Lyrics:

“The Past Recedes” is on the 2005 album Curtains by Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ guitarist, John Frusciante. It is one of his most popular songs with a very simple but beautiful chord riff (G D Am Em).
One, two, three, four

And then the past recedes
And I won't be involved
The effort to be free
Seems pointless from above
You're looking down at me
I'd rather stay below
Than have you staring up at me
Is nowhere I want to go

Ay, this business of how long we try to stay alive
Why, to be here, you first got to die, so I gave it a try
And what do you know? Time was so long ago

And things come back you see
To where they don't belong
And every drop of sea
Is the whole ocean

I lied to the greatest thieves about anything and everything
I'm a figure of forgotten speech, I'm out of reach
Oh, I can't play it safe, but I might just in case


I'm disguised as a reaching hand
I'm a working man
I don't understand why clock-out
Comes so slow every time
That's one line I stay right behind
That's one line I stay right behind
Yeah