This week, "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" by Death Cab for Cutie has intrigued me.
Death Cab For Cutie - I Will Follow You Into The Dark
The song depicts a person speaking to a loved one about remaining by her side after death. At least that's how Wikipedia describes it. I don't disagree with this analysis of the song, that is indeed what it's about. I have to wonder though, based on both the feel and the lyrics if the singer intends to remain by her side in life, or to follow her into death completely.
The song describes heaven and hell, yet also describes death as "the blackest of rooms" with "No blinding light or tunnels to gates of white." This is interesting because it makes you think about the spiritual beliefs of the singer, brought out even more when he describes his attendance of catholic school, and his experience therein.
Between these two, I seem to get the feeling that the singer is willing to simply remain with his loved one in spirit, but is also perhaps willing to literally follow her by his own death. The couple in this song have apparently been together for quite some time, as is stated with "You and me have seen everything to see," indicating dedication to each other.
There are many possible overarching messages in this song, and it's hard to fully grasp all of them at once. I like this piece since it provides so many different ideas about death whether to oneself or to someone close. It still leaves me with much food for thought after listening, not something every song can claim.
