Lyrics for Gridlock Caravans as interpreted by jephque

Gridlock Caravans Lyrics
Starched white shirts, so neatly pressed by domestic muses
Feed delusions that everything is working out right
But your ribs can't withstand the increasing weight
As your heart gets heavier, and sooner or later
It falls to the tips of your toes

And every day tastes like inhaling
When you just lit the wrong end (that plastic burning scent)
Your only friends are on the exit ramps of gridlock caravans
You try to ask how they've been
But the metal and glass is too thick

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  • 17 Comments
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toadtws
08-25-2002

Rated 0 
This song is about a relationship that's falling apart. And it's beautiful.

I wonder why they left this off of The Photo Album?

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strykerchick
04-07-2004

Rated 0 
I hadn't thought of a relationship falling apart. The line "You try to ask how they've been, but the metal and glass is too thick." Made me think the song is about visiting someone in jail. This is definitely an awesome song.

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j.acob
05-12-2004

Rated 0 
my song, mother fuckers

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dancehallhips
06-24-2004

Rated 0 
does anyone else think there is a connection between this song and "this place is a prison" by postal service? I do. this was never really released fully to the public so Ben finished his thought (this song) and made it into a song for the public aka TPIAP.

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gun left behind
10-20-2004

Rated 0 
I think this song is about feeling different from other people - whether it be through experiencing love when others haven't, having an epiphany about life, or whatever. But you press your shirts and feel all clean and enlightened, and you think everything's going to work from here on out but it only gets worse since you become distant and can't find anyone to relate to.

This song is probably about love, since he talks about his heart being too heavy for his chest to hold as if he's just been overwhelmed with emotions and that's what makes him feel distant, like no one else knows what he's known or how he's felt.

I wish I knew what he was talking about lighting, something with plastic at one end. But the last few lines are about the distance he feels; the "friends" he has, who are supposed to understand him, are on the exit ramps to gridlock caravans; they're all getting off but there's no stopping the train he's on and the farther away they go the more muffled their voices become. Until finally you can't even talk to them anymore because the metal of the caravan and the thick glass of the windows drowns out the sound.

Whatever this song is about though, there's that hint of genius. One of Death Cab's best, for sure.

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marexvitalis
01-04-2005

Rated 0 
That plastic burning scent line is talking about lighting the wrong end of a cigarette.

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marexvitalis
01-04-2005

Rated 0 
That plastic burning scent line is talking about lighting the wrong end of a cigarette.

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eucil
02-23-2005

Rated 0 
This song feels like a rehab sort of emotion. It seems uphill, as per the lighting the cigarette backwards, delusions of things working out right etc. The friends part reminds me that the speaker has changed and can't get back to old friends because of the barrier caused by the rehab.

I don't really see why mentioning the word "heart" has to indicate love.

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eucil
02-23-2005

Rated 0 
I meant to add this: it's a neat way of saying "you have a sinking feeling in your heart" -- not really that you're heart is packed full of feelings so its heavy.

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Phoenix7589
12-06-2005

Rated 0 
"starched white shirts so neatly pressed by domestic muses feed delusions that everything is working out right." This song reminds me of an exstremly domestic household. Almost like the life of a soccer mom, and her having problems with her husband or family, but she just keeps trying to be a "super-mom".
"your only friends are on the exit ramps of gridlock caravans. you try to ask how they've been. but the metal and glass is too thick. " This gives me the image of a mothers "friends" the women who all drive (caravans, minivans) their kids to like baseball practice and the fake niceness they give off. Like those people arent her real freinds they dont care, they dont want to hear.

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Alexor
12-21-2005

Rated -1 
every effing song ever written, someone has to point it towards a couple. get over your god damn ex and move on. there's more to life than relationships.

accept the song for what it is: short and sweet

eucil: "I don't really see why mentioning the word "heart" has to indicate love."

i second that. when your girlfriend stabs your heart with a sharp object, you die. when your girlfriend breaks up with you, it effects your emotons; you live. stfu already. listen to some fall out boy if you want that shit.

gun left behind: "One of Death Cab's best, for sure."

at least 80% of death cab's songs could be considered 'best', because they're all written and strung together so perfectly. applaud ben gibbard, and listen to some of the other 100+ songs he's written and sang. you'll see that there is no best, because most of them make you feel so good.

also, "This song is probably about love, since he talks about his heart"

SERIOUSLY. wow. um. let's see. my heart. it's HUMONGOUS. woah, it must mean i'm in love. it's filled with love. seriously. wow. just wow.

toadtws: " This song is about a relationship that's falling apart. And it's beautiful.

I wonder why they left this off of The Photo Album?"

because of dumbasses like you. "this song is about a relationship that's falling apart." what the hell, man? honestly. new found glory must be your favorite band. music would be a better thing without dumbasses like you listening to it.

strykerchick: "I hadn't thought of a relationship falling apart. The line "You try to ask how they've been, but the metal and glass is too thick." Made me think the song is about visiting someone in jail. This is definitely an awesome song."

wow. have you ever yelled after someone in a car (made of metal and glass shell) and they couldn't hear you? i guess your dad was in jail when you were a baby, if that's all you can relate to. go back to your room and listen to some linkin park. you're digging too deep into interpreting this song. maybe you should put some of that digging into your wrist. maybe with a razor?

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blythegun
02-19-2006

Rated 0 
I THink that song is incredible is so short but so cute

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MIC
06-29-2006

Rated 0 
I think this song is about being stuck in traffic on your way to a job you hate and realizing that your life is shit and not having anyone that cares.

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omniview
08-11-2006

Rated 0 
The last comment was right.

Gridlock Caravans: Gridlock is a traffic jam, Caravans is referring to the line of cars that are in the traffic jam. This is the song title so the clue is already giving away the point.

"starched white shirts so neatly pressed by domestic muses feed delusions that everything is working out right."
--
Business/Dress shirts for your job that you would wear, which are ironed or steam-pressed by your wives (which are the domestic muses), create an ILLUSION (delusion) that everything is working out right (because that is an ideal of having a good life, but maybe life isn't going so great.)


"but your ribs can't withstand the increasing weight as your heart gets heavier and sooner or later it falls to the tips of your toes."
--
I am not fully sure of the meaning, but I decipher he is explaining that it gets harder everyday and his heart is feeling pressured or pushed lower and lower because of the situation he is in with his wife or person he may be living with. He knows things are going wrong but he's trying to keep "up the weight of his heart with his ribs." Falling to the tip of your toes is obviously expressing how his love and apprecation for the way his life is now is failing.


"and everyday tastes like inhailing when you just lit the wrong end (that plastic burning scent)"
--
This is obviously lighting the wrong end of a cigarette. The taste is referring to the obvious unsatisfying ends of his day (or the 'bad taste) that he usually has.

"your only friends are on the exit ramps of gridlock caravans."
--
This is obviously saying he pretty much works, goes home to his girlfiend/wife he may be living with, and really doesn't have social interaction with his friends to talk about his horrible relationship he's in. The exit ramps is ofcourse explaining he is gridlocked on a highway.


"you try to ask how they've been. but the metal and glass is too thick."
--
I think this refers to the way you might glance at people on the highway as they come side to side with you. He is desperately trying to talk to someone, but a glance can't do that. Obviously he is supressed by the metal and glass of his vehicle.

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theglovecompartment
11-22-2006

Rated 0 
Yes, this song is about a job you hate. You wear the right clothes and everything looks fine (starched white shirt.....feed delusion) but every day you suppress how you really feel (you're ribs can't stand increasing weight etc). Every day sucks (tastes like inhaling....). You work so late that the only people you see every day are in the same traffic as you (you're only friends....)
If you have a job like this, it really hits home.

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pwned hxc style
03-01-2009

Rated 0 
Where can I find this song at?

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piranhapettingzoo
11-19-2009

Rated 0 
Alexor: Woah there. Don't get your panties in a bunch. There's no need to insult every single other person who has tried to actually CONTRIBUTE to figuring out the meaning of this song, especially when you yourself offer absolutely nothing in the way of interpretation. If you're going to be so angry, maybe you should hole up in your room with some Linkin Park until you get those frustrations out.

Anyway.

This is a beautiful song, and I've been perplexed on the meaning after listening to it at least a hundred times trying to deceipher it (I'm doing an animation for a class based on it). I always got the vauge feeling of hopelessness in a mediocre same day-to-day situation vibe from it, and now that I've read through the comments discussing specific parts of the song and relating them to a crap job, I completely agree with that idea.

However, I always thought the ending bit,
"Your only friends are on the exit ramps of gridlocked caravans"
Was referring to the homeless people that stand near exit ramps with signs asking for money. Like the only human beings that you ever come in contact with on any kind of emotional level are these people, just enhancing this feeling of utter loneliness.

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