Death Cab for Cutie – Different Names for the Same Thing

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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An outdated map crumpled in my pocket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

Send "Different Names for the Same Thing" Ringtone to Cell


Lyrics submitted by you fail me

Track duration: 05:09

"Different Names for the Same Thing [DVD]" as written by Benjamin Gibbard

Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing

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Different Names for the Same Thing song meanings
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  • +1
    General Comment: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.
    Flag mefurbishon February 20, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Also, it's always sounded like "I'd no words to share with anyone" to me. As in, the narrator couldn't convey his feelings anyway, language notwithstanding.
    Flag indianoutlawon July 27, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This is one of my favorite songs on Plans. My passion is traveling, and I know the feeling of being a stranger in a strange land. It's scary and lonely, like the first half of the song, then empowering, like the second half.

    Anyone else notice a thematic similarity to "Vienna" by The Fray? It's really similar in my opinion. I'm not sure which song came first. It also gives me an old-timey vibe, with images of the 1900's and the industrial revolution. Maybe it's just the mention of a train, because it's not a widely-used transportation, at least where I live, and I find it more appealing to imagine a train ride in the 1900's than a present-day subway.

    Whatever the meaning, I absolutely love it.
    Flag indianoutlawon July 27, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Perhaps it's about depression. Every where you go is the same: people will let you down and hurt you.

    "The coast disappeared when the sea drowned the sun"

    He ends up drowning himself out of his depression.
    Flag ledtheater9on July 22, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I bought Transatlanticism ½ year ago, and that's when I started loving Death Cab. A few weeks ago I bought Plans and Narrow Stairs, and I like to think that I'm not one of those that listen to DCFC because they're "hip" or used to be, or what do I know. I just really like the music.
    I hate Kelly Clarkson, by the way.
    Death Cab For Cutie is one of the first bands, where I really listened to the lyrics and thought about them. That Ben Gibbard sure is amazing.
    Flag DismissTheSkyson May 01, 2010   Link
  • +1
    Memory: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.
    Flag crystalynn84on March 30, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment: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 :)
    Flag jycnnzn09on March 13, 2010   Link
  • +1
    Memory: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.
    Flag TheComebackon January 14, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Although the lyrics above say "there are different names for the same things" 2x for the last 2 minutes, at the end, I start hearing, "Its a new name, its a new name" etc over and over.
    Flag deafmusicloveron December 16, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:best song on Plans by far.
    Flag jtmoneyyyyon October 08, 2009   Link

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