This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
And it came to me then
That every plan
Is a tiny prayer to father time
As I stared at my shoes
In the ICU
That reeked of piss and 409
And I rationed my breaths
As I said to myself
That I'd already taken too much today
As each descending peak
On the LCD
Took you a little farther away from me
Away from me
Amongst the vending machines
And year old magazines
In a place where we only say goodbye
It stung like a violent wind
That our memories depend
On a faulty camera in our minds
And I knew that you were truth
I would rather lose
Than to have never lain beside at all
And I looked around
At all the eyes on the ground
As the TV entertained itself
'Cause there's no comfort in the waiting room
Just nervous paces bracing for bad news
And then the nurse comes round
And everyone lifts their heads
But I'm thinking of what Sarah said
That love is watching someone die
So who's gonna watch you die
So who's gonna watch you die
So who's gonna watch you die
That every plan
Is a tiny prayer to father time
As I stared at my shoes
In the ICU
That reeked of piss and 409
And I rationed my breaths
As I said to myself
That I'd already taken too much today
As each descending peak
On the LCD
Took you a little farther away from me
Away from me
Amongst the vending machines
And year old magazines
In a place where we only say goodbye
It stung like a violent wind
That our memories depend
On a faulty camera in our minds
And I knew that you were truth
I would rather lose
Than to have never lain beside at all
And I looked around
At all the eyes on the ground
As the TV entertained itself
'Cause there's no comfort in the waiting room
Just nervous paces bracing for bad news
And then the nurse comes round
And everyone lifts their heads
But I'm thinking of what Sarah said
That love is watching someone die
So who's gonna watch you die
So who's gonna watch you die
So who's gonna watch you die
Lyrics submitted by bornalion, edited by dukus, AhmedAR94, phantom309
What Sarah Said Lyrics as written by Christopher Ryan Walla Benjamin D. Gibbard
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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this song is going to have a lot of comments one day. i promise. the message is strong. people will love this. i love this. it's so emo(tional). this album is good. a lot more diverse.
yeah, 4 years later and 273 comments to date. beautiful amazing passionate soulful heart breaking song.
It's almost been six years.
Was revisting this album recently, and prior to having bought it in '05, I'd never really dealt with loss before as an adult. Since then, well, a lot has happened, including a scene recounted in the song.
I have no interpretation to offer, since I think the song is experiential and thus, too, are my comments. A line that guts me every time, in addition to the ones you've all noted, is that "it stung like a violent wind that our memories depend on a faulty camera in our minds..."
The song is so delicately balanced as a composition, as melody and prosity; the phrasing of the piano creates an almost nauseating urgency hidden by its beauty and then you are destroyed fully by the lyrics - the expression of the crushing reality and numbing sorrow already present, plus the fact that our memories fade and change. In effect, he acknowledges that as horrible as the scene before him is, the implications are foreever: because of our memories, we will be losing your loved ones until our own end. It's like an existential piling on.
Then of course there's his subtle question about the breadth and richness of our own lives: who will be there to smell the piss and 409 for us?
Brilliant.
Your third paragraph is absolutely perfect and brought me to tears. Thank you.
Spot on, especially the description of the piano. I always thought it felt rushed, kind of panicky, and the loop makes it feel never ending.
As a 21 year old male I can safely say that I don't usually cry, but when I do it is because of this song. I haven't read through all of the comments so my interpretation might not be anything new. It is also partially influenced by the music video, which is incredible.
I read that Sarah was the wife of one of Ben's friends and one night the couple was taking a walk when Sarah burst into tears after coming to the realization that "love is watching someone die"
The song is very clearly about sitting in the ICU as a loved one is passing. I think due to the line "I would rather lose than to have never lain beside at all" it is safe to assume that the context of the song is a spouse or significant other (unless you have "lain beside" all of your loved ones...). I also think though that part of the beauty of the song is its ability to apply to everyone's individual experiences waiting in a hospital for any friend or loved one.
The line "love is watching someone die" hit me like a truck the first time I heard it, and it is something that will stick with me forever. It may be one of the most amazing lines ever written down on paper. I think it means that when you love someone you are signing up to watch them die, and you are doing it every day as we are all technically dieing. Even though parting with them will be a very painful experience, you are accepting it for the happiness of being with them now.
I think that the second most powerful line in the song is the line immediately after. "so who's going to watch you die?" The character in the song is in the ICU just sitting and remembering that when he fell in love with this person, he knew that someday they would die. He is waiting for the bad news that the love of his life is gone. But now he is alone, so who is going to watch him die? Or will he die empty and alone? This interpretation is influenced by the video where a guy is basically sitting on a bed and smoking cigarettes alone in the aftermath of his loved one's passing. At this part of the song he just starts shaking violently with his head in his hands.
I saw the song video after I saw the lyric video,and this song to me makes me think of one of one of my friends battle with self harm. It's like she's like my sister, so I can just turn my back, so it feels like I'm watching her die.It's hard....
Your interpretation of the song is perfect, but I do think you are missing one thing. The line "So who's going to watch you die?" is said by Sarah. In all of her pain and misery she thinks of him, and who will watch him die since he is watching her die. Hence the name of the song "What Sarah Said"
@loveiswatchingsomeonedie I wish I could give you more than one 'like'. This song is definitely DCFC's masterpiece. A song has never made me as emotional as this has. I completely agree with you on your interpretation. This song should be taken in a completely literal sense. Take note, that music video isn't an official DCFC music vid. It was a nice take on it all, but not the one that they intended this song to be.
i cry everytime i listen to this song.
absolutly a brillient song.
the beginning catches you off guard...with the "and it came to me then" of course your like thinking "what what?" then the next line makes you think like hell..."wow..he's right"
the next two lines "as i stared at my shoes in the ICU that reeked of piss and 409" give you a setting and you get to invision this place.
the next lines "and i rationed my breaths as i said to myself that i'd already taken too much today" that is like saying..."i need to think of the people who dont get that breath...i dont need it...give it to them..."
the next line...self explanitory.
more imagry...
then...saying...memories...wow...cherish this life while it lasts and just because loving=losing doesnt mean you shouldnt love at all...loving=living too.
more amazing imagry...
then the best lines (in my opinion): "then the nurse comes round and everyone lifts their head but i'm thinking of what sarah said, that love is watching someone die"
after that line there is a piano solo...that just leaves you for a second. my life just like pauses and that thought...love is watching someone die...wow...i mean that is amazing how it makes me feel. .. my first impression was about the nurse. everyone in the waiting room has to wait, but the nurse has to watch...that was the person who shows love! and my second impression was the people in the waiting room bracing for the news...they are the ones who love...then i realized both is true for this song...
it is hard to order my thoughts into words...i think this is an undescribibly amazing song...that leaves me with thought and wonder and tears...
This is one of the best comments I've ever read, of any song!! I agree with you 110%
I came across this song completely by chance one night. I had only heard DCFC's 'The New Year' before so I wasn't really a big listener. However, one of my closest friends was telling me about her depression and how she'd been cutting and such, I got so worried about her and then I somehow came across this song. My friends name is Sarah.
The way I interpreted it is through the line, "that love is watching someone die", and that I (the only person to know about her depression) was in fact watching her slowly waste away and die. This song is now the most played on my iPod and Death Cab are my favourite band. I have fallen in love with Bens lyrics just like I am now in love with Sarah. I showed her this song, and it is now our song. It means so much to both of us. And we eventually realised, that at 3:10, the exact middle of the song, Ben sings, "love". We share that love through this song and it always brings me peace of mind.
I hope everyone finds this song as meaningful as I do.
I think I just got the last few lines of the song. I used to think that by saying "love is watching someone die" it was saying that love is the subject, watching a death. But really, it's saying that watching someone die is the epitome of love. Thus, by asking "who's gonna watch you die?" it's really asking who loves you.
I've always thought of it that way; I got the cd for Christmas and on Feb 2, 2006 one of my good friends died in a car wreck. I just remember sitting with my finance at the time and thinking "Kels, was soo loved and we would give anything to bring her back. I wonder if Alex would feel this way about me when my time came." I knew that I would feel that way about him when that time came and even though we are no longer together and it's been 5 years since our relationship ended, I still feel that way. I will always love him, but it's just a different kind now. <br /> When I hear this song I wonder who loves me and would they care (other than my family).
This is one of the prettiest songs on the CD, so I agree with TW in that this song will draw a lot of comments.
Good lyrics.
i love you mr gibbard.
to whyitsjustme: ThursdaysWaiting said the song is emo (and it is), not the band. before calling someone an idiot, make sure you're not making yourself one in the process.
spencemj, im pretty sure it means that real love, no matter who, is being able to stay by that person when they are dying to the end..and watching their final breaths...lots of people can't handle death well because it hurts too much, so they avoid and distance themselves from the dying one. but this is cowardly, and love is being able to go through that for that person, being totally unselfish