I want to live where soul meets body
And let the sun wrap its arms around me and
Bathe my skin in water cool and cleansing
And feel
Feel what it's like to be new

'Cause in my head there is a Greyhound station
Where I send my thoughts to far off destinations
So they may have a chance of finding a place where they're
Far more suited than here

Ba-da-ba-da-ba-ba, ba-da-ba-ba, ba-da-ba-ba
Ba-da-ba-ba, ba-da-ba-ba-da-ba-da-ba

I cannot guess what we'll discover
When we turn the dirt with our palms cupped like shovels
But I know our filthy hands can wash one another's
And not one speck will remain

I do believe it's true
That there are roads left in both of our shoes
But if the silence takes you
Then I hope it takes me too

So brown eyes I'll hold you near
'Cause you're the only song I want to hear
A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere

Where soul meets body
Where soul meets body
Where soul meets body

And I do believe it's true
That there are roads left in both of our shoes
But if the silence takes you
Then I hope it takes me too

So brown eyes I'll hold you near
'Cause you're the only song I want to hear
A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere

A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere
A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere
A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere


Lyrics submitted by Mr_Cdn_01

Soul Meets Body Lyrics as written by Benjamin Gibbard

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Soul Meets Body song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

197 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +5
    General Comment

    I feel a lot of you are set on this feeling of every song being about love or pain or death. I feel this song is simply about being happy to be alive. If you think about it, the soul meets body only in this present life time. The lyric, But if the silence takes you, Then I hope it takes me too, isn't about wantingto die with someone, but wanting to be with them after death, or even wanting to get caught up in the same likes and intrests as that same person.

    DVDAon January 14, 2006   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    this is the most beautiful song i've ever heard. i feel like it's about clarity and purity in a confusing world.

    swanstreeton July 21, 2005   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    Not sure about this at all, more like a guess, but I feel like this song is about two people meeting, falling in love. Both with a bad past, or they're 'dirty', but together they will get through it, wash off the dirt, even if it's reveals bad things about them, because it's not all about what's on the outside and what's in the past, but what's on the inside too. what's in their souls.

    don't kill me if I'm way off. love the song anyway!

    Dysfunctional_on July 22, 2005   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    This girl in my English class used to this song in a presentation we had to do. I hadn't heard the song before, but her interpretation of the song seemed interesting, so I went home and downloaded it, and I absolutely loved it.

    The girl's interpretation was a comparing how people of a higher social status, have the looks, but tend to have not-so-good personalities, and the people who are not necessarily beautiful on the outside, the people who do not stand out as much, but are equally as good because they have the better personalities. The "beautiful" people do not realize the people who are not like them, and the song is saying, why couldn't we take the soul of a person in society, and the looks of someone else in society, put them together, and see what happens...

    "When we turn the dirt With our palms cupped like shovels, But I know our filthy hands Can wash one another's And not one speck will remain"

    If you think of the song in that perspective, the rest of it is pretty much self-explanatory.

    Great song.

    GotSummeron October 13, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    not THAT big a deal, but i'm pretty sure it's "send my thoughts" rather than "set." i listened pretty closely and i'm sure i hear that n-sound.

    spumpkinscmon July 21, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I have to agree with Dysfunctional. I'd also like to say that some people are (excuse me if this sounds extremely immature) big meanies ! =P I mean Mr_Cdn_01 tried his best to write the lyrics and you all get angry that there were some mistakes. It was a good attempt, how can you get mad at that?

    Freckleson July 24, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    my first thought was, 'this song is about heaven.'
    "the silence" would be, well, death.

    but the more i listen, i have to think 'where does soul meet body?' right here. in our atmosphere. right here where you can love and be loved by others, and by the sun ...and be clean and new, and even in the dirt find something of more value than what might be obvious. you have to dig for it with your bare hands.

    and i think he's dreaming of one day reaching this place, where he can be new again, where soul meets body, where his thoughts lie. but for now he's got to reserve his thoughts and focus on finding a way out. the silence will take him there.

    shulace546on August 29, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    in the line that's SUPPOSED to be 'I do believe it's true/that there are holes left in both of our shoes', does anyone see that as missing a sole/soul? Soul leaving the body and whatnot, a metaphor for a body without a soul? Cause that's what I first thought it meant.

    Glamboton August 31, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    this song is so peaceful, i love it. the harp (i think thats what is playing....) its amazing. well yea i guess this song is about being in love or whatever, for a while i thought it was about God....im kinda a spiritual person so i think about stuff like that alot. like the son, or sun wraping its arms around me the water cool and cleansing. its all so peaceful and it sounds a bit like heaven......but yea its deffinatly about some chick or whatever

    viciousquirrelon September 13, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    This Is A Really Beautiful Song…I Get A Dark, Sad Kind Of Vibe from It Though. I Think It’s About Loss And Death.

    What I Get From It Is That…The One He Loves Is Dead, Or Dying, And He Is Telling Her That They’ll Always Be Together.

    It Sounds Like He’s Trying To Comfort Her By Telling Her That Everything Will Be OK...(“I Do Believe It’s True, That There Are Roads Left In Both Of Our Shoes”). But If She Were To Die He Would Want To Die Too…(“But If The Silence Takes You, Then I Hope It Takes Me Too”). So He Holds Her Near Until They Have To Part, But She Will Always Be “A Melody Softly Soaring Through His Atmosphere” Until The Day They’re Together Again At That “Far Off Destination” Where Soul Meets Body.

    Wow! What An Amazing Song, Definitely One Of My Favorites.

    This Place Where Soul Meets Body Kind Of Reminds Me Of Weezer’s “Island In The Sun”….Hmmm?

    Joe555on September 22, 2005   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
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.
Album art
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version. Great version of a great song,
Album art
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
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.
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Album art
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it. “I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.