Be Still My Heart

I absolutely love this song. If you look at it more closely, it actually seems like he's talking in retrospect in the beginning.

The song seems to be about him meeting this new girl after he's out of a relationship and falling head over heels. I think the story of the song actually begins when he meets this girl in the subway:

And then I felt the scrapes, from the slippery subway grate. Oh how you laughed, at my complete, lack of grace. But I could not recall, a more perfect fall, cause when I looked up into your eyes it didn't hurt at all.

I think that in this part right here he's talking about walking in the subway, tripping and looking up to see this girl, and sort of the whole 'love at first sight' idea.

Maybe they chat and he decides to take her out to a bar, hence the "evening's drink had left a lingering taste in my mouth" line in the first stanza. Then he goes on to say:

And I thought, be still my heart, this could be a brand new start with you. And it will be clear, if I wake up and you're still here with me in the morning.

And I thought, be still my heart, this could be a brand new start with you. And it will be clear, if I wake up and you're still here with me in the morning.

Basically meaning, that he's going to take her home, and if he wakes up and she's still there with him he'll know that she's really the 'one'.

Finally, the next morning comes and he says:

I was running late for work So I didn't change my shirt The evening's drinks left a lingering taste in my mouth. And when I left you were fast asleep, tangled in the sheets. And on the bus I could've sworn it was all a dream. It didn't happen to me.

Realizing that this girl stayed with him in the morning and that his prediction came true, he's in awe on the bus ride to work, and explains that: "it could've sworn it was all a dream, it didn't happen to me" which is sort of like saying, this is to good to be true, how could it happen to me?

I think this is just such a gorgeous song. Sorry if I over disected it, but I really thought it interesting how the song sort of goes back in time, and he's thinking in retrospect at the beginning.

Gorgeous

I first remember paying attention to this song the day before valentines day and the day after my girl friend broke up with me. It sort of encapsulated every essence of being in bed with her that night wishing I could make her fall back in love with me. I pulled every stunt I could think of to try and change her mind including public humiliation to make her smile to try to rouse any fond feeling from her. By then we were both near tears and we fell silent until this song came on and that did us both in. Much like a dream it marked one of the last times we'd ever feel intimacy with eachother again.

So in modern times I'm taken back to that memory and it's like a nightmare because Bens music is like tracing love from it's downfall and decay back to it's origins and everything between but since I focus on the bad parts it's hard to relate to him feeling alright with it because those are the memories that hinder the moving on proccess. Love almost seems hopeless with him because when he's happy it's still got that slight melencholic nostalgia somewhere. He almost makes me want to never love again.

This might be my 100th post by the way. I hope it is because this is a great song to have it on

I think this song is much deeper and sadder than you are all saying.

I think he was in a relationship with this girl before, and though he has had at least one relationship inbetween, he still loved her the whole time.

He has just been broken up with (that is the "fall" he speaks of...double meaning) and meets his ex when he slips and falls and she comes over to him.

It has to be a revived relationship with and ex because "This could be a brand new start with you"... that line makes no sense if this is a new girl.

He's been dreaming of her since the first break up, which is why he thought it was all just a dream.

"It didn't hurt at all" Also a double meaning... it refers to slipping and falling obviously, but it also refers to his heart. The pain from when she first broke up with him has finally subsided when he looked up into her eyes again.

Truely a beautiful song

owns

this song is amazing. It's so good i'll give it the #2 rating of all Postal Service songs... why isn't this on an album instead of a B-side? :o)

hmm, i thought he said "and i cried, be still my heart," at least the first time? maybe not.

beautiful song... and really, i think that's what everyone wants, for their loved one to still be there in the morning. yesssssss. :o)

this song is so upbeat but is still really deep in a way. i love it.

They produce yet another song with their usual grace and intuitiveness. It never ceases amazes me on both Jimmy Tamborello, and Ben Giddard’s parts how Jimmy can produce perfect music to match Gibbard’s upbeat sound on even the darkest deepest most serious of his lyrics. I own a few thousand cds and have over 5000 tracks in my digital collection. I am an iTunes music store addict and in all my musical exploration I have yet to see a collaboration and feels and sounds so effortless. To me it comes across as an flawless mesh of two distinct musical styles. And they have done it again. Every song amazes me. This song I find lyrically pleasing in the aspect of meeting or finding, or maybe even the moment you realize . . wow this could be it. This person could be my new beginning. I also like the sense of complete comfort he portrays with the line: “But I could not recall, a more perfect fall, cause when I looked up into your eyes it didn't hurt at all.” This is the type of song that would put you to sleep and cause you to have pleasant dreams the entire night.

Wow... That is all I can say. I need to hear this song.

"I could not recall a more perfect fall 'cause when I looked up into your eyes it didn't hurt at all."

Wow.

This is a AMAZING song. really.. heartfelt, but not cheesy. Who is that girl singing is the background? Is it jenny lewis, or am I just hearing things? Whoever it is, she compliments ben gibbards voice REALLY well, I think.

i love this song