Williams and White met in 2008, during a song-writing session or "writing camp" at a music studio in Nashville, Tennessee. According to Williams, the idea for the band's name came as she "was driving around town looking at all the Civil War monuments." Their first recording was of a 2009 performance at Eddie's Attic in Georgia which they released as a free Internet download called Live at Eddie's Attic. Later that year, they released a digital extended-play album, called Poison & Wine, produced by Charlie Peacock, and the title song appeared on the TV show Grey's Anatomy.
In 2011, The Civil Wars released the album Barton Hollow; which reached No. 12 on the Billboard 200 chart, No. 54 on the UK Albums Chart and received Grammy nominations in the Best Folk Album and Best Country Duo/Group Performance categories. The album was included on several critics' Best Albums of 2011 lists, including NPR Music, Paste, Time, Associated Press, AllMusic.com The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly and USA Today. They released the singles "Tracks in the Snow" and "Safe & Sound".
In 2012, The Civil Wars partnered with T-Bone Burnett on the film score for the documentary A Place At The Table (previously known as Finding North) and collaborated on the song "Lily Love" with The Chieftains. They released a 7" vinyl album with cover versions of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" and Portishead's "Sour Times" in April. The duo was featured in American Way magazine, USA Today, on the cover of Billboard, and released a photo book called To Whom It May Concern.
In November 2012, the duo went on hiatus, citing "internal discord and irreconcilable differences of ambition". In August 2014, The Civil Wars announced an official break-up through press release.
Forget Me Not
The Civil Wars Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you've been awaiting for me
Tell me that you'll always be true
And you'll be the only one for me
Forget me not my dear, my darling
Forget me not my love
Hang on every word you say
Let's write a song for us
And sing it til we're old and grey
Forget me not my dear, my darling
Forget me not my love
I'm coming home real soon
Please leave a light on for me
Tell me that you'll always be true
And you'll be the only one for me
Yes, you'll be the only one for me
The opening lines of The Civil Wars' song "Forget Me Not" indicate a mutual desire for companionship and suggest an unresolved anticipation between the two singers. The repeated use of the phrase "awaiting for you/ me" implies that they have been longing for one another in a way that suggests they are not physically close to each other. The lines "Tell me that you'll always be true/ And you'll be the only one for me" emphasize the desire for the relationship to remain stable and exclusive.
The phrase "Forget me not" in the chorus is one that would be used when bidding farewell, and a hope that the person being said goodbye to does not forget the one leaving. By incorporating the phrase into the song, the singers suggest that they do not want their memory, presence or love to be forgotten by their partner. However, the song does not give any indication of separation or fear of being forgotten physically, which can be interpreted as a metaphor for the emotional distance they feel.
The singers express the desire to share their entire lives together, as demonstrated in the lines "Let's write a song for us/ And sing it till we're old and grey." This effectively highlights the aspirations the singers have for the relationship, particularly that it will last until they are old and grey.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been awaiting for you
I'm eager to be with you and deeply miss you.
And you've been awaiting for me
You also miss me dearly and look forward to seeing me.
Tell me that you'll always be true
Promise to me that you'll remain loyal and committed to our love and relationship.
And you'll be the only one for me
Ensure me that you won't betray our love and that I'll always be your one and only love interest.
Forget me not my dear, my darling
Please, remember our love and the moments we shared.
Forget me not my love
Don't let our love fade away from your heart and memories.
I just wanna hold your hand
All I want is to feel your touch and be close to you.
Hang on every word you say
I want to listen to your voice and pay attention to everything you say.
Let's write a song for us
Let's create something together that reminds us of our love and relationship.
And sing it til we're old and grey
Let's keep that song and our love alive forever, even when we're old and wrinkled.
I'm coming home real soon
I'll be back with you in no time, stay with me.
Please leave a light on for me
Keep a light on, so I know where to find you when I get back.
Yes, you'll be the only one for me
I'll remain committed to you and you only, my love.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JOY WILLIAMS, JOHN WHITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Shoe0nHead
their voices together always manage to give me chills. it's a shame they broke up so early in their career.
@harleysparrow222
think they did because they fell in love with each other? watching this video, I can't imagine that they didn't...
@LoriB02
Laura Donnell nope, she was married. I think it was jealousy of the wife of his.
@rozyy15
Laura Donnell That's all I can think of. Matters of the heart supposedly hurt the most, right? I mean if we can feel it, it's gotta be there, right?
@preppygothboy
I always thought they looked kind of wistful when they looked at each other, guess that's why
@figuratively1261
Aaron tally they're both separately married already.
@AraComesAraGoes
They created such beautiful music together. Their songs continue to bring comfort even years after disbanding.
@JoelLutetium
Just love how raw and unedited this video, and how carefree and beautiful the song is. These guys really need to get back together. No one compares to them.
@faerelizabeth2097
You sure said that right!
@shysteph19
I deal with some chronic illnesses that leave me couch bound some days, and the only thing that gives me the energy and joy to get me through those days is these two. They have so much talent and both of their voices are beautiful.