"The only way that I know how to let go is to tell you I forgive you"

First analyzing post, finally! It's due tomorrow by noon, but I've listened to this song a million times before, so hopefully it will go smoothly.

As promised, I'm analyzing an Ari Hest song. It's a gorgeous song, but I listen to it infrequently, mostly because it's so heartbreaking. However, the lyrics are amazing, and I definitely recommend listening to it.

"I Forgive You" Music and Lyrics by Ari Hest

I haven't heard from you since...
Well, I can't even recall your face.
Isn't it sad to think that
Our younger years have been replaced by
Responsibilities and life's little intricacies?
When everyone's trying hard to be,
It's easy to lose track.

It's hard to tell exactly who he is talking to in this song. A former lover? Friend? Family member? I think the beauty of it is that, depending on who is listening, it could go either way. I love the first line, about how it's been so long, he can't even recall the person's face. Given the part about younger years, I would assume that it has been quite awhile. The other thing I think is important to note is that he seems to be talking about the worst type of losing touch with someone: indifference. There isn't fighting or anger. It's simply life that gets in the way. Or, as he so eloquently puts it, "life's little intricacies." To me, I think it's more painful to lose touch with someone because of being busy rather than a huge fight. At least with a fight, there is emotion. With indifference, there is nothing.

You said some things to me that
I have had trouble forgetting about.
But there ain't no sense in holding
Grudges forever thats the simple way out.

This is where you can see the mood of the song is starting to take a turn. Even though the two people are out of touch, there are still words ringing in his mind of possibly their last conversation. Here, you can tell that, even though the two people don't speak, he is still obsessing and thinking about what happened between them. And by the last sentence, you can tell that he is looking to resolve that. Which brings us to the next verse...

We may not be so close now,
But staying enemies I wont allow.
And the only way that I know how
To let go is to tell you
I forgive you

When I heard that line, "The only way I know how to let go is to tell you I forgive you," I immediately got chills, because I definitely didn't see it coming. Sure, it's the name of the song, but since when is that a way to let go of someone? I have had fights with people in my life, and be angry, but realistically, how is forgiveness going to help? Then it dawned on me: It only helps if you can't talk to them anymore.

I forgive you
I forgive you
I forgive you, you, you, you

By repeating "I forgive you" over and over again, he really gets the essence of the song. The theme is this: There is someone in his life who has hurt him badly. But the only way to try and move away from it, all the while not actually speaking to the person...is to know in his own heart that he forgives him. And maybe that will be the first step in lessening the pain.

No sense, no sense in holding grudges
Let it go

The final two lines really sum up the theme of the whole song. The only way to fully be at peace with a painful situation is to realize that when you can't do anything about it, you simply have to start letting go.

So that's analysis #1...next time I'll choose a happier song! But I still love this one.