The Smashing Pumpkins is an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Th… Read Full Bio ↴The Smashing Pumpkins is an American alternative rock band from Chicago. The band was formed in 1988 by Billy Corgan and James Iha, with bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin joining shortly after. Despite going through many lineup changes, the current lineup is identical to the original, with the exception of Wretzky, who would end up leaving the band just before their initial breakup in 2000.

Disavowing the punk rock roots of many of their alt-rock contemporaries, they have a diverse, densely layered, and guitar-heavy sound, containing elements of gothic rock, heavy metal, dream pop, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, shoegazing, and, in later recordings, electronica. Corgan is the group's primary songwriter; his musical ambitions and cathartic lyrics have shaped the band's albums and songs, which have been described as "anguished, bruised reports from Billy Corgan's nightmare-land".

The Smashing Pumpkins broke into the musical mainstream with their second album, 1993's Siamese Dream. The group built its audience with extensive touring and their 1995 follow-up, the double album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart. 1998's Adore would just barely miss out, peaking at number two. With 30 million albums sold worldwide, the Smashing Pumpkins were one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed bands of the 1990s. However, internal fighting, drug use, and diminishing record sales led to a 2000 break-up.

In 2006, Corgan and Chamberlin reconvened to record a new Smashing Pumpkins album, Zeitgeist. After touring throughout 2007 and 2008 with a lineup including new guitarist Jeff Schroeder, Chamberlin left the band in early 2009. Later that year, Corgan began a new recording series with a rotating lineup of musicians entitled Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, which encompassed the release of stand-alone singles, compilation EP releases, and two full albums that also fell under the project's scope—Oceania in 2012 and Monuments to an Elegy in 2014. Chamberlin and Iha officially rejoined the band in February 2018. The reunited lineup has released three albums so far—Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun. in November 2018, Cyr in November 2020, and ATUM in 2023.

To Forgive
The Smashing Pumpkins Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ten times removed
I forget about where it all began
Bastard son of a bastard son of
A wild eyed child of the sun
And right as rain I'm not the same but
I feel the same I feel nothing
Holding back the fool again
Holding back the fool pretends

I forget to forget nothing is important
Holding back the fool again
I sensed my loss
Before I even learned to talk
And I remember my birthdays
Empty party afternoons won't come back
Holding back the fool again
Holding back the fool pretends
I forget to forget nothing is important
Holding back the fool again
I forget to forget me
I forget to forget you see
Nothing is important to me
I knew my loss
Before I even learned to speak
And all along, I knew it was wrong
But I played along, with my birthday song
Holding back the fool again
Holding back the fool pretends

I forget to forget nothing is important
Holding back the fool again

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Smashing Pumpkins' song, To Forgive, convey a sense of detachment and apathy towards life, marked by a lack of emotional investment in anything. The singer feels so disconnected from his own existence that he forgets where it all began, indicating a loss of purpose and direction. The repetition of "Holding back the fool again" suggests that the singer is aware of his own foolishness but cannot help himself from acting on it.

The lines "I sensed my loss / Before I even learned to talk" and "I knew my loss / Before I even learned to speak" emphasize the singer's innate understanding of his own shortcomings from a very young age. The reference to "empty party afternoons" and "my birthday song" reinforces the idea of a superficial and meaningless existence, marked only by the passage of time.

Overall, the lyrics to To Forgive evoke a sense of emptiness and disconnection, portraying a person who has lost touch with themselves and the world around them.

Line by Line Meaning

Ten times removed
I feel distant from my past

I forget about where it all began
I don't remember my roots

Bastard son of a bastard son of
My family history is troubled

A wild eyed child of the sun
I am a free-spirited person

And right as rain I'm not the same but
I have changed

I feel the same I feel nothing
I am emotionally numb

Holding back the fool again
I am suppressing my true feelings

Holding back the fool pretends
I am pretending everything is okay

I forget to forget nothing is important
I am apathetic

I sensed my loss
I recognize my pain

Before I even learned to talk
My trauma goes back to my earliest memories