What it means to love

I know that Death Cab for Cutie is a very popular band and that it is rather cliche to say that I Will Follow You Into the Dark is one of my favorite songs, but whether or not it's cliche, it's true. To me, it is one of the best songs there is, and I don't ever tire of listening to it.

When trying to figure out why that is, I realized that this song embodies a basic human desire: to be loved so much that someone would be willing to die with us, believing that nothing was awaiting them. "If there's no one beside you when your soul embarks, I'll follow you into the dark," he sings over and over again, saying that if we have to go into oblivion, why not go together?

We all want to be loved, and we do not want to feel alone. I think what we are all searching for in our daily lives is some connection to something meaningful and permanent. There is a lack of permanence in our existence, people are always leaving or dying, but if we could find that one person who would connect so fully with us that we could go together into the next unknown, I think we could be complete.

It is also the commitment to the unknown that I appreciate about this song. "No blinding light, or tunnel to gates of white, just our hands clasped so tight, waiting for the hint of a spark." We're not necessarily looking for someone willing to die with us, but just someone who is not so frightened of the unknown that they will stay and go through it. We do not know where our relationships will lead, whether they will be 'successful' or not, but to be willing to try together is an invaluable experience.

This isn't a version of the song from the actual band, but a very nice cover from three women. I chose this version because it spoke to what I feel when I sing this song to myself in the car, or rather speaks to what a want to be a part of as I harmonize with the song by myself, wanting to be a part of something complete and full and real.



This song is a representation of that glimpse we sometimes get of what it means to love.