Forgive
Vanguard Lyrics


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A buried cradle, six feet under.
A wedding dress, torn asunder.
A twisted ring, worn for one day
An empty house, beaten by the rain.

A broken promise, a vow eternal
A soul-searched fate, a lonely funeral.
A wounded future, a long dead past
Knowing, she will suffer last.

She has bled her love and grace away.
And drowned her life in sorrow.
Left behind her second chance.
Needing the tears that follow.

Joining earth and feeling soon,
Dust to dust, her mother's womb.




Never together but never apart.
For all times after joined at the heart

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Vanguard's song Forgive depict a story of heartbreak, loss, and regret. The first verse speaks of a buried cradle, a torn wedding dress, a twisted ring and an empty house beaten by the rain. These are all symbols of shattered dreams, dashed hopes and promises unfulfilled. The second verse suggests the reason behind the devastation - a broken promise, an eternal vow that has been betrayed. The singer is left with not just a wounded future but a long dead past, knowing that she will suffer the most.


The chorus expresses the depth of pain and despair that the singer is experiencing. She feels that she has bled her love and grace away and has drowned her life in sorrow. She has missed her second chance and now needs the tears that follow to wash away her sorrows. The final verse speaks of the inevitability of death, how all life returns to the earth, the circle of life always continuing. However, despite this, the singer will always be connected to her lost love, for all times after joined at the heart.


Overall, the lyrics of Vanguard's song Forgive take us on a journey through the emotions and heartbreaks of a person who has been cheated on, made empty promises to, and left alone. The lyrics are touching and relatable to anyone who has gone through a similar experience.


Line by Line Meaning

A buried cradle, six feet under.
The verse describes a tragic end of an innocent life- an infant who has died and been buried in a grave that is six feet under.


A wedding dress, torn asunder.
The lyric is a metaphor for the end of a relationship. The wedding dress is a symbol of hope and the future, but in this case, it has been torn apart, just like their dreams and promises.


A twisted ring, worn for one day
The singer has worn the wedding ring for only one day, as their relationship was short-lived and ended abruptly. The twisted ring also symbolizes the twisted fate that brought them misery instead of happiness.


An empty house, beaten by the rain.
The empty house has been left abandoned and is now battered by the rain. It reflects the emptiness and hollowness that the artist feels after the relationship has ended.


A broken promise, a vow eternal
The artist has been promised eternal love, but that has been broken, causing severe hurt and pain. This line is an allusion to the wedding vows and promises that have been shattered.


A soul-searched fate, a lonely funeral.
The singer has examined their soul and fate, and it has led them to a lonely and melancholic place. The reference to the funeral is an allusion to the singer's sense of dying emotionally and the feeling of hopelessness.


A wounded future, a long dead past
The past has died a long time ago, and no amount of efforts can revive it. The future now seems bleak and uncertain, as if the singer will carry the wounds and scars of the past forever.


Knowing, she will suffer last.
The artist has realized that they are bearing the maximum brunt and suffering the most in the relationship, and they will be the last ones to recover.


She has bled her love and grace away.
The artist may have been generous with their love and kindness, but the relationship has left them empty and drained of their affection and grace.


And drowned her life in sorrow.
The artist's life has been consumed by sorrow and melancholy as the relationship ended in disappointment and agony.


Left behind her second chance.
The chance for a successful and happy relationship is gone, and the singer feels like they have missed their second chance at love and happiness.


Needing the tears that follow.
The artist requires a release of their emotions and needs the relief that comes after shedding tears.


Joining earth and feeling soon,
The singer contemplates their mortality and how eventually they will join the earth and return to it.


Dust to dust, her mother's womb.
The saying 'dust to dust' refers to the inevitability of death and how humans return to the earth. The phrase 'her mother's womb' is a reference to the cyclical nature of life and death.


Never together but never apart.
The singer and their lost love might not be together in the physical world, but they will never be truly apart as they will always carry the memories and emotions associated with their relationship.


For all times after joined at the heart.
The relationship has left such an impact on the artist's heart that they will always be joined to their lost love emotionally and spiritually, even though they might not be together physically.




Writer(s): Trey Bruce, Rebecca Howard

Contributed by Natalie C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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