Chris Walla (born November 2, 1975 in Bothell, Washington) is the guitarist… Read Full Bio ↴Chris Walla (born November 2, 1975 in Bothell, Washington) is the guitarist and producer for the band Death Cab for Cutie. He released his debut solo album Field Manual on January 29, 2008 on Barsuk records. He has released previous solo material exclusively from his website, including material from an early solo project called Martin Youth Auxiliary. Most of these releases have never been fully exposed to the general public in any other form. Under Martin Youth Auxiliary, one cassette was recorded and released in 1999 on Elsinor records; only several dozen copies were made. Walla has produced, recorded and mixed many albums of artists such as The Decemberists, Nada Surf, The Long Winters, Travis Morrison (formerly of The Dismemberment Plan), The Velvet Teen, Hot Hot Heat, and many more. His most recent project as a producer was the album Sainthood by Tegan and Sara which is set to release October 27, 2009.

Shattered Dreams
Chris Walla Lyrics

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So much for your promises
They died the day you let me go
Caught up in a web of lies
But it was just too late to know
I thought it was you
Who would stand by my side

And now you've given me, given me

Nothing but your shattered dreams, shattered dreams
Feel like I could run away, run away
From this empty heart

You said you'd die for me

Woke up to reality
And found the future not so bright
I dreamt the impossible
That maybe, things could work out right
I thought it was you
Who would do me no wrong

And now you've given me, given me
Nothing but your shattered dreams, shattered dreams
Feel like I could run away, run away
From this empty heart

Now you've given me, given me
Nothing but your shattered dreams, shattered dreams
Feel like I could run away, run away
From this empty heart

From this empty heart

I thought it was you
Who said you'd die for love

And now you've given me, given me
Nothing but your shattered dreams, shattered dreams
Feel like I could run away, run away
From this empty heart

Now you've given me, given me
Nothing but your shattered dreams, shattered dreams
Feel like I could run away, run away
From this empty heart

So much for your promises
So much for your promises

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Chris Walla's song "Shattered Dreams" explore the pain and disillusionment associated with broken promises and betrayal by a loved one. The persona in the song believed in his partner's promises and swore to stand by him/her. However, he/she wakes up to the reality of empty promises and shattered dreams as his/her partner walks away, leaving nothing but a heart full of emptiness.

The lines, "You said you'd die for me" and "I thought it was you/ Who said you'd die for love" show that the persona's partner had sworn a commitment of the highest degree to him/her, only to renege on it in the end. The phrase, "caught up in a web of lies," suggests that the persona was living in a make-believe world of sweet nothings while his/her partner was spinning a web of deceit.

Overall, this song explores the heartache and disappointment that comes from loving someone who cannot or will not reciprocate the same level of commitment, leading to the shattering of dreams and the death of promises.

Line by Line Meaning

So much for your promises
This is an expression of disappointment towards someone who has made empty promises.

They died the day you let me go
The singer feels that the other person's promises became irrelevant as soon as they ended the relationship.

Caught up in a web of lies
The other person had been deceitful throughout the relationship which the singer realized too late.

But it was just too late to know
By the time the artist realized the deceit, it was already too late for them to fix things.

I thought it was you Who would stand by my side
The artist had trusted that the other person would be loyal and supportive.

And now you've given me, given me Nothing but your shattered dreams, shattered dreams
The singer feels that the other person's promises have resulted in their dreams being broken.

Feel like I could run away, run away From this empty heart
The singer feels empty and is considering fleeing the situation.

You said you'd die for me
The other person had made a bold statement about their level of commitment to the relationship.

Woke up to reality And found the future not so bright
The artist had a realization that the future with the other person would not be what they had hoped for.

I dreamt the impossible That maybe, things could work out right
The artist had clung onto a dream that things could be fixed and the relationship could work out.

I thought it was you Who would do me no wrong
The singer had trusted that the other person would not intentionally hurt them.

From this empty heart
Reiteration of the feeling of emptiness.

So much for your promises
Reiteration of the disappointment towards the other person's empty promises.

Writer(s): Clark Datchler

Contributed by Nathaniel E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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