If you have never heard Death Cab for Cutie’s single, “I Will Follow You Into The Dark,” then you are missing out. The chorus is haunting, but it was the second verse that caught my attention:
In catholic school, as vicious as Roman ruleI got my knuckles bruised by a lady in black
And 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
If I were told that fear is the heart of love, I wouldn’t have gone back either. I wouldn’t be a priest and I have no idea where I would be today or what I would be doing. Statements like that are so crushing. I feel the message of the gospel is clear when it says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.” (1Jn 4:18)
Sign up for the Mockingbird Newsletter
COMMENTS
5 responses to “Following Into the Dark…Death Cab and a Cry for Love that Casts Out Fear”
Leave a Reply
This is one of my favorite tunes. Death Cab are a great band, and most of their stuff oozes with a low anthropology. Awesome post.
I have always loved this song in the same way that I love Lennon’s ‘Imagine’, despite the questionable theology in both sets of lyrics. The video is especially sad, dealing with the inevitability of the death of a spouse and/or loved one, but it is a good sad…something like the poems of Sylvia Plath.
I suppose it’s redundant now, but I’ll say it nonetheless. I love this song, too! It stinks inside you like peanut butter. I love it.
You bring up really great points, and I like how you used such poignant scripture in response to the lyrics. Thanks for sharing!
May we all seek out that “somebody”, Christ, to be there with us when we “embark”.
Thanks Hawley, I hope you are well. Just wanted to make sure you meant “sticks inside you” as opposed to “stinks inside you.”
I love the photo of the “old” Kris.