The primacy of interpretation over sensation

Our memory of exact word sequences usually fades more quickly than our memory of (contextually interpreted) meanings.

More broadly, the exact auditory sensations normally fade very quickly; the corresponding word sequences fade a bit more slowly; and the interpreted meanings last longest.

These generalizations can be overcome to some extent if the sound or the text has especially memorable characteristics. (And the question of what "memorable" means in this context is interesting.)