This is the moment that you know
That you told you loved her but you don't.
You touch her skin and then you think
That she is beautiful but she don't mean a thing to me.
Yeah, she is beautiful, but she don't mean a thing to me.

I spent two weeks in Silverlake.
The California sun cascading down my face
There was a girl with light brown streaks
And she was beautiful but she didn't mean a thing to me.
Yeah, she was beautiful, but she didn't mean a thing to me.

Wanted to believe in all the words that I was speaking
As we moved together in the dark.
And all the friends that I was telling.
And all the playful misspellings.
And every bite I gave you left a mark.

Tiny vessels oozed into your neck
And formed the bruises,
That you said you didn't want to fade,
But they did and so did I that day.

All I see are dark grey clouds
In the distance moving closer with every hour.
So when you ask "Was something wrong?",
That I think "You're damn right there is but we can't talk about it now.
No, we can't talk about it now."

So one last touch and then you'll go.
And we'll pretend that it meant something so much more,
But it was vile, and it was cheap.
And you are beautiful, but you don't mean a thing to me
Yeah, you are beautiful, but you don't mean a thing to me.
Yeah, you are beautiful, but you don't mean a thing to me.



Lyrics submitted by heartattack

Track duration: 04:22

"Tiny Vessels" as written by Nicholas Harmer, Benjamin Gibbard

Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Tiny Vessels song meanings
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312 Comments

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  • 0
    My Interpretation:I think the song can mean one of two things.
    1) It can mean exactly what it says it means and be about how a guy is just not that into a girl thats beautiful
    2) Or it can mean that he's trying to convince himself he doesn't feel that way. Like he's saying all of these things to himself so he can believe himself because he doesn't want to have feelings he has for her but he really does.
    Flag muahloveon August 05, 2012   Link
  • +4
    General Comment:I saw them play in April with the orchestra (which was amazing) and I think it is interesting to note that he changed the lyrics in one line.
    Instead of:

    I spent two weeks in Silverlake.
    The California sun cascading down my face

    He said:

    I spent three years in Silverlake.
    The California sun cascading down my face

    I am assuming this is a reference to Zooey Deschanel and their marriage. I thought it was kind of nice and I'm also wondering if anyone has noticed this recently when they played?
    Flag stevenO98on July 22, 2012   Link
  • +2
    Memory:The first time I heard this song was about a week ago and it is very ironic becauise it describes my current relationship almost perfectly. We have been together for almost seven years and unlike a lot of relationships we have kept our physical connection/sexual desire for each other and lost pretty much everything else that used to define us. I have been told before that he needs more than just a gorgeous woman, which to me is what he is trying to say here. You can have a beautiful physical appearance but without a deeper connection there is no love, and there is nothing special. It is a "cheap and vile" relationship. Sad but true realization for myself.
    Flag kristanicole4on July 11, 2012   Link
  • 0
    Memory:This song always reminds me of a certain ex-girlfriend, because it is almost exactly what happened between us... and it breaks my heart.
    Flag Winternoiseon January 24, 2012   Link
  • +1
    My Opinion:I had never listened to death cab up until about a couple months ago, my bro introduced me to them and i basically listed to 4 of there albums constantly within a month to prepare for a concert that i was going to in Europe. I always enjoy concerts more knowing the lyrics. But i could not stop listening too there music ever since i pushed play for the first time. Between all the amazing lyrics, melodies, creativity with their songs, his voice, and the emotions that go into all of there music they have become one of my favorite bands. But getting back to my opinion of the meaning of tiny vessels.

    Its sounds like in the song that he was already going thru something in his life with another woman (a breakup or possibly still seeing someone). But the fact that he was at silver lake alone makes me think he went there to clear his head from a recent breakup. While he was relaxing in the sun he met someone while he was there. By the lyrics it seems like they fooled around and he basically just wanted the sex. Although from the sound of it the woman was more into him being that she didn't want the hickey's (bruises) to fade, would have been something that would remind her of him every time she would look in the mirror. But the line "But they did and so did I that day" makes me think that at that point of the song he never saw that woman again and was done with his vacation. But as he was laying in bed with her and touching her skin he then realized that he couldn't have loved his girlfriend back home or Ex or else he wouldn't be there now with another girl. So the 2 lines "she was beautiful but she didn't mean a thing to me" are aimed possibly towards both his girlfriend/Ex and the person he was having a fling with. The reason why i think its 2 different girls is simply because the in the first couple lines of the song when he says "this is the moment that you know, that you told her that you loved her but you don't. You don't usually tell someone you love them after 2 weeks of being with someone (being the fling). I know some people think its only about one person based off of the previous comments. But the way he explains after that he touches the fling and then thinks about his girlfriend and says that she is beautiful but she don't mean a thing to me.

    The lyrics "All i see are dark grey clouds In the distance moving closer with every hour" I feel is a metaphor for him knowing that his relationship is coming to an end with his girlfriend/Ex. So when you ask "is something wrong?", I think "your dam right there is but we can't talk about it now" She knows that he has different feelings towards her now and tries to figure out why. Which he thinks back to his fling and knows that it was the moment that he realized he truly didnt love his girlfriend, although he's not going to tell he that he cheated to make matters worse for her.

    "So one last touch, and then you'll go. And we'll pretend that it meant something so much more"
    "But it was vile, and it was cheap"
    "And you are beautiful, but you don't mean a thing to me.

    The part that he says that "it was vile, and it was cheap" was simply the way he felt inside on the way he ended things with her. But it is what it is...That you are beautiful but you don't mean a thing to me.

    I may be wrong about what i wrote but I can relate to it based off of all the lyrics in this song, including the bruises and not wanting them to fade. It's an amazing song regardless of what your interpretation is of the song. I'm sure everyone can relate at least a tiny bit to this song whether you are a girl or guy. Its nice to hear people's opinions on what the song means to them, music is great therapy for the mind.

    Flag chiromikeon December 06, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i always listen to transatlanticism and passenger seat with this song.. otherwise it sounds incomplete. im in love with the way the songs bleed into one another. Tiny vessels into transatlanticism to passenger seat. Sometimes i cant even tell when one song ended and the other begins.love.
    Flag madigoreon October 18, 2011   Link
  • -2
    General Comment:"Yeah she is beautiful, but she don't mean a thing to me."

    you never did mean anything to me,
    and your a dumbass for thinking you did lmao
    Flagged JamzXIVon October 12, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I never really connected to this song; I mean I thought it was a well written song and I loved it. But now it has become personal and it hurts to listen to it. I dated this guy since November and we broke up in February but we remained close and maybe 2 weeks after the break up we started going out on dates and it seemed that we were back together, and about a month ago things happened and he took something I did as insane and stalker-ish instead of concern and fright that something was wrong with him, which is what I felt. He no longer wants to have anything to do with me or even talk to me; so now I feel that everything from February forward was a lie...He was my first and the last line "you are beautiful but you don't mean a thing to me" strikes my heart hard, because when it comes down to it, I meant nothing to him and he meant everything to me. So now I'm left feeling "vial and cheap".
    Flag rlwest4on August 19, 2011   Link
  • -1
    My Interpretation:After reading everyone else's comments I totally see how it is about empty sex, but when I listen to it I hear a song about a guy who's trying to stay in the closet.
    Flag Hephon August 02, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:this song hits home to me with a guy that i see.
    it starts with him realizing he doesnt care anything about her.
    that line "you touch her skin..." i dont think it means having sex..i think it means right when he touches her {not in a sexual way;just puts his hand on her face or shoulder} he realizes that yeah shes beautiful but so what i dont care about her.
    i think this song is amazing, its like he knows that when he saw her he knew she was beautiful but it would never amount to anything.yet i dont think its a one night stand i just think that he wasnt that into her.he just didnt have that chemistry with her,and after it was all done he didnt even want to have sex with her...
    Flag asjklmpon June 05, 2011   Link

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