Death Cab for Cutie – Champagne from a Paper Cup

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I think I'm drunk enough to drive you home now
I'll keep my mouth kept shut from under lock and key
That's rusted firm, no lie
Cause all these conversations wind on and on

Drinking champagne from a paper cup
Is never quite the same
And every sip's moving through my eyes
And up into my brain
At half past two, about time to leave
Cause the DJ's playing rhythm and blues
A sad-sorry state, stutter step to those slammin' grooves
As I'm waiting around for you

Send "Champagne from a Paper Cup" Ringtone to Cell


Lyrics submitted by jephque

Track duration: 02:39

"Champagne from a Paper Cup" as written by Benjamin Gibbard

Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Champagne from a Paper Cup song meanings
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74 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment:This is one of my favourites, and I'm still not sure why. it's a great song on it's own, but something inside it makes me shiver every time i hear it. Ben Gibbard, you are my god
    Flag lightness22on January 26, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:Throughout the song the singer talks twice about conversations winding "on and on." It shows that although he has incredibly strong feelings for this girl there never seems to be any progress in terms of their connection to each other. But will he give up just for this? He wants this person so he continues in pursuing her. They are friends, they go to parties together like friends do. They go to party where they drink "champagne from a paper cup" making it seem like a decayed environment. But his mood is based more on the actions of the girl, the one he loves, who is most likely somewhere else having more fun with someone else. So how does he improve his mood? He drinks so that the time will go by more quickly, so that he can take this girl home and try to be by himself. But he never neglects the relationship, he can't bear to let someone else so beautiful run away on him. And the conversations go "on and on."
    Flag jbradley17on January 17, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The speaker is at a cheapskate party where they don't even have flutes to hold the quests champagne in, so they have paper cups. It gets the buzz job done, but its not the same fancy formality that champagne is generally served in. Its kind of a comical situation- this guy is standin round at a party waiting for his friend/date to wrap it up, and being sick of the music, sick of the scene, and sick of the droning conversations. So he is keeping his mouth shut, deciding not to talk to anyone so that hopefully his friend/date will get the hint, and so he won't have to put up with dull conversation. I love his description of the dancers in their "Sad-sorry state, stutter step to those slammin grooves," haha, sounds like a classy party.

    So he gets his buzz (which is the only good thing, apparently) thus there is no reason to be there cause this party sucks, and tells his companion, "I think i'm drunk enough to drive you home now."

    Haha, i love this song, even the rythmn of the music seems drunk on something and bored as hell.
    Flag shortandsweetemon July 30, 2009   Link
  • +2
    General Comment:i don't think this song has to do with actually driving someone home. I think its meant figuratively and metaphoriclly. Hes using his words to drive her home...rusted words because he had them locked down for so long but now hes drunk and hes talking openly and a lot he says his conversations go "on and on" his conversations are the road and his words are whats driving her home...either to bed with him..or driving her home to never ever want to speak to him again.
    Flag sarahbearon May 28, 2009   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:Definitely different, and darker, than most Death Cab songs, especially their more recent stuff like Broken Stairs.
    Flag christchin910on January 18, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Ive seen it said before but damn,

    "Think I'm drunk enough to drive you home tonight. I'll keep my mouth kept shut."

    Fucking A! What a genius way to express some feelings towards someone.
    Flag iluvvsmp2on November 18, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:"Drinking champagne from a paper cup is never quite the same" makes me think that he isn't satisfied with anything. Like, he's drinking champagne, but he's restless because he could be drinking from a goblet instead of a paper cup.
    Flag judyg13on August 09, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Champagne is usually for celebrating. The song sounds melancholy because drinking champagne from a paper cup is demeaning.
    Flag victorialucason May 13, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think this song sort of fits in the we have the facts album, and the story in that album is a friend that is getting married that he loves, but he can't bare to see with someone else.
    Flag uroverratedon September 14, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:To me, "champagne from a paper cup" refers to a girl who is rich on the interior, full of personality, though her exterior is lacking.

    "Drinking champagne from a paper cup
    Is never quite the same" implies that when one has the option for 1) a beautiful girl on the inside and out in comparison to 2) one who is merely beautiful on the inside, one will choose the girl with both beauties. He is probably at a small party and reminiscing of an old past girlfriend who had everything in his eyes, but that night he is drunk enough to not care and drive her home to have a meaningless rump.
    Flag alwaysacharmon July 31, 2007   Link

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