Deciphering the Song: Do You Remember by Ane Brun

Ane Brun YouTube Do You Remember

When I first heard this song, or rather, watched the official video, the whole song and production and the abstract story behind it all captivated me. Some of you might like it as much as I do, some of you might be like "WHA DA HECK this makes absolutely no sense", and for some of you it might just not be your cup of tea even if I gave you a cookie with it.

According to our good friend Wikipedia,

"The music videos for "Words", "One", "Worship" and "Do You Remember" were taken from a short film titled ONE, which was directed by Brun's regular directorial partner, Magnus Renfors." (Wikipedia: It All Starts with One)

Do You Remember is basically the last part of the film, "ONE".

In my view, this young man was either a dictator or committed many war crimes out of pride. You will see, somewhere in the film, he has lots of medals on his jacket. But he is being punished... The whole film, obviously is hard to decipher. The first one could be this or that or...

Anyway, let me try my hand, er, brain on "Do You Remember" which was the first one I saw of Ane Brun and absolutely fell in love with.

Thank you MetroLyrics for providing the lyrics. MetroLyrics, I use you every time I want to find lyrics. Sometimes you have a few little mistakes but that's okay :)

Do you remember the late morning
When we went back to bed,
When we found the first position
And every muscle rested

 

Decipher based on Music Video (MV):

The woman's husband has committed many war crimes but at the time he was praised and given many medals. He has become very self-centered and cold toward his wife. The wife is asking if he remembers that time, on their first night together after marriage, when they first slept together in the same bed full of love and how such a good sleep they had.

 

 

I do remember that I already
Knew it was the last time,
The last time for first positions
The last time you'll be mine

 

Decipher based on MV:

But the wife knows that her husband, who is a young successful army general, will have to go to war the next day. She knows it will be the first and last time they will sleep together happy and peaceful. She knows that only tonight he will be hers, not just physically but emotionally. She also understands that war can change a person. She has seen it. But, at the time, she tries to push it away. She tries to believe nothing can get in their way. Though, looking back at it now, she remembers that she already knew what happens to people during war.

 

 

Aaaaoo aoo aoo ao
Aaaaoo aoo aoo ao

 

Decipher based on MV:

She is mourning the emotional loss of her husband and what the war has made him become and what the war has done to their happy relationship.

 

 

Do you remember the scars that I showed you
The stories I told you
How I always said forever
When you aksed me to stay true

 

Decipher based on MV:

She asks if he remembers her scars. How hard a life she lived to get to this point. All the sadness and pain in her life revolving around family issues and men. How he came to take her out of that. When he asked her to stay true to him, to always be his, she always said, "I will stay true to you forever." She only wanted him in her life and he was the light in her darkness.

 

 

Do you remember when we forgot
How to smile at each other
To believe that the other
Wants only whats good for you

 

Decipher based on MV:

As the war began to take a toll on him, though they had happy days in the beginning, soon they became cold to one another. Living became tough and there was tension and distress all around and neither could do much about it. She also knew he was ordering his soldiers to kill innocent people. She became afraid of him. The smiles left the home and there was only anger and sadness. They started to fight more often. Neither believed the other's suggestions were only to protect them.

 

 

Aaaaoo aoo aoo ao
Aaaaoo aoo aoo ao

 

Aaaaoo aoo aoo ao
Aaaaoo aoo aoo ao

 

Do you remember the late morning
When we went back to bed,
When we found the first position
And every muscle rested

 

I do remember that I already
Knew it was the last time,
The last time for first positions
The last time you'll be mine

Read more: Ane Brun - Do You Remember Lyrics | MetroLyrics
There were a few parts in the long that MetroLyrics had wrong so I went ahead and fixed it.

Anyway, that was my interpretation, er, deciphering. I didn't do the last part cuz it was a repeat of the first part.

Though you could say the last part is the wife sadly giving up those happy days the couple had together. And then she tells herself that nothing could have been done because with the war, she already knew that first peaceful happy night together would be the last. She already understood what war can do to you and she knew what may happen to him when he must go out there and be involved in it. She knew she would lose her husband--not in the sense that he would die--but that he would never be the same again.

This, is a mourning song.

Perhaps you can decipher the song differently if you just read the lyrics or listened to the music without the video.

The video is well-done though. You should definitely lose yourself in it. Lose yourself in the abstract and beautiful world of Ane Brun.

See ya later, alligators :)