Can't Repeat

The Offspring

I woke the other day
And saw my world has changed
The past is over but tomorrow's wishful thinking
I can't hold onto what's been done (woah)
I can't grab onto what's to come (woah)
And I'm just wishing I could stop, but

Life goes on
Come of age
Can't hold on
Turn the page

Time rolls on
Wipe these eyes
Yesterday laughs
Tomorrow cries

Memories are bittersweet
The good times we can't repeat
Those days are gone and we can never get them back
Now we must move ahead (woah)
Despite our fear and dread (woah)
We're all just wishing we could stop, but

Life goes on
Come of age
Can't hold on
Turn the page

Time rolls on
Wipe your eyes
Yesterday laughs
Tomorrow cries

With all our joys and fears
Wrapped in forgotten years
The past is laughing as today just slips away
Time tears down what we've made (woah)
And sets another stage (woah)
And I'm just wishing we could stop

Life goes on
Come of age
Can't hold on
Turn the page

Time rolls on
Wipe these eyes
Yesterday laughs
Tomorrow cries

Time rolls on

As I was randomly searching through my iPod for a song to blog about, this song came on. Having just gotten back from hanging out with a group of friends, it fit my mood perfectly. The Offspring's song "Can't Repeat" is one about moving on and remembering the past. As a senior about to graduate and leave some of my friends behind, the lyrics tell my feelings well. The entire song speaks of change happening, and wishing to go back in time. Analyzing the lyrics makes me think of the memories I have made, as well as the ones I wish I had made. "Life goes on/come of age/can't hold on/turn the page" is the beginning of the chorus, and what these lyrics mean to me is that you can't just stop time, you have to keep progressing through it. "Time rolls on/wipe these eyes/yesterday laughs/tomorrow cries" speaks of the more emotional side of things, where in our memories we are laughing, but now that we've thought of those "good times we can't repeat", we'll be sad. The verse after the first chorus, "Memories are bittersweet/good times we can't repeat/those days are gone and we can never get them back/now we must move ahead/despite our fear and dread/we're all just wishing we could stop" just reiterates that while we're glad we have the memories, they can be sad to think about. It tells us once again that we must move on, despite our fears of the world, and that we wish we could just stop, leading into the chorus explaining why we can't. The final verse starts with "With all our joys and fears/wrapped in forgotten years", which I believe is a very true statement. The years of our past have been forgotten, but we hold on to our valuable memories. "The past is laughing as today just slips away/Time tears down what we've made/And sets another stage/And I'm just wishing we could stop" then tells us as we move on, we're just going to "another stage" which will be a place for us to make more memories. I believe this gives the song a bittersweet ending, having the listener think about old memories, yet giving them hope that the new ones can be just as good.