Lyric discussion by mousepotato 

Cover art for Expo '86 lyrics by Death Cab for Cutie

I must be the only person on the entire site who doesn't think its about a guy in a failing relationship.

I think it is about someone who has many quick fling-romances. Not serious relationships, but more than just dating.

It seems like with each partner, neither of them seem like it would be a long term commitment, more so them getting into a relationship because of the initial lust period and then later on down the track realizing it was too fast and that they're just better as friends.

'Sometimes I think it cycle never ends' is the repetition of these various relationships.

'By the time that I figure what its worth, the squeaking of our skin agaisnt the steel has gotten worse' makes me think of sex. How by this point, the relationships always seem to be sexually based because other interest is lost.

'If I move my place in line, ill lose' is how the partner finds them as disposable and possibly also oftenly flings like them.

'I am waiting for something to go wrong. I am waiting for familiar resolve' the relationship failing in a way, and the resolve is a break up.

'Sometimes it seems that I don't have the skills to recollect, it twists and turns a plot that turned us from lovers to friends' forgetting what made them lose attraction to eachother.

'Im thinking I should take that volume back up off the shelf, and crack its weiry spine on me to helop remind myself' but knowing it happens everytime.

'And if you held in your hand the smoking gun, and on the floor lay the one you said you loved' is how the operative words are 'you SAID you loved' as if the relationships were partly fake and they just say love because that's what you do in relationships.

'And its strange, but they are basically the same, so I don't ask names anymore' clearly because all the relationships are all the same, it doesn't matter who its with because the person will be gone after a while.

I really hope someone reads this as half the comments are from 2004, and I specifically created an account to post my opinion since no one else shared the same view.