The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Alone on a train aimless in wander
An outdated map crumpled in my pocket
But I didn't care where I was going
'Cause they're all different names for the same place
The coast disappeared when the sea drowned the sun
I knew no words to share it with anyone
The boundaries of language I quietly cursed
And all the different names for the same thing
An outdated map crumpled in my pocket
But I didn't care where I was going
'Cause they're all different names for the same place
The coast disappeared when the sea drowned the sun
I knew no words to share it with anyone
The boundaries of language I quietly cursed
And all the different names for the same thing
Lyrics submitted by you fail me
Different Names for the Same Thing [DVD] Lyrics as written by Benjamin Gibbard
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
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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.”
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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i think the line about cursing the boundaries of language is amazing. i don't think it is just about what it would be like to be in a foreign country, it's about the boundaries of language even between people who speak the same language, because of the fact that everyone can perceieve things so differently and we can never be sure of whether others are perceiving things in the same way as we are.
After college, I moved to New York City from the Midwest during my 20-something existential crisis. It might not have been the best time, but as everyone told me, "now's the time to do it." With this song on my iPod, I found myself navigating a strange new world. It resounded with me completely, and I am thankful that someone wrote it. I moved home because the moment had been quite overwhelming. Subsequently, this song sadly became one of a select few that I could not play for a long time. Now that I am a little older, I am getting ready to move abroad. I suspect this song will sneak into my life again. However, with another listen from an older man, I believe I hear a tone of joy that sneaked past me before.
The beauty of a good song is in it's ability to relate and transcend. If you're saying "man I've been there" that's a pretty good indication. As in any song, there are so many possible interpretations. It doesn't matter if Gibbard wrote it about a specific event or concept. For me this song is about running. Running away from pain. Just trying to get away from it, nobody can understand what you are going through, there are no words. All different names for the same thing are destinations. What they all have in common is they are is far away from "here" as possible. To me the music itself is the genius of this song. I love how it takes us on this same journey. It starts slow in the doldrums, and it begins to pick up speed. The music layers upon itself, like ideas and noise building in your head when you are in this place of pain. It continues building to a nice crescendo around the 4:00 mark in an almost cathartic release. This is my favorite track on plans.
apparently this is gibbard's favourite song on the new ablum, and he says "it's a song about traveling by yourself in a foreign country and the frustration of being isolated by language, even when you're surrounded by people."
Incredible song. I'll be buying Plans for this song alone.
Spencemj, you are a troglodyte.
This song is AMAZING , definitely not the best song Death Cab's ever came up with BUT still pretty awesome . For me , this song really reminds me of people who feel so isolated to the whole world to the point that they even feel like the people around them speak in a different language because they hardly understand each other . Sort of like a Martian lost in Planet Earth . LOL . And oh , I'm seventeen - I've been listening to DCFC since I was like fifteen and loving it :)
This song ruined me when I was living overseas for a year.
"And I knew no words to share it with anyone..." There is no loneliness like the kind created by the language barrier.
The frustration of the imaginary boundaries that we place in an attempt to make things orderly but in doing so, only restrict access to the human right that is planet earth.
"An outdated map crumpled in my pocket" I think this lyric is often overlooked. "Outdated" as is there is a new version meaning the contents of it have changed.
The different places of the earth have so many different names but they really are all just different names for the same place.
The language isn't above the level of a 7 year old? So the fuck what,, there are different names for the same things.
The last 2 minutes are great
dude, the beauty is in the simplicity. starting out simple allows for a build up and a huge apex, and a nice wind-down. which we have here. it's musically different than the rest of the album too, which is nice.