I Lost a Friend

I Lost a Friend is a single by FINNEAS and the opening track on his debut EP, Blood Harmony. The song was released on May 2nd, 2019. A music video was later released for the song on June 25, 2019.

## Background

While talking about the song with *WBUR* Finneas said, "This is a song I wrote at some point last summer. It was, you know, pretty much autobiographical about a friendship of mine that lasted all through high school and kind of fallen apart. And I think it’s OK to have friends come and go in your life depending on how much real-life value that you add to each other. Like sometimes you just grow up and you have different interests and you ride in different waves. And I think that’s OK. But in this case, we were like still best friends, and I felt that there was, you know, a sort of a raw patch there of some form of resentment or maybe misguided envy or something. At the time, I wasn’t really sure how to deal with that, but I decided that it was probably best to try to write a song about it and to not write a song that was vilifying that person in any way or trying to make myself look like the victim. I’m really glad I wrote that song because it’s been fun to see how many people have connected with it and be like, ‘Oh wow, I guess everybody goes through that.’ Where there’s a lot of like breakup songs … but there’s not a lot like friendship breakup songs."

He also talked with *Coup de Main* and said, "I was nervous putting out ‘I Lost A Friend’ because it was about a friend of mine whom I had sort of become friends with again, and I knew that he was going to hear it, so I sent it to him first to preface the song by saying, “This is how I was feeling at the time, and I’m glad to have you back in my life.” That made me nervous."

## Lyrics

[Verse 1]

I lost a friend

Like keys in a sofa

Like a wallet in the backseat

Like ice in the summer heat

I lost a friend

Like sleep on a red-eye

Like money on a bad bet

Like time worrying about

Every bad thing that hasn't happened yet

[Pre-Chorus]

I know I'll be alright, but I'm not tonight

I'll be lying awake counting all the mistakes I've made

Replaying fights

I know I'll be alright, but I'm not tonight

I lost a friend, I lost a friend

[Chorus]

I lost my mind, and nobody believes me

Say, "I know that he don't need me

'Cause he made a little too much money to be twenty and sad"

And I'll be fine without him

But all I do is write about him

How the hell did I lose a friend I never had?

Never had

[Verse 2]

I'm on the mend

Like I'm wearing a neck brace

Like I'm sleeping at my own place

Like I'm pulling all the stitches out of my own face

I'm on the mend

Like I'm icing a new sprain

Like I'm walking on a new cane

Like it's been a couple days

Since I slipped and said something sorta like your name

[Pre-Chorus]

I know I'll be alright, but I'm not tonight

I'll be lying awake counting all the mistakes I've made

Replaying fights

I know I'll be alright, but I'm not tonight

I'm on the mend, but I lost a friend

[Chorus]

I lost my mind, and nobody believes me

Say, "I know that he don't need me

'Cause he made a little too much money to be twenty and sad"

And I'll be fine without him

But all I do is write about him

How the hell did I lose a friend I never had?

[Bridge]

I'd apologize if I thought it might make a difference

Or make you listen

I'd apologize if it was black and white

But life is different

Just try to listen to me now

[Pre-Chorus]

I know I'll be alright, but I'm not tonight

I lost a friend, I lost a friend

[Chorus]

I lost my mind, and nobody believes me

Say, "I know that he don't need me

'Cause he made a little too much money to be twenty and sad"

And I'll be fine without him

But all I do is write about him

How the hell did I lose a friend I never had?

Never had

## References

1. ↑ https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2019/11/05/finneas-oconnell-musician-billie-eilish
2. ↑ https://www.coupdemainmagazine.com/finneas/15934