We Made A Pact

I love this song. I've read through the lyrics of this song and hope I am interpreting this correctly.

"You, you and i made a pact a deal that as we lay dying we'd think about each other then and smile as we're taken in" --I think this part is pretty straight forward. Two people made a pact with one another. A deal between good friends, or two lovers(I would lean more toward lovers considering the second verse, and how I interpret that), that when they got to their final moment in life, they would think on the other person and smile(and presumable be joyful at the thought) as they died.

"I, i listened like a little child to the story of your earthbound pilot he plummeted so violent a parachute not opening and rushing to oblivion he broke into that knowing grin" -- This part required a bit more thinking. I would assume the "Earthbound pilot" would be the other persons father(since it is mentioned that it is a "he"). The man singing is listening to a story of his lovers father. This person(the woman's father), has also made the same pact with someone(since he breaks into "that knowing grin"). We can assume that he committed suicide, or caused his death through his own means(drugs, drinking, etc). He plummets fast and violently, with no one to help or save him. His "parachute"(this imagery is important and used again at the end of the song) does not open, therefore no one was there to save him. However, despite the fact that is was quickly rushing to his own demise(ie- oblivion), he thought about the person he made a pact with and was able to smile at his death.

I, i think about that a lot cause a lot is what i've not got and a smile is what i least expect in the clutches of this darkness -- The singer of the song is focused on her fathers story. He does not have a lot of time left(according to his own admission), and we can assume he is on the same path as the woman's father. He is surrounded by darkness. The reason he is thinking about the father, is b/c he wonder's if he will be able to smile(its what he least expects), as he dies.

You, you i was surprised to hear your birdsong velvet in my ear the phone broke its silent stint i pulled the cord and i needed it you billowed like a bowl of silk and slowed me from my ruining --The phone rings( and we can assume it has not rung in quite some time) He is surprised to hear the voice of his lover(or friend, depending on the interpretation). He describes her voice as something pleasurable to hear, and he wants desperately to hear her. We come back to the parachute imagery. He pulls the chord of his "parachute"(his lover), and she saves him from dieing. This is in direct contrast to her father, whose parachute did not open(his lover was not there). The singer does not need to think of her as he is dieing, b/c she was there for him, to save him.

Great interpretation! I think you got it spot on. This song deserves a shittonne more airplay.

Tim said that this was was written when him and Jenn Grant were talking one day about two sky divers who's parachutes didn't open, and this was his version. Jenn Grant's version is called parachutes.

I think Orion510's interpretation is great, and I thought I'd offer my take on this song from when I first heard it a couple years ago. It was on a television show and it captivated me instantly; I searched for it and listened to it about twenty times as I sat for nearly an hour studying the lyrics and pondering their meaning.

you you and i made a pact a deal that as we lay dying we'd think about each other then and smile as we're taken in

I believe this is between two lovers, and like Orion said, I believe they made this pact. In the television show I saw, however, this was used as a song between brothers, which I thought added a profound depth of meaning. It's applicable to close relationships in general, not just romantic ones, but that take is my favorite. Although it makes the "he" statements in the second verse a little more complicated, that's how I like to see it and because when I sing it, it comes from a female voice, it makes sense to me. Perhaps it wasn't written with a "she" in order to keep it ambiguous and applicable to a wide range of relationships, as I mentioned earlier. These are my thoughts on the matter, but to be honest this song has been so profound to me that the he/she thing is rather a non-issue in my mind. Anyhow.

i i listened like a little child to the story of your earthbound pilot he plummeted so violent a parachute not opening and rushing to oblivion he broke into that knowing grin

I think that this song is about souls and that "earthbound pilot" refers to the body housing the lover's soul. The singer's love is dead, and as their body plummeted to a sudden, unforeseen, catastrophic end, they kept that pact and smiled, thinking of their love.

i i think about that a lot cause a lot is what i've not got and a smile is what i least expect in the clutches of this darkness

I think the death of the loved one sparked a lot of realizing that life is brief and that the singer, too, could easily come to an unforeseen end. In dark emotions brought on by life and the loss of the loved one, the singer can't even imagine being able to smile again.

you you i was surprised to hear your birdsong velvet in my ear the phone broke its silent stint i pulled the cord and i needed it you billowed like a bowl of silk and slowed me from my ruining

The singer's time has come, but instead of it being a horrible end as they'd previously assumed, they're surprised to hear not the sounds of impending doom but the voice of their lover, sweet and welcoming like birdsong and velvet, beckoning them. I think the phone ringing signifies the calling of their loved one, and in falling as they pulled the parachute cord, it wasn't just a parachute but the love that bore them gently to the bottom. The lover who'd died before didn't have such a parachute ("a parachute not opening"), but by bravely keeping the pact, their love became that parachute for the soul of the other and beautifully rescued them from a shattering fall, removing the pain of the ruining of their bodies, the sting of that moment of death, as their soul passed on.

FWIW, This song could've been simply written about a skydiver's death, but, that's the beauty of this song's ambiguity. Anyway, this is how I interpreted it:

The song starts with the commitment. That moment of pure joy in one's life during marriage when one says "I do" and "To death do us part" and dreaming of the day they fulfill that commitment in death.

Then the author discusses the fulfillment of that commitment in metaphor, having finally reached the end of that pact and being ready for the next phase in life. The smile doesn't represent joy, but, rather the fulfillment of having accomplished the pact.

Unfortunately, the author's relationship is at its end. Clearly consumed, the author is not ready for this next phase and is feeling helpless. He doesn't want to give up, doesn't know how move on and is consumed by this darkness, consumed by this unfinished business and/or lack of closure. This dramatic dissolution is a darkness that is not worthy of a smile. (If you've ever felt depression, darkness is actually a euphemism)

The final verse shines a light at the end of the tunnel, when the author answers the estranged lover's call and whatever it is she says, saves him from himself.

The incredible part of my interpretation is that it's not a get back together song. It's about an amicable end to a bad relationship and knowing you tried to fulfill your end of the bargain to the best of your ability regardless of the unfortunate outcome.

It's also about being able to remember that the person you broke up with is someone you loved at one point (even if it didn't work out) and not letting them slip away in their darkness.

Life is too short and we need more empathy and compassion.

Lastly, this song is so hard-hitting. I'm shocked it's not as popular as it deserves.