Don’t Tell Me You Forgot (When Forgetting’s All I Want)

[Intro — one soft acoustic strum, pedal steel sigh; vocals enter immediately] [Verse 1 — weathered, intimate male country vocal] I saw you Sunday at the county fair You had somebody’s baby in your arms You said it’s funny running into me And asked if I was still out on that farm You laughed about the summer we were twenty Like it was just a season passing through I stood there holding twenty years of nothing And you were holding everything but me and you [Chorus — unforgettable simple melody; aching vibrato on “forgot”] Don’t tell me you forgot When forgetting’s all I want I’ve tried a thousand ways to lose you But the memory won’t stop You got a life that never missed me I got a heart that never stopped Oh, don’t tell me you forgot— [Long trembling high-lonesome near-yodel, falling into chest voice] When forgetting’s all I want [Pedal steel echoes the descending vocal melody; fiddle answers softly] [Verse 2 — restrained, conversational delivery] You asked if I remembered that old highway Where we used to park and watch the trains I nearly told you I still drive it When I need somewhere to put the pain But then you said, “Those were some good times” And smiled like they were all we’d ever been I guess you learned to call it growing older I never learned to call it anything [Chorus — slightly fuller, steel answers each phrase] Don’t tell me you forgot When forgetting’s all I want I’ve tried a thousand ways to lose you But the memory won’t stop You got a life that never missed me I got a heart that never stopped Oh, don’t tell me you forgot— [Extended wavering vibrato, mournful descending yodel] When forgetting’s all I want [Bridge — instruments drop to acoustic guitar and walking bass; almost whispered] Your little girl asked who I was You said, “An old friend from before” And I don’t know which part hurt worse That you were right, or nothing more [Final Chorus — exposed vocal first, emotional high-lonesome lift; no pop-style build] Don’t tell me you forgot When forgetting’s all I want I’ve tried a thousand ways to lose you But the memory won’t stop You got a life that never missed me I got a heart that never stopped Oh, don’t tell me you forgot— [Longest sustained warbling near-yodel, fragile and breaking] When forgetting’s all I want [Outro — voice nearly cracks, steel and fiddle answer] Don’t tell me you forgot… When forgetting’s all I want. [Final pedal steel note fades into tape warmth]