In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
I remember when the days were long,
And the nights when the living room was on the lawn.
Constant quarreling, the childish fits, and our clothes in a pile on the ottoman.
All the slander and double-speak
Were only foolish attempts to show you did not mean
Anything but the blatant proof was your lips touching mine in the photobooth.
And as the summer's ending,
The cool air will put your hard heart away.
You were so condescending
And this is all that's left
Scraping paper to document.
I've packed a change of clothes and it's time to move on.
Cup your mouth to compress the sound,
Skinny dipping with the kids from a nearby town.
And everything that I said was true,
As the flashes blinded us in the photobooth.
Well, I lost track, and then those words were said.
You took the wheel and you steered us into my bed.
Soon we woke and I walked you home,
And it was pretty clear that it was hardly love.
And as the summer's ending,
The cool air will rush your hard heart away.
You were so condescending.
And this is all that's left
Scraping paper to document.
I've packed a change of clothes and it's time to move on.
And as the summer's ending,
The cool air will rush your hard heart away.
You were so condescending,
As the alcohol drained the days.
And as the summer's ending,
The cool air will rush your hard heart away.
You were so condescending.
And this is all that's left
The empty bottles, spent cigarettes.
So pack a change of clothes, 'cause it's time to move on.
And the nights when the living room was on the lawn.
Constant quarreling, the childish fits, and our clothes in a pile on the ottoman.
All the slander and double-speak
Were only foolish attempts to show you did not mean
Anything but the blatant proof was your lips touching mine in the photobooth.
And as the summer's ending,
The cool air will put your hard heart away.
You were so condescending
And this is all that's left
Scraping paper to document.
I've packed a change of clothes and it's time to move on.
Cup your mouth to compress the sound,
Skinny dipping with the kids from a nearby town.
And everything that I said was true,
As the flashes blinded us in the photobooth.
Well, I lost track, and then those words were said.
You took the wheel and you steered us into my bed.
Soon we woke and I walked you home,
And it was pretty clear that it was hardly love.
And as the summer's ending,
The cool air will rush your hard heart away.
You were so condescending.
And this is all that's left
Scraping paper to document.
I've packed a change of clothes and it's time to move on.
And as the summer's ending,
The cool air will rush your hard heart away.
You were so condescending,
As the alcohol drained the days.
And as the summer's ending,
The cool air will rush your hard heart away.
You were so condescending.
And this is all that's left
The empty bottles, spent cigarettes.
So pack a change of clothes, 'cause it's time to move on.
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I love this song. Def one of the best Death Cab songs ever. I think that this song reminds everyone of a fling or an "almost love" where things happen so fast that you don't really have time to think about it while it's happening. Even though your feelings are strong, and you mean everything you say to the person, there eventually comes a point when you both realize that things are not going to work out because the "relationship" you built has no lasting qualities. Although you know deep down that moving on is for the best because "it was pretty clear that it was hardly love," you are still left with kind of a bittersweet feeling. After things end, all of these intense memories of the time you spent together rush through your head and you begin to think about the situation and try to grow and learn from it.
GAY! what a remarkably intelligent comment from myheartbleedscold.
My favorite DCFC song. Check out Color Theory's new cover of it! It's at colortheory.com now and should be on iTunes soon.
Ben Gibbard introduced this song at Sasquatch Music Festival as being "about Bellingham, Washington." Aka, the town where Death Cab started and where he went to college. Having lived in Bellingham all my life, I can sort of see how it references it, though those references are fairly generic. There are many cities, particularly in Western Washington, where you're liable to find your lawn turning into your living room over the summer; the cold air blowing through as the summer ends is hardly a unique experience either. More accurately, I'd say that this is "about [Ben Gibbard's] experience as a college student in Bellingham, Washington." The only thing I want to know is what the hell happened to that photobooth after the mid-90's.
I LOVE this song.
this is my favorite DCFC song! (:
i've so been here before...
yeah, i think most of us have. emokid, you rock, almost all of my favorite songs and artists, you've posted their lyrics. maybe i'll IM you sometime....
god, this is my favorite song of all time.
period.