Doors Unlocked and Open

Umm just based on hearing them play this song live... I THINK instead of idle workers Ben is saying, "Mile markers, counting down." But I could be dead wrong. It's kinda hard to tell though... I guess we'll all find out when the CD actually comes out. Aha. =)

My interpretation:

Isolations, dotted lines Seas of concrete, wild eyes Streaking colors, blurred to one Always moving, blinding sun Blinding sun Cold discomfort, safety glass Seasons turning, dying grass California, gilded crowns Mile markers, counting down

This seems to be describing roads. "streaking colors, blurred to one" when you're driving fast, you don't have time to take in your surroundings. Miles markers leading you somewhere.

Somewhere down, down Down in the ocean of sound, sound We'll live in slow-motion And be free With doors unlocked and open Doors unlocked and open

Roads lead to cites, and cities are never quiet. There's always something happening and life moves so quickly. It's also pretty lonely. You don't want anything to do with the dozens or hundreds of people you walk by or encounter during your day. It's lonely and stifling. Everyone locks their doors because every stranger is a potential threat. You have to be careful with so many unknown elements around you.

When you live out in the middle of nowhere, life is so much different. The only noises at night are crickets and cars driving by. You can leave your door unlocked because there aren't many people around to break in. You don't have that same fear. Everything is open but not as lonely. You can be closer to the people around you even if there's more distance. Life is so much slower.

I think Ben is describing a time when the city, I would guess LA, isn't so stifling and lonely. Where you can trust your neighbors and leave your door unlocked without the fear of someone taking advantage. A time when people slow down and enjoy the things around them. The way he sings it sounds really calm and peaceful to me, which emphasizes the point.

This could just be me, but reading the lyrics as a whole now, I think the chorus could be a metaphor for sex.

I agree with tonius that the narrator is saying they will create their own world within the city (ocean of sound). The chorus is obviously about two (or more, but let's stick with two) people. And the phrasing of it just makes me think it's a romantic relationship (I read a review of this album suggesting Ben wrote a lot of these lyrics about Zooey). And it's the idea of when you're in love, when you make love, it's like being in your own world. Moments suspended in time. Slow motion. "Doors unlocked and open" could be a metaphor for...well, do I have to explain that one? ;-) "and be free" could refer to their lack of inhibition with each other romantically/sexually. "Down, down, down in the ocean..."

"Isolations, dotted lines Seas of concrete, wild eyes Streaking colors, blurred to one Always moving, blinding sun Blinding sun Cold discomfort, safety glass Seasons turning, dying grass California, gilded crowns Mile markers, counting down"

Pretty sure this is an obvious metaphor for his life on the road as a musician. "Isolations" is probably about how lonely he feels, not being in touch with the outside world. "Dotted lines, and seas of concrete" are quite clearly a metaphor for the road. "Streaking Colors" and "Blinding Sun" are things you'll probably see a lot of on the road. "Cold discomfort" probably has a double-meaning, as I can't imagine the tour bus is all the lively or warm (air conditioning). "Safety glass"...I'm pretty sure tour busses have safety glass for windows, due to the fact that they want to remain safe from either car crashes, or God forbid, some crazed gunman on the interstate (unlikely, I know). I'm sure he sees "California" often, given his career. "Gilded Crowns" probably means he feels as some people make the band into something that it isn't, as I'm pretty sure "gilding" means you are making decorative fixtures out of objects that aren't really worth all that much. "Mile markers, counting down"? Yeah, he's definitely talking about being on the road traveling.

"Somewhere down, down, down in the ocean of Sound"

This goes along with the tour bus theory. He's talking about his career as a musician.

"We'll live in slow-motion, And be free"

Here is where it gets tricky for me. I'm not sure if he is suggesting that he feels as if he is living in slow motion and wants others to do the same, or if he is desiring to get to that point where life is slowly passing him by. As in, he feels like everything is moving to fast for him at his current stage in his career. Maybe. Like I said, that part's tricky for me.

"With doors unlocked an opened"

If he is still talking about his career, this is undoubtedly his remorse for signing to a label. Major labels tend to fuck musicians over in a lot of ways (that I don't necessarily care to elaborate on at the moment), and he wants to reach that point where he no longer is required to do certain things with his music. It seems like he made Music into an occupation just to become more well-known, and he is certainly looking forward to it returning to a hobby that he has full control of.

I think it's simply about finding peace in the midst of chaos. I really like StuffAndNonsense's interpretation, but I don't think Ben is talking about moving to the country, as "ocean of sound" suggests they're still in a place with a lot of external noise.

(Oh, and I was immediately reminded of Arcade Fire's "Ocean of Noise" when I read that lyric.)

to me, this song is about leaving, getting away from forbading people. he speaks of going somewhere they can drown out the voices of people who are pessimistic and unsupportive. they can live peacefully without having to be guarded about their actions and braced for other people's reactions.

could possibly refer to Death cab's studio, as a sort of escape from drama and problems. people always feel more at peace when they do things they are passionate about.

Correction: each instance of "isolation" is actually "isolations". And do you think "Coldest comfort" could be "Cold discomfort"?

For some reason that I just can't place my finger on, I feel as though this song is the worst one on the album. It feels as though Ben was just trying quickly to put a song together; it doesn't have his eloquent verses, they are all just choppy and they feel rushed.

I hope nobody chirps on me for this, as I do love the album as a whole, I just believe that this song individually is not very good.

It took me a while to work out what this song was about but then it clicked. See how all of the other theories have things wrong about the at some point? The song is brief look at drugs like mescaline and LSD but referenced in a very hard way to Aldous Huxley and his book, The Doors of Perception-1954 ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Doors_of_Perception ). The first obvios reference to the drug is when he says

"Streaking colors, blurred to one Always moving, blinding sun Blinding sun"

This is a direct reference to Huxley when he writes about his experience in mescaline

"A little later there were sumptuous red surfaces swelling and expanding from bright nodes of color that vibrated with a continuously changing, patterned life."-Huxley, 1954

"Seasons turning, dying grass California, gilded crowns Mile markers, counting down"

Huxley lived in california and when he did mescaline for the first time it was Fall.

"Somewhere down, down Down in the ocean of sound, sound We'll live in slow-motion And be free With doors unlocked and open Doors unlocked and open"

Huxley talks about how mescaline opens the door of perception and you perceive things in a different way, whether is be visual or audible, although his was visual i feel it fitting that Ben has talked about the experience being musical i would say"

"I listened with pleasure, but experienced nothing comparable to my seen apocalypses of flowers or flannel! Would a naturally gifted musician hear the revelations which, for me, had been exclusively visual?"

Just thought you guys should know as these are two of my favourite people, Gibbard and Huxley, so its awesome to hear this!

Dang thats alot of interpretations.