There are certain songs that just resonate with you. Whether that song recreates a moment in time or is just one that you really like, these songs are the songs that helped create the person you are and were a constant companion in the journey called life.
Today we continue exploring those songs in my life and what they mean to me. This is Those Certain Songs. Today’s song, I Will Follow You Into The Dark.
The Song:
Title: I will Follow You Into The Dark
Artist: Death Cab For Cutie
Album: Plans
The 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
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
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
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
‘Cause we’ll hold each other soon
In the blackest of rooms
If Heaven and Hell decide
That they both are satisfied
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
What it means to me:
The album this song came from is one of my favorites and, as I mentioned in my review it has some incredible songs. One however stands out above them all and that song is the subject of today’s post.
Once upon a past life, I was a singer/songwriter for a small band in a small southwest Texas town. We performed here and there and recorded a few tracks but never made much of ourselves, save the drummer who, even 20 years later is still making music. During this time period, me and a good friend composed a dozen or so acoustic songs that are still floating out on the ether of the interwebs and on a dozen recordable cd’s that are probably filling a landfill somewhere in the desert. These songs we were all very personal tunes that I always wished would see the light of day and, who knows still might some day. The reason I mention my brief flirtation with rock stardom is that, when I heard this tune, it hit me in that part of me that wished I had written it. There is a great album by Pat Green and Cory Morrow called ‘ Song’s we wish we’d written’ and this is one that would be on my version of that album.
The song itself is a simple acoustic track about loving someone to the very end. The phrase ’till death do we part’ is thrown around in today’s world in nearly every wedding ceremony known to man. The concept is simple, upon death the agreement you made with your spouse has been satisfactorily completed and neither party is beholden to the other. This song, however, begs to differ. The singer makes it clear that his love is beyond just death and, should his love pass to the other side, he will soon follow after to accompany them to their final resting place. It is one of the sweetest and most heartfelt tunes I have ever heard and it brings about, in me, a serine melancholy that borders on sadness but touches on joy. It is an aspirational song that one can only hope to find someone that they would willingly follow into death should that time come to pass. With Ben Gibbard’s incredible voice, you can’t find a more romantic and perfectly frank tune about the dedication of someone in true love. Thankfully, I am blessed to have found someone that I would follow into the dark.
Late to the Game 10/3/2020 (originally published 1/25/2020)
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed Those Certain Songs. If you would like to read more about music you can find my Music Reviews Here.
Additionally, I have a weekly series called Key Movies Of My Life that comes out every Thursday and also check out some retro tv goodness with the ongoing series Retro TV Reviews.
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