Lyrics for I Will Follow You Into the Dark as interpreted by sethbrown

I Will Follow You Into the Dark Lyrics
Love of mine
Someday you will die
But I'll be close behind
I'll follow you into the dark
No blinding light
Or tunnels to gates of white
Just our hands clasped so tight
Waiting for the hint of a spark

If heaven and hell decide
That they both are satisfied
And illuminate the "No"s
On their vacancy signs
If there's no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark

In Catholic school
As vicious as Roman rule
I got my knuckles bruised
By a lady in black
And I held my tongue
As she told me, "Son
Fear is the heart of love"
So I never went back

If heaven and hell decide
That they both are satisfied
And illuminate the "No"s
On their vacancy signs
If there's no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark

You and me
Have seen everything to see
From Bangkok to Calgary
And the soles of your shoes
Are all worn down
The time for sleep is now
But it's nothing to cry about
Because we'll hold each other soon
In the blackest of rooms

If heaven and hell decide
That they both are satisfied
And illuminate the "No"s
On their vacancy signs
If there's no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark
Then I'll follow you into the dark

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ihateyourdogs2
05-02-2006

Rated 0 
ive found this with alot of gibbard's songs: he seems to write his lyrics so poeticly that the reader/listnener can decide what the song means...come on, gibbard is a genius...if u think about it, all of his songs have SO many different meanings u can get from them...

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-Amz-
05-03-2006

Rated 0 
now THIS is a song full of hope.. even in the darkest of times. basically saying 'it's okay to be tired, it's okay to sleep, it's okay to leave it behind.. we've lived and i'll be there with you in the next world..'
ah it gives me shivers to think of it.. i'm buying my ticket this week to see them in adelaide, so excited =D

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MAKEWAR
05-13-2006

Rated 0 
Okay, Christ, obviously he is just using the whole "In catholic school
As vicious as roman rule
I got my knuckles bruised
By a lady in black
And I held my tongue
As she told me "Son,
Fear is the heart of love"
So I never went back" bit to show his opinion on the matter.
It's not literal, or metaphorical really.
It's just that.

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jsbx
05-14-2006

Rated 0 
I've read it posted a couple times already, but I believe the song is for his love, letting her know that death is a frightening thought. We are not sure if there is an afterlife or not, but he is calming her fears by letting her know that no matter what happens in death, Heaven, Hell, or absolutely nothing, he will be experiencing the same as she, and she will not be alone in that. This song elaborates on the love story that "Soul Meets Body" touches on.

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rubye69
05-18-2006

Rated 0 
I recently lost my boyfriend to cancer, and this song really describes how you feel, especially when you have to say goodbye. My friend played it for me the other day and I burst into tears the first time I heard it. I dont think that the lyrics mean that when your partner dies you are going to literally kill yourself, but that it perhaps means that you are always going to be beside them, even in death, your souls will remain a part of each other. There's not many good songs out there about death, but this is a rare gem.

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Friendly Hippo
05-29-2006

Rated 0 
my favorite death cab song. it symbolizes more then death it symbolizes the undescribable love that he has for his girlfriend.

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lulu08
06-13-2006

Rated 0 
This is possibly one of the most beautiful songs I have in a long time. Even though it is about death, it brings a sort of enlightment to the whole issue.
I agree with many of you when you say it is about an everlasting love. And eithr growing old together or if she suddenly died...he would kill himself, just to be with her. So she wouldn't be alone.
Just the guitar at the beginning gives me goosebumps and this song does make me think. How everyone will meet again after life.
"If heaven and hell decide, that they both are satisfied and illuminate the no's on their vancany signs. If there's no-one beside you, when your soul embarks, then I'll follow you into the dark."
I noticed a lot of people quote those lines, possibly because they are the most moving words of the whole song. Even if the two certain places after death are full, he will be with her in the dark, no matter where or what the dark is. Just to be with her would make him happy.
It is such a clever, moving song.
"It's nothing to cry about, cause we'll hold each other soon..."
He wants her to know that he will be there for her. When they are both gone. He will be with her for eternity.
Death Cab For Cutie are amazing. The lyrics on most of their songs move me in some way.

xx

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lulu08
06-13-2006

Rated 0 
This is possibly one of the most beautiful songs I have in a long time. Even though it is about death, it brings a sort of enlightment to the whole issue.
I agree with many of you when you say it is about an everlasting love. And eithr growing old together or if she suddenly died...he would kill himself, just to be with her. So she wouldn't be alone.
Just the guitar at the beginning gives me goosebumps and this song does make me think. How everyone will meet again after life.
"If heaven and hell decide, that they both are satisfied and illuminate the no's on their vancany signs. If there's no-one beside you, when your soul embarks, then I'll follow you into the dark."
I noticed a lot of people quote those lines, possibly because they are the most moving words of the whole song. Even if the two certain places after death are full, he will be with her in the dark, no matter where or what the dark is. Just to be with her would make him happy.
It is such a clever, moving song.
"It's nothing to cry about, cause we'll hold each other soon..."
He wants her to know that he will be there for her. When they are both gone. He will be with her for eternity.
Death Cab For Cutie are amazing. The lyrics on most of their songs move me in some way.

xx

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saved_sunburns
06-17-2006

Rated 0 
when I heard this song, the first thing that came to mind was Johnny Cash and his wife June.

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Clicked times two
06-18-2006

Rated 0 
awwwhh.
I really enjoy this song.
SOoo good.
Its about long relationships
and being faithful towards your love.
"fear is the heart of love" and the reference of catholic school and the nun kind of brings a feeling of insecurity. I think this song's basic meaning is just one of those- as long as were together everything will be okay - meanings

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.::.tralalalala.::.
06-24-2006

Rated 0 
ohmegarsh i finally found this song!!! it was background music for this xanga site and ive been trying to find it since and then last night (that was like the bestest night!!!) i saw it on the wedge (a show with alternative music videos) and i was sooo flippin' happi, this song makes me happi and sad and its pure beauty, i totally luv this like mad!!!

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mockingsmile
07-01-2006

Rated 0 
I've never listened to Death Cab For Cutie, but I saw the video on TV and was really blown away by it. It's weird how there are all these over-the-top acoustic guitar love songs and most of them are just terrible, and then you come across one that's brilliant.

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Unarmed
07-04-2006

Rated 0 
When they played this in calgary, where I live, and he said the "from bangkok to calgary" line, everyone went insane for about 2 minutes and they had to stop playing the song and then start up again. Pretty sweet moment.

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little-latte-girl
07-05-2006

Rated 0 
it's my favourite on the album too. i love the chorus. like no matter what they'll be together. 'illuminate the Nos on their vacancy signs' i am soooo in love xXx

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Sspatzz
07-07-2006

Rated 0 
I think this song is more about death not an end, but a start anew. I think it means, in the end, love outlasts everything, even death, love is somthing you cannot kill.He also talks about there being a some kind of life after death, not in heaven, or hell, but this life after death is in love itself.

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robotz_go_rawr
07-10-2006

Rated 0 
These lyrics are so cute. I love the song. And i think the video, with the hole getting bigger, i think thats funny.

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tortured_tiaras
07-11-2006

Rated 0 
For me, this song is just about loving someone so much that you would gladly follow them into the darkness of the afterlife just to be with them

This song makes me cry every time I hear it

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aj58
07-14-2006

Rated 0 
i just heard this song about a half an hour ago and i have been listening to it ever since over and over again. i think that the darknes is just a metaphor for the after life. i dont believe that he doesnt belive in an afterlife. in this line If there's no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark
he is clearly recognizing that the soul will leave the body and move on. its like hes sayin the body is just where the soul is in. i think that that heaven and hell is puting up there no vacancy signs is just heaven and hell agreeing that everyone should be together, after death. he is also talking about when u have loved somone for so long that u will always be together. my grandfather and my grandmother were divorced about 35 years ago but i have talked to the both of them and they said they still both love eacother, if love is strong enough it can not be broken even after death.

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Andaah
07-15-2006

Rated 0 
This is a very brave song. To lean away from DCFC's love of production and produce a simple song with only guitar and heartfelt lyrics is courageous and pays off, I think.

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danny_Horney
07-15-2006

Rated 0 
I've only read a few descriptions but I havent read anyone really get it completely right.

IMO, its CLEARLY a song about purgatory, a place thats only believed in Catholocism and is not Heaven or Hell but a place your sent to to clear your soul BEFORE Heaven.

Yea, its about someone dying but I think he is telling her that he will follow her into the afterlife...which is Purgatory. Either that or he is claiming to not be too good or bad so he meets her there. HAHA.

Still, amazing song and great video even.

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Ted Bannana
07-17-2006

Rated 0 
so i take it this is their new 'big' song? lol

this is a really good song. very bittersweet.

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walking blues
07-20-2006

Rated 0 
this is my favourite song off plans, i love it. i just saw death cab the other day in melbourne, australia, and this song was the first song in the encore, ben came out by himself and played it, and the ENTIRE crowd sang along with him, then just went wild when he finished. it was one of the more beautiful moments in life.

i don't think it's about purgatory, i mean he states in the song that he doesn't believe in catholocism anymore, because he doesn't believe that fear is the root of all human emotions, which is an awfully catholic way to look at the world. so why would he believe in purgatory if he's not a catholic?

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stereo fan
07-20-2006

Rated 0 
The song is obviously about a deep love, that has been established. It describes an extrordinary love that lasts even beyond death. As far as the catholic school verse goes, i think that he uses the line "Son,
Fear is the heart of love" to show a type of love that is the complete opposite of the feelings that he is conveying in the song. Does that make sense?

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Xecutioner5
07-20-2006

Rated 0 
This song gives me serious goosebumps.


Sooooo good.

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danny_Horney
07-21-2006

Rated 0 
Walking Blues,

I could be wrong. However, I base this on him singing about going to Catholic school, following you into the "dark" and the lyris of Heaven and Hell illiminating the "no's" on the vacancy signs.

He says that he went to Catholic school and for whatever reason got his nuckles beat with a ruler, a common practice there. A nun told him that fear is the heart of love (as in GOD) so he left. However, does that mean he wouldnt reference Purgatory? A place known by Catholics to be neither Heaven or Hell but a pitch black place to cleanse your soul...

Also, the lyrics state that Heaven and hell illuminate the "no's" on the vacancy signs. This meaning that neither will accept the dead/dying person.

To me, I may be wrong but it seems pretty obvious. Also adding in the video and its obvious purgatoy-esqe visuals....

I dunno, could be wrong but it seems fairly obvious to me.

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