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 & Earl Slick Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come closer and see, come closer and see
Come closer and see, come closer and see
Come closer and see
Come closer and see, see into the trees
Find the girl while you can
Come closer and see, see into the dark
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Just follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, 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, into the trees
Into the trees
I'm running towards nothing
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
And again and again and again
And again and again and again
And again and again and again
And again and again and again
Again
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
I'm lost in a forest, all alone
I know it's too late
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
Follow your eyes, suddenly I stop, stop
The song "A Forest" by The Cure and Earl Slick is a post-punk classic, released in 1980 as a single and later included in their album "Seventeen Seconds." The song begins with a repeating phrase: "Come closer and see," urging the listener to pay attention and observe closely. The lyrics then mention trees and a girl that the singer is searching for. The repeated line "Follow your eyes" suggests that the solution to finding the girl lies in one's own perception.
As the song progresses, the singer hears the girl's voice calling his name from the darkness, and he runs into the trees in search of her. However, he ultimately realizes that he is lost and that the girl was never really there. The final phrase "suddenly I stop" feels abrupt and suggests a sense of resignation or defeat.
The lyrics of "A Forest" use vivid imagery and a haunting, repetitive melody to create a feeling of unease and uncertainty. The forest, with its dark corners and hidden dangers, serves as a metaphor for the unknowable and unpredictable aspects of life. The song is often interpreted as a commentary on the human condition, with the singer searching for something that may not even exist.
Line by Line Meaning
Come closer and see, come closer and see
The singer is inviting the listener to approach and observe
Come closer and see, see into the trees
The singer suggests looking into the woods for something
Find the girl while you can
A girl may be in the woods and it's important to find her soon
Come closer and see, see into the dark
The artist urges the listener to look into the darkness
Just follow your eyes, just follow your eyes
The artist advises relying on visual perception
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
The singer repeats the previous advice
I hear her voice calling my name
The singer hears a female calling them
The sound is deep in the dark
The voice can be heard from the darkness
I hear her voice and start to run
The artist responds by running towards the sound of the calling
Into the trees, into the trees
The artist enters the woods
I'm running towards nothing
The singer is running aimlessly in the woods
Suddenly I stop but I know it's too late
The artist realizes they are lost and it's too late to turn back
I'm lost in a forest, all alone
The singer is now lost and separated from everyone
The girl was never there, it's always the same
The girl calling was only a figment of the singer's imagination
Again and again and again
The singer is stuck in a cycle of getting lost and chasing imaginary figures
Follow your eyes, follow your eyes
The artist repeats the advice from earlier
Suddenly I stop, stop
The artist stops moving suddenly
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ROBERT JAMES SMITH, SIMON GALLUP, MATTHIEU A. HARTLEY, LAURENCE ANDREW TOLHURST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alfred Carpenter
Yes a fantastic version to this song
DJDanceClassic
The song 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. This version was described as "awful" and "instantly dated" by reviewer Chris Ott.
David W
An excellent remix available only on the box join the dots issued in 2004
Spencer Hermes Calderon Dorantes
The Best Remix of that Years...
ShadowPlay1919
Im here because I heard it was horrible lol. I like every version i have heard so I wanna hear this. And it is kinda crappy so far.
Spencer Hermes Calderon Dorantes
of course Talking bout this particular song