stomach. He wonders when he became overtaken by depression and anxiety, when did he stop believing in his self-worth, and when did he give away his faith. He misses the days when love was not invasive, but innocent, waiting, and palpable. He yearns for the time when his mind was not caged, and his imagination could run free. In this song, NF expresses his desire to go back to his innocent and carefree childhood where he was so much happier.

One interesting fact about the song "I Miss the Days" by NF is that it is the third track on his third studio album called "Perception." The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and has been certified Gold in the US. The song "I Miss the Days" was released as the fourth single from the album. Another interesting fact about the song is that NF wrote and produced the song alongside Tommee Profitt. The two have worked together on many of NF's most popular songs. Interestingly, the song features a sample from the song "I Swear" by Christian vocal group All-4-One. Additionally, the song has a sentimental meaning for NF, as it reflects his longing to go back to the days when he was more carefree and less consumed with the stresses of life.

Line by Line Meaning

I miss the days when
I long for a time in the past when

I had a smile on my face and
I experienced genuine happiness and

Wasn't so caught up in all of the small things
I didn't worry excessively about insignificant matters

Wasn't so adamant that I could handle everything alone
I didn't insist on handling everything by myself

And wasn't so cautious and always exhausted
I wasn't constantly on guard and overwhelmed

And actually listen to things that my heart said (heart said)
I paid attention to the desires and emotions within me

Ridin' my bike, just ridin' my bike
Simply enjoying the freedom of riding my bike

Not overthinkin' my life
Not constantly overanalyzing every aspect of my life

Not always wonderin' if I'm a likable person
Not constantly doubting if people like me

Or someone that nobody likes
Or feeling like nobody likes me

Not always stressin' 'bout money or losin' my job
Not constantly worrying about money or job security

Or scared I ain't makin' a flight
Or being afraid that I won't catch a flight

Not always goin' to bed every night
Not every night going to bed

With this knot in my stomach that never unwinds
Feeling an everlasting tension in my stomach

What happened to me? Yeah, what happened to me?
How did I change? Yeah, how did I change?

When did I start to believe I wasn't worth it
When did I begin to think I had no value

Then question my purpose to breathe?
And doubt the reason for my existence?

Wonderin' who I should be
Contemplating my true identity

Happiness out of my reach
Feeling unable to attain happiness

Sacred to get back on my feet
Afraid to move forward and improve my situation

Need to get rid of what's detrimental, but it's hard to let go
I must eliminate harmful elements from my life, but it's difficult to release them

When the thing that hurts you help you get to your dreams
When the very thing causing pain contributes to achieving my dreams

See, I miss the days when I wasn't so faded
I yearn for a time when I wasn't mentally worn out

Love wasn't always invasive, I could embrace it
Love wasn't constantly overwhelming and I could fully accept it

Just innocent, waitin', not always livin' in anguish
I was innocent, waiting patiently, not constantly living in torment

When did I break and become overtaken?
When did I suddenly become overwhelmed and consumed?

What was the moment I caved and
When did I give in and

Gave away all of my faith and made a replacement?
Lose all of my faith and find a substitute?

I miss the days when, I miss the days when
I long for the times when, I long for the times when

I miss the smiles we had when we were young (oh)
I miss the happy moments we shared in our youth

I miss the memories of feeling love (oh)
I miss the memories of experiencing love

I miss us runnin' underneath the sun (oh)
I miss the times we ran freely under the sun

Staring out the window when the rain would come (oh)
Gazing out the window as the rain fell

I miss the smiles we had when we were kids, yeah (oh)
I miss the smiles we had when we were children

I feel like life was so much simpler then, yeah (oh)
I believe life was much less complicated back then

When we had joy and we were innocent (oh)
When we had happiness and purity

I'd give it all to feel that way again, way again
I would give up everything to experience those feelings again

Give me my mind back, yeah
Restore my mental state, yeah

Give me my mind back
Return my clarity of thought

The one that told me I was worth somethin' when I fall flat
The one that assured me of my worth even when I failed

Yeah, fall flat
Yes, despite my failures

The one that told me I was worth somethin' when I'm off track
The one that reminded me of my value when I deviated from the right path

Back when my imagination wasn't in a cage and it was free to run fast
In the past, when my imagination wasn't confined and could roam freely

Yeah, give me my mind back
Yes, restore my mental state

Yeah, give me my, give me my mind back
Yes, return my clarity of thought

Before it was hijacked and wasn't described as
Before it was taken over and no longer resembled

A place of limitation, always indicating I can't
A constrained space that constantly reminded me of my limitations

Handle everything from my past
Manage the baggage from my past

Handed anything it dissects 'til I'm depressed
Dealing with anything it dissects until it leaves me feeling depressed

I know I'm blessed, but I'm cursed too
I recognize that I am fortunate, but I am also plagued

Take me back when I was happy, but I wasn't actin'
Transport me to a time when I was genuinely happy, without pretending

Vulnerable but didn't see it like some kind of weakness
Open to being vulnerable without perceiving it as a flaw

Or a thing that's unattractive
Or something that diminishes my appeal

Had emotion, but I learned to mask it
Experienced emotions, but I learned to hide them

Didn't know what I was runnin' after
Wasn't aware of what I was pursuing

Didn't know the older I would grow
Didn't anticipate that as I grew older

The more I'd lose control and take in all the baggage
I would progressively lose control and accumulate emotional baggage

It's really sad when everything you thought was stable crashes
It's truly disheartening when everything you believed to be secure collapses

Everything you thought would take the sadness
Every solution you thought would alleviate the sadness

Really only made it deeper, got me off the deep end askin'
Only made it more profound, pushing me towards despair and questioning

Will we ever feel like we imagine?
Will we ever experience the things we envision?

Will we ever feel like we adapted?
Will we ever feel like we have adjusted?

Will we ever feel like we did back then?
Will we ever feel the way we did in the past?

Just take me back when, take me back when
Just transport me to that time, transport me to that time