This song is about depression and the narrator's wish to bring someone that he cares about out of it.
I will use "friend" to reference this person, but really it could be any person the narrator cares about from a lover to a colleague, "He" is gender neutral here.
"If I could open my arms
And span the length of the isle of Manhattan
I'd bring it to where you are
Making a lake of the East River and Hudson"
-You won't fully understand this verse until you spend some time wandering around Manhattan (New York City). Manhattan is in short a nexus of human activity, full of entertainment and life. Bringing Manhattan to his friend is the narrator's metaphor for showing his friend all spice in life that there is to experience.
"And if I could open my mouth
Wide enough for a marching band to march out
They would make your name sing
And bend through alleys and bounce off all the buildings"
-A common cause of depression is not being recognized by others for one's virtues. The narrator wants for his friend to know that there are people out there that appreciate him.
"I wish we could open our eyes
To see in all directions at the same time
Oh, what a beautiful view
If you were never aware of what was around you"
-"Open your eyes and look at the world around you", the narrator says to his friend. "All directions" and "what was around you" is opposed to what his friend has been staring at; it is a metaphorical opposite to the inward-looking tunnel vision that characterizes a depressive mindset.
"And it is true what you say
That I live like a hermit in my own head
But when the sun shines again
I'll pull the curtains and blinds to let the light in"
-"A hermit in my own head" is reference to one's introspective tendencies. The narrator is empathizing with his friend's inward-looking tendencies, but draws a difference in the next two lines. "But when the sun shines again / I'll pull the curtains and blinds to let the light in" -- sunshine and light is metaphor for life's opportunities and good moments that the narrator welcomes into his life. This is opposed to 'closing the curtains' that his friend has supposedly been doing thereby shutting out the potentially positive aspects of his life.
"Sorrow drips into your heart through a pinhole
Just like a faucet that leaks and there is comfort in the sound
But while you debate half empty or half full
It slowly rises, your love is going to drown"
-The narrator is telling his friend that so long as he wallows in his depression, it will slowly drown out his "love". "Love" as it is used here is not romantic attraction -- it's the things one loves - the things that get his friend motivated and excited - the things he cares about. "Sorrow drips into your heart" and "like a faucet that leaks" are metaphors for the gradual loss of loved things as the narrator's friend let's his life and opportunities pass by while in his depressed state. "While you debate half empty or half full" is a shot at the self-defeating and rather meaningless rationalization and self-analysis his friend mulls around thinking about, when what really needs to do is live his life.
Truly a beautiful song. It took me a while to fully grasp and appreciate the lyrics. I was first introduced to the song about two years ago, and it wasn't until I experienced a depression of my own, visited Manhattan, and re-listened to this song recently that it occurred to me what it's all about. What's fascinating about this piece is that even without fully understanding the lyrics, the music evokes powerful feelings that strongly relate to to the lyrical interpretation. I highly recommend listening to the Vitamin String Quartet's cover of this song off of the album "Ghost: The String Quartet Tribute to Death Cab for Cutie" if you want to simply appreciate the musicality of the song.
Hopefully this interpretation makes the song that much more meaningful for you.
This song is about depression and the narrator's wish to bring someone that he cares about out of it.
I will use "friend" to reference this person, but really it could be any person the narrator cares about from a lover to a colleague, "He" is gender neutral here.
"If I could open my arms And span the length of the isle of Manhattan I'd bring it to where you are Making a lake of the East River and Hudson"
-You won't fully understand this verse until you spend some time wandering around Manhattan (New York City). Manhattan is in short a nexus of human activity, full of entertainment and life. Bringing Manhattan to his friend is the narrator's metaphor for showing his friend all spice in life that there is to experience.
"And if I could open my mouth Wide enough for a marching band to march out They would make your name sing And bend through alleys and bounce off all the buildings"
-A common cause of depression is not being recognized by others for one's virtues. The narrator wants for his friend to know that there are people out there that appreciate him.
"I wish we could open our eyes To see in all directions at the same time Oh, what a beautiful view If you were never aware of what was around you"
-"Open your eyes and look at the world around you", the narrator says to his friend. "All directions" and "what was around you" is opposed to what his friend has been staring at; it is a metaphorical opposite to the inward-looking tunnel vision that characterizes a depressive mindset.
"And it is true what you say That I live like a hermit in my own head But when the sun shines again I'll pull the curtains and blinds to let the light in"
-"A hermit in my own head" is reference to one's introspective tendencies. The narrator is empathizing with his friend's inward-looking tendencies, but draws a difference in the next two lines. "But when the sun shines again / I'll pull the curtains and blinds to let the light in" -- sunshine and light is metaphor for life's opportunities and good moments that the narrator welcomes into his life. This is opposed to 'closing the curtains' that his friend has supposedly been doing thereby shutting out the potentially positive aspects of his life.
"Sorrow drips into your heart through a pinhole Just like a faucet that leaks and there is comfort in the sound But while you debate half empty or half full It slowly rises, your love is going to drown"
-The narrator is telling his friend that so long as he wallows in his depression, it will slowly drown out his "love". "Love" as it is used here is not romantic attraction -- it's the things one loves - the things that get his friend motivated and excited - the things he cares about. "Sorrow drips into your heart" and "like a faucet that leaks" are metaphors for the gradual loss of loved things as the narrator's friend let's his life and opportunities pass by while in his depressed state. "While you debate half empty or half full" is a shot at the self-defeating and rather meaningless rationalization and self-analysis his friend mulls around thinking about, when what really needs to do is live his life.
Truly a beautiful song. It took me a while to fully grasp and appreciate the lyrics. I was first introduced to the song about two years ago, and it wasn't until I experienced a depression of my own, visited Manhattan, and re-listened to this song recently that it occurred to me what it's all about. What's fascinating about this piece is that even without fully understanding the lyrics, the music evokes powerful feelings that strongly relate to to the lyrical interpretation. I highly recommend listening to the Vitamin String Quartet's cover of this song off of the album "Ghost: The String Quartet Tribute to Death Cab for Cutie" if you want to simply appreciate the musicality of the song.
Hopefully this interpretation makes the song that much more meaningful for you.
I don't know if you're still around on this site, but this is an amazing analysis. Thank you so much for your insight.
I don't know if you're still around on this site, but this is an amazing analysis. Thank you so much for your insight.