DAY298 - Shane Koyczan and Hannah Epperson - Remember How We Forgot 

Shane is, in my opinion, one of the best poets of this generation. His poems feel like they were written for everyone that hears them, and they way he recites them is beautiful.

8 years later and I still get goosebumps

The groaning at 5:28 is definitely some guy jizzing in his pants at how amazing this is.

these six minutes. these six minutes are an achievement of a lifetime.

Passionate. Profound and powerful. This is a fantastic combination of brilliant writing and artful presentation. The violinist is beautiful and talented and the young man's performance is heart-filling. He conveys this delicate balance between nostalgia and a stark awareness of our fragile hold to this beautiful life. I was blown away. Just beautiful.

5:30 "EHHUUUUUUUUUUGHH!!!"

"because when i call you "sis" or bro"... it's not lightly. and when i ask you to remember, it's because the future isn't what it used to be." why can't i watch this without weeping?

I watch this often . . . thank you! It always makes me cry.

Amazing

man, I was feeling all those goosebumps during the final part of it until 5:30 when someone jizzed their pants *sigh*

When someone looks at you like Hannah looks at him, you know you are loved.

I would love to hang out with Shane.

Remember how we forgot? Remember how no one ever really died in the wars we fought? Because each gunshot came from our finger tips And we never really kept them loaded just in case Cause each enemy was a friend and none of it was about oil, religion, or land It was all just pretend Remember how we used to bend reality Like we were circus strong men Like our imaginations were in shape then Like we were all ninjas trained in the deadly art of "did not" Like "I totally got you" "Did not" Remember how we forgot? Remember how our parents told us never to look directly into the sun And how we were their son And so we never looked directly into the mirror, in fear that we would go blind Remember how we used to find any old reason just to call someone we were crushing on Like we could just pawn off our sense of embarrassment Buy a chunk of courage that would last just long enough to have us askin 'em about math and stuff And how stuff was just stuff Like I heard you're getting braces, now braces somehow were and still are kinda hot Remember how we forgot? Remember how we all caught mono and our folks would go, "oh the kissing disease" And our first steps into gangstahood had us saying “mother please.” Even though we’d never really kissed anyone Even though we never did half the things we said we’d done We just spun yarn like Rumpelstiltskin spun gold We told ghost stories never realizing we would one day ourselves become ghosts Haunting the hallways of schools Breaking all the rules of silence in the library But we had no chains to rattle No voice to battle the fact that we had no vocal chords We had only finger nails on chalk boards We would scream, shout, and yell trying to tell ourselves what experience can teach is What no teacher taught Remember how we forgot? Once upon a time, we were young Our dreams hung like apples Waiting to be picked and peeled And hope was something needing to be reeled-in So we can fill the always empty big fish bin with the one that got away And proudly say that "this time, impossible is not an option" Because success is so akin to effort and opportunity they could be related So we took chances We figure skated on thin ice Believed that each slice of life was served with something sweet on the side And failure was never nearly as important as the fact that we tried That in the war against frailty and limitation We supplied the determination it takes to make ideas and goals the parents of Possibility And we believe ourselves to be members of this family Not just one branch on one tree But a forest whose roots make up a dynasty So when I call you sis or bro It’s not lightly And when I ask you to remember It’s because the future isn't what it used to be So remember now Pay tribute to every sacrifice laid upon the altar of somehow For all the times Somehow we overcame Somehow we pushed on Somehow we’ve gone the distance And in going there we possessed the freedom to map the uncharted lands of any and Everywhere We are unbound Six feet above the underground where we will all one day rest So until then Test the limits Test the boundaries and borders As if the headquarters of potential lay just beyond the world's edge Let the belief that hope belongs to us all Be the pledge you take to make the unachievable as inconceivable as the false fact hat We were never here We were here And our memories are as dear to us as every slow motion moment or held breath So remember every instance before death Every first kiss, first dance, near miss, last chance, yes, no, maybe so Let us go the distance once more Let us remember all the moments that were and were not Like the point is something we can get and what we can get is what we got Because all we have are the times between the moments we connect each dot So live and remember Burn like an ember capable of starting fires Like each moment inspires the next Like memories are the context we put ourselves in So that life becomes the next of kin we need to notify in case of a big bang or Extinction level event Let now be our advent Let us live like we meant it Let us burn like we mean it Because this world doesn't give a shit if we end in a train wreck or a car crash If our story ends with a dot or dash If we were dust or ash Because all we were is all we’ll be And all we are is the in-between of so far, so good So forget every would, could, or should not Forget remembering how we forgot Live like a plot twist exists now and in memory Because we burn bright Our light leaves scars on the sun Let no one say we will be undone by time's passing The memories we are amassing will stand as testament That somehow we bent minds around the concept That we see others within ourselves That self-knowledge can't be found on bookshelves So who we are has no bearing on how we appear Look directly into every mirror Realize our reflection is the first sentence to a story And our story starts: "We were here."

Brings you back to when you were a kid. The infinite possibilities and misguided innocence that made life feel alive. Defined by the spirit inside with a hunger for everything new and scary. As our life's seasons go by we tend to forget how things were when we were children. This poem is absolutely epic.

Oh god, the groan at 5:28! I'm cackling with laughter and my roommates think I'm going crazy!

Never going to forget this piece. Even 7 years later.

Oh my god, this guy is amazing. He speaks so articulately and so passionately. It's like he knows just how beautiful and painful his emotions are and channels these complex feelings learned through life experience straight into other people with the most incredibly simple phrasing. This is perfect language.

Omg, I stumbled upon this video and ...... Wow , just .... Wow , this is beautiful.

Please release the violin on its own. Probably one of the mot beautiful melodics i have ever heard.

His words are soo powerfull and evokes soo much emotion but the girl with voilin i am swerving in the expressions her face creates , so much soul❤

The random noise you hear at 5:29 is the sound of someone's mind getting blown.

did anyone else here the weird grunt in the background around 5:30 ?

he talks as well with his hands as he does with his words

This live version is a million times better than the album version

The way Hannah looks at him is genuinely beautiful.

5:29 That's me right there

Word ninja and dream provocateur. A synapse scintillating painter of words, I just love this guy!

I don't know how I ended up here, but I know I don't want to leave. Thx.

For you reading this right now, Have a nice day

Only Shane Koyczan could make me both laugh and cry hysterically in one performance.

This is amazing. Starts off funny and then builds into a motivational speech that we can all be more and do more than we ever expected. The backing music fits perfectly.

“Is 'fat' really the worst thing a human being can be? Is 'fat' worse than 'vindictive', 'jealous', 'shallow', 'vain', 'boring' or 'cruel'? Not to me.” -JK Rowling (You hit the jackpot in the things that are worse than being fat, Katherine. Maybe you should look to that log before you see about other people's motes.)

I absolutely HATE the applause while the violinist is still playing.

Hauntingly and powerfully poignant. Incredibly beautiful.

Each gun shot came from our fingertips

damn, this will be a reason to train my english-skill to understand more than this 20% I can understand today. But, it´s amazing, anyway ;-)

5:29 is a proof of how strong Shane's poems are to people xP

I can't believe this was 10 years ago. I think more than that, actually? I saw an old friend today and it made me think of this. Thank you.

Magic. We all forgot and its why society is so divided. We have lost the magic of childhood.

Back for my yearly dose of medicine

I come back to this far less than i should

Remember how we forgot? Remember how no one ever really died in the wars we fought? Because each gunshot came from our finger tips And we never really kept them loaded just in case 'Cause each enemy was a friend and none of it was about oil, religion, or land It was all just pretend Remember how we used to bend reality Like we were circus strong men Like our imaginations were in shape then Like we were all ninjas trained in the deadly art of "did not". Like "I totally got you" "Did not" Remember how we forgot? Remember how our parents told us never to look directly into the sun And how we were their sun And so we never looked directly into the mirror, in fear that we would go blind Remember how we used to find any old reason just to call someone we were crushing on Like we could just pawn off our sense of embarrassment Buy a chunk of courage that would last just long enough to have us askin 'em about math And stuff And how stuff was just stuff Like I heard you're getting braces, now braces somehow were and still are kinda hot Remember how we forgot? Remember how we all caught mono and our folks would go, "oh the kissing disease" And our first steps into gangstahood had us saying "mother please." Even though we'd never really kissed anyone Even though we never did half the things we said we'd done We just spun yarn like Rumpelstiltskin spun gold. We told ghost stories never realizing we would one day ourselves become ghosts Haunting the hallways of schools, Breaking all the rules of silence in the library But we had no chains to rattle No voice to battle the fact that we had no vocal chords We had only finger nails on chalk boards We would scream, shout, and yell trying to tell ourselves what experience can teach is What no teacher taught Remember how we forgot? Once upon a time, we were young. Our dreams hung like apples Waiting to be picked and peeled And hope was something needing to be reeled-in So we can fill the always empty big fish bin with the one that got away And proudly say that "this time, impossible is not an option" Because success is so akin to effort and opportunity they could be related So we took chances We figure skated on thin ice Believed that each slice of live was served with something sweet on the side And failure was never nearly as important as the fact that we tried That in the war against frailty and limitation We supplied the determination it takes to make ideas and goals the parents of Possibility And we believe ourselves to be members of this family Not just one branch on one tree But a forest whose roots make up a dynasty So when I call you sis or bro It's not lightly And when I ask you to remember It's because the future isn't what it used to be. So remember now Pay tribute to every sacrifice laid upon the altar of somehow For all the times Somehow we overcame Somehow we pushed on Somehow we've gone the distance And in going there we possessed the freedom to map the uncharted lands of any and Everywhere We are unbound Six feet above the underground where we will all one day rest So until then Test the limits Test the boundaries and borders As if the headquarters of potential lay just beyond the world's edge Let the belief that hope belongs to us all Be the pledge you take to make the unachievable as inconceivable as the false fact hat We were never here We were here And our memories are as dear to us as every slow motion moment or held breath So remember every instance before death Every first kiss, first dance, near miss, last chance, yes, no, maybe so Let us go the distance once more Let us remember all the moments that were and were not Like the point is something we can get and what we can get is what we got Because all we have are the times between the moments we connect each dot So live and remember Burn like an ember capable of starting fires Like each moment inspires the next Like memories are the context we put ourselves in So that life becomes the next of kin we need to notify in case of a big bang or Extinction level event Let now be our advent Let us live like we meant it Let us burn like we mean it Because this world doesn't give a shit if we end in a train wreck or a car crash If our story ends with a dot or dash If we were dust or ash Because all we were is all we'll be And all we are is the in-between of so far, so good So forget every would, could, or should not Forget remembering how we forgot Live like a plot twist exists now and in memory Because we burn bright Our light leaves scars on the sun Let no one say we will be undone by time's passing The memories we are amassing will stand as testament That somehow we bent minds around the concept That we see others within ourselves. That self-knowledge can't be found on bookshelves So who we are has no bearing on how we appear Look directly into every mirror Realize our reflection is the first sentence to a story And our story starts: "We were here."

How she looks at him, that's how I want a woman to look at me.

Discovered this just the other day. I fucking love it.

This so damn beautiful and painful.

This is amazing and some how does not seem to get any less effective no matter how many times I watch it. Going on a few years now.

Seeing him smile made me smile. And his voice is so amazing and inspiring.

This guy is my favorite poet by far

That violinist really shows what i was feeling. At first it was funny, then it was real and raw

love this mans poems

5:29 someones mind was blown!

It's really interesting how she's using the Heaven or Whatever theme in this

"Remember nobody ever died in the wars we fought? Because each gunshot came from our finger tips and we never kept them loaded just in case"

That's not a wildebeest. It's simply a climax. And what else would you expect from a verse so fulfilling? I also explodededed.

How do I like this more than once?

I normally turn this sort of thing off in a second or two. For some reason I watched this all the way through and found myself touched and amazed and motivated. Now I wonder how much awesome stuff I've turned off because I didn't want to be exposed to the emotions of another or those in me. This is brilliant.

wtf was that at 5:29 ?

so when I call you sis...or bro...... it's not lightly......

He is a God.

5:29 What the hell was that!?

this guy's got the words.

I love this poem it's rediculously powerful but anyone else here the groan at 5:29

5:28 DAT GROAN. some one was enjoying it lol

I have long thought that there is only one human being and it has 7,000,000,000 faces. The things we hate in others are the things we have not loved or healed in our selves. I want to thank you Shane because when I see you, and listen to you, I actually do see a better future is possible. Leave a scar upon the sun.

"We leave scars on the sun," That was the point I literally lost it and burst into tears. Damn....

Reminds me of Safe Francis, really great performance!

@5:28 UHHHH!!!

ITS THE INSTRUMENTALS AND THE WORDS THAT HIT ME Whats the name of the instrumental?. Anyone??

I enjoy than Hannah is transfixed by Shane throughout

When I stop sharing this, you are all invited to attend my funeral and remember...

Does anyone know where i can find the violin track shes playing?

My favourite poem of all time. Every time I listen to it, it moves me to tears. Remembering the years that I almost forgot. Thank you for this powerful reminder of who I am. ❤️‍🔥✊🏼

i memorized this for school a poetry slam, my class won! (took hours)

“Because the future isn’t what it used to be”

Who put the onions here?! ;-;

I watch this... more often than sometimes.

One day I hope somebody will watch me the way hannah watches shane... absolutely wonder

Heard this song in rehab, relapsed to it, listened to it through my divorce, and I’m still listening to it drunk now. Beautiful soundtrack to a difficult year.

Just pure masterpiece of a performance. I have kept coming back to this video for years, and somehow it gets even better every time i watch it.

At 5:30 that is the sound of someone realizes the beauty of this poem and realizing the message this poem is conveying. They realize that this isn’t just something to pawn off...its a life changing poem

Lyrics Remember how we forgot? Remember how no one ever really died in the wars we fought? Because each gunshot came from our finger tips And we never really kept them loaded just in case Cause each enemy was a friend and none of it was about oil, religion, or land It was all just pretend Remember how we used to bend reality Like we were circus strong men Like our imaginations were in shape then Like we were all ninjas trained in the deadly art of "did not" Like "I totally got you" "Did not" Remember how we forgot? Remember how our parents told us never to look directly into the sun And how we were their son And so we never looked directly into the mirror, in fear that we would go blind Remember how we used to find any old reason just to call someone we were crushing on Like we could just pawn off our sense of embarrassment Buy a chunk of courage that would last just long enough to have us askin 'em about math and stuff And how stuff was just stuff Like I heard you're getting braces, now braces somehow were and still are kinda hot Remember how we forgot? Remember how we all caught mono and our folks would go, "oh the kissing disease" And our first steps into gangstahood had us saying “mother please.” Even though we’d never really kissed anyone Even though we never did half the things we said we’d done We just spun yarn like Rumpelstiltskin spun gold We told ghost stories never realizing we would one day ourselves become ghosts Haunting the hallways of schools Breaking all the rules of silence in the library But we had no chains to rattle No voice to battle the fact that we had no vocal chords We had only finger nails on chalk boards We would scream, shout, and yell trying to tell ourselves what experience can teach is What no teacher taught Remember how we forgot? Once upon a time, we were young Our dreams hung like apples Waiting to be picked and peeled And hope was something needing to be reeled-in So we can fill the always empty big fish bin with the one that got away And proudly say that "this time, impossible is not an option" Because success is so akin to effort and opportunity they could be related So we took chances We figure skated on thin ice Believed that each slice of life was served with something sweet on the side And failure was never nearly as important as the fact that we tried That in the war against frailty and limitation We supplied the determination it takes to make ideas and goals the parents of Possibility And we believe ourselves to be members of this family Not just one branch on one tree But a forest whose roots make up a dynasty So when I call you sis or bro It’s not lightly And when I ask you to remember It’s because the future isn't what it used to be So remember now Pay tribute to every sacrifice laid upon the altar of somehow For all the times Somehow we overcame Somehow we pushed on Somehow we’ve gone the distance And in going there we possessed the freedom to map the uncharted lands of any and Everywhere We are unbound Six feet above the underground where we will all one day rest So until then Test the limits Test the boundaries and borders As if the headquarters of potential lay just beyond the world's edge Let the belief that hope belongs to us all Be the pledge you take to make the unachievable as inconceivable as the false fact hat We were never here We were here And our memories are as dear to us as every slow motion moment or held breath So remember every instance before death Every first kiss, first dance, near miss, last chance, yes, no, maybe so Let us go the distance once more Let us remember all the moments that were and were not Like the point is something we can get and what we can get is what we got Because all we have are the times between the moments we connect each dot So live and remember Burn like an ember capable of starting fires Like each moment inspires the next Like memories are the context we put ourselves in So that life becomes the next of kin we need to notify in case of a big bang or Extinction level event Let now be our advent Let us live like we meant it Let us burn like we mean it Because this world doesn't give a shit if we end in a train wreck or a car crash If our story ends with a dot or dash If we were dust or ash Because all we were is all we’ll be And all we are is the in-between of so far, so good So forget every would, could, or should not Forget remembering how we forgot Live like a plot twist exists now and in memory Because we burn bright Our light leaves scars on the sun Let no one say we will be undone by time's passing The memories we are amassing will stand as testament That somehow we bent minds around the concept That we see others within ourselves That self-knowledge can't be found on bookshelves So who we are has no bearing on how we appear Look directly into every mirror Realize our reflection is the first sentence to a story And our story starts: "We were here."

LMAO some guy jizzed at 5:28

What a team up, two artists who capture every emotion with every word or arco...never stop please.

The music should add to the strength. However Mr. Koyczan is complete by himself. There is nothing that you could add; that would not take away.

No disrepect to Shane but has Hannah released this violin track separately? I read that she might and I'd be grateful to find it.

wwwdotshanekoyczandotcom/videos/ I'm posting 1000 songs by 1000 artists over 1000 days, so I tend to post 1 song per artist... but I'm trying to get together with Shane to shoot a REDUX one day!

SOOOOOOOOOO good!!!!

UUUUURRRRGHGHGH!!!! I'm sorry, Shane; but this goes into my funny videos playlist.

Who grunts at 5:29? someone's really into it! haha. Awesome video Rod! congrats on reaching 1,000,000. amazing.

Guy is a fucking genius!

I ALWAYS tear up listening to this

I agree. But if I told you that if your face was recorded during this video, you'd have the same reactions on your face - pure captivation. If I told you that as passionate as Shane is in his performance, if you took Hannah away, this deliverance wouldn't even be half as potent or meaningful. That's the power of music. Bravo!

Thats the closest to rapping, but not quite rapping i have evered experienced.

Where do I get this music? 😅😅 help

11 years later and I think I get bigger goosebumps than I ever have 🙏🏼

@4:04 mins : "as if the Headquarters of Potential lay just beyond the world's edge" ... fuck yeah.

hey...who heard the part that said: every INSTANT before DEATH. if you don't get my refference, look up "for instance"

LOOOL Dont try to get away from the fact that your life is going now where. You try to talk to a bunch of people on the internet and defend yourself about how pretty you are. Yet we all know that with every hateful and narcissistic comment we make that it takes away from the video. Oh and by the way its only "you're" when you shorten "you are" and "your" is possessive so its yours not mine kind of thing.

It stands to be noted that physically she is neither fat nor ugly. That's not to say she's pretty. She's average. Nothing special, completely forgettable. Another face in the crowd of same looking girls. That's besides the point. It's unfair to assume that people are fat simply because they eat a lot. There are a lot of diseases that cause obesity. What this girl said made her ugly. Not her face, but her words. This man, Shane, he's more beautiful than this girl could ever be.

I am also very into all kinds of poetry, and this man has inspired one of the best slam poems I have ever written