The lyrics tell a vague story about a man looking for a girl in a forest. He hears her calling for him, and as he chases her, he suddenly stops and realizes that he is lost and that the girl is not there. The song is fairly upbeat compared to the other material on the album, and Lol Tolhurst's machine-like steady beat together with Simon Gallup's minimalistic bassline gives this nervous chase more depth and keeps the song on the edge of a frantic groove until the end.
Though not their biggest hit, it is regarded by many fans and critics as one of the best examples of The Cure's sound. The song is also notable for securing the band its first slot on BBC's "Top of the Pops".
The track has been re-recorded a number of times by The Cure. In 1990 the track was re-recorded and remixed as the "Tree mix" on the band's "Mixed Up" album. It was redone for the second time on the Join the Dots box set this time remixed by Mark Plati and featuring Earl Slick on guitar. Robert Smith supplied vocals for a Blank & Jones cover version in 2003. The song has also been covered by Nouvelle Vague on their first album Nouvelle Vague and by Carpathian Forest on their debut album Black Shining Leather. The song "Dead Disco" by the Canadian rock group Metric borrows heavily from the song. Many have said this is in reference to the group and the genre.
A Forest
The Cure Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
See into the trees
Find the girl
While you can
Come closer and see
See into the dark
Just follow your eyes
Just follow your eyes
I hear her voice
Calling my name
The sound is deep
In the dark
I hear her voice
And start to run
Into the trees
Into the trees
Into the trees
Suddenly, I stop
But I know it's too late
I'm lost in a forest
All alone
The girl was never there
It's always the same
I'm running towards nothing
Again and again and again and again
And again and again and again and again
And again-gain-gain and again and again
And again and again-gain-gain and again
And again and again and again and again
And again
The song A Forest by The Cure tells the story of a man who is lost in a dark forest, searching for a girl. The first verse encourages him to come closer and look into the trees to find the girl. He’s urged to follow his eyes and he hears her voice calling his name, which is deep in the dark. The second verse sees him running towards the trees and into the dark, but suddenly he stops. He knows it’s too late, as he has become lost in the forest, all alone. The girl was never there, and he keeps running towards nothing, again and again.
The song is often interpreted as a metaphor for addiction, depression, and the feeling of being lost. It’s a classic example of how The Cure’s music connected with people on an emotional level, expressing feelings of longing and despair that many could relate to. Robert Smith’s haunting vocals and the energetic, urgent guitars convey a sense of urgency and confusion that makes the song so effective.
Line by Line Meaning
Come closer and see
Step closer to observe your surroundings
See into the trees
Pay attention to the nature around you
Find the girl
Search for a young woman who is lost in the woods
While you can
Before she disappears
See into the dark
Look beyond the lighted paths
Just follow your eyes
Trust your instincts and continue looking
I hear her voice
I am intrigued by the sound of her voice
Calling my name
She's seemingly beckoning for me
The sound is deep
It comes from far away or has an eerie quality
In the dark
She's hidden from my sight
And start to run
I'm excited and anxious to find her
Into the trees
I chase after her into the forest
Suddenly I stop
I realize that something is not right
But I know it's too late
I am trapped and can't turn back
I'm lost in a forest
I am disoriented and can't find my way back out
All alone
I am by myself in the eerie forest
The girl was never there
She was only a figment of my imagination
It's always the same
I keep getting lost in the forest and chasing after something that does not exist
I'm running towards nothing
My pursuit has no reward
Again and again and again and again
The cycle repeats
And again and again and again and again
The cycle continues
And again and again and again and again
The cycle persists
And again and again and again and again
The cycle endures
And again and again
The cycle repeats over and over
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Robert James Smith, Laurence Andrew Tolhurst, Matthieu Aiden Hartley, Simon Johnathon Gallup
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cariddicalabro
Come closer and see
See into the trees
Find the girl
While you can
Come closer and see
See into the dark
Just follow your eyes
Just follow your eyes
I hear her voice
Calling my name
The sound is deep
In the dark
I hear her voice
And start to run
Into the trees
Into the trees
Into the trees
Suddenly I stop
But I know it's too late
I'm lost in a forest
All alone
The girl was never there
It's always the same
I'm running towards nothing
Again and again and again and again...
@blackeagle7947
The Cure
A Forest
Come closer and see
See into the trees
Find the girl
If you can
Come closer and see
See into the dark
Just follow your eyes
Just follow your eyes
I hear her voice
Calling my name
The sound is deep
In the dark
I hear her voice
And start to run
Into the trees
Into the trees
Into the trees
Suddenly I stop
But I know it's too late
I'm lost in a forest
All alone
The girl was never there
It's always the same
I'm running towards nothing
(Again and again and again and again)
And again
@deanohall8373
I Remember being off my face on Ketamin & Nitros Oxide
When i 1st heard this amazing
Ch👀N
And it has never got old
Also
Don't Do DruG's
Trust Me
You Are Not MissinG Out On Anything Special
Except A Life Of MeSSeD Up
ShiT & Pure Upset .....
✌💗😊😇
@alanstrom2221
@@oliverdurgen5953
The concept of the music has to be created by a person from zero.
To describe it the way you have is a reflection of your ignorance of music and how it is made from the imagination of a person or persons.
Whether it is The Cure or Guns n Roses.
Axl was in another room when he heard Slash 'noodling' on his Guitar.
Axl insisted that Slash keep the 'noodle' and it was used as the intro to "Sweet Child of Mine".
Some of the most famous riffs are simple and basic. "Smoke on the Water"
"A Forest" is extremely high on my favourite songs list.
A few of my favourite Bands are The Ramones,
The Sex Pistols, The Buzzcocks & Status Quo.
On the surface they may sound simple, yet, they are far more complex than first thought.
A famous musician once said that it's not the notes you use, it's the space between the notes that create the music.
There's great use of space used on "A Forest"
Too many people enter comments on You Tube that are wildly inaccurate and subjective.
I like to focus on facts and reality.
@EduardoHernandez-wr1cd
I can listen to this song again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again...
@JohnAnderson-dm3ci
laughing- well stated! me too!
@aibmedia
Absolutely! Especially the variety of extended and live versions. Heard the "Mixed Up" version played by a local band on the streets of Paris for fête de la musique over twenty years ago. Been my favorite song since.
@Chief.Energy.Officer
💚💚💚💚💚
@NAT-turners-Revenge
😅
@christianrenault7514
oui encore c'est ca
@rutwickgangurde3247
Never seen Robert in such a dapper look. His messy hairstyle is iconic.
@Cautionary_Tale_Harris
Check out The Cure - In Orange
Robert comes out with his crazy hair, but Simon gives it a pull to reveal it's a wig.
@s.r.9320
He looks like this one guy from band camp...
@ThijmenTheTurkey
he almost looks normal