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Death Cab for Cutie – A Diamond and a Tether Lyrics 16 years ago
This song is about commitment issues but it's a little more complicated.

The person seems to be willing to make small commitments, as a last resort as you can see at the end of every chorus when he contradicts himself like

"From a boy who won't swim
But who will take to the skies
If he thinks you're about to say goodbye "

or

"From a boy who won't swim
But who will dip his toe in
Just to keep you here with him"

He is willing to do small things that he doesn't like to keep the relationship going, however the last chorus is different, in that he ultimately doesn't do the thing that would save it.

"From a boy who won't jump
When he falls in love
He just stands with his toes on the edge
And he waits for it to disappear again"

The jump seems to be an obvious reference to a leap of faith, or a large commitment significantly more dangerous and frightening than the ones before it. This could be getting married, moving in, or simply saying I love you. The point is, when it comes time for a leap of faith, that is one thing he refuses to do to save the relationship.

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