“I Will Follow You Into The Dark” by Death Cab for Cutie

When two lovers form an inseparable bond, one of their major fears is facing death alone. Death Cab for Cutie’s “I Will Follow You into the Dark,” written by Ben Gibbard, the lead singer, in less than fifteen minutes, serves as a lovely tribute song for young lovers and their impending deaths. Regardless of when the narrator’s lover might actually die, the lyrics alleviate these fears by professing his promising to follow her into the end of life. Gibbard sings about “the dark” as a metaphor for the uncertainty of what afterlife, something many people believe in, awaits people when they die.

With a heavy focus on the narrator’s harsh experiences in Catholic schools and their teachings, the “dark” alluded to in “I Will Follow You into the Dark” could possibly refer to purgatory, a belief that people who die before they have reached a certain level of holiness must undergo a process of “purification” in order to be welcomed into heaven. Played with an acoustic guitar, Death Cab For Cutie’s tender tribute song invokes the powerful, undying bond between two lovers. Devoted, they allay each other’s fears of dying alone and promise to “follow” each other “into the dark”:

 Love of mine, some day 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…

Read the rest of the lyrics here.

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