Chris recorded his first album, The Swiss Army Romance, in 2000. The following year, he recorded Further Seems Forever's debut album The Moon Is Down. However, he left the band soon after the album's release, instead recording and releasing his sophomore album The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most, as well as a follow-up EP titled So Impossible.
By 2002, three other musicians had joined the band, including former Further Seems Forever band mate Jerry Castellanos and started the process of recording the band's next album. After the success of his second album, Carrabba was asked to perform on MTV Unplugged, and the subsequent release marked the first time many of the songs were recorded with a full band.
Also in 2002, the music video for "Screaming Infidelities" won the coveted MTV2 award at the MTV Video Music Awards, beating out Norah Jones, The Strokes, The Hives, Nappy Roots and Musiq. This video starred Chris in both the performance and the storyline. The video was directed by Maureen Egan and Matthew Barry.
In 2003, the band released its third album A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar. Peaking at #2 on the United States Billboard charts, the album proved to be the band's most commercially-viable album yet. In the summer of 2004, Dashboard Confessional recorded the song "Vindicated" for the film Spider-Man 2. The song was featured on the soundtrack and played over the film's end credits. Because of this, the band gained a sizable audience for their next release the following summer.
In May of 2005, Dashboard Confessional entered the studio to record their fourth album with acclaimed producer, Daniel Lanois. The album was released on June 27, 2006; its first single was "Don't Wait". Following the release of Dusk and Summer, Dashboard Confessional went on a summer tour of the U.S. with special guests Say Anything and Ben Lee, followed by a co-headlining arena tour with alternative rock band Brand New.
In 2007, the band released its follow-up to Dusk and Summer, The Shade of Poison Trees.
During an interview with Billboard posted on September 11, 2007, Carrabba stated that he is 14 tracks into what would be the band's sixth studio album. He is also unsure about when it would be recorded, but plans to have 30 tracks to draw from. It may be a concept album: "only with the last three has it become, like, 'All right, these have a continuity and there's something going on,' so I'm excited to see where that leads".
The album, titled 'Alter The Ending', was released November 10 2009 (US). A two disc version of the album is available. In this edition, the first disc consists of full band workings of the twelve tracks while the second disc features acoustic versions akin to the first two Dashboard Confessional albums.
Ghost of a Good Thing
Dashboard Confessional Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hard luck you've been trying to tame.
Maybe it's love but it's like you said,
Love is like a role that we play.
But I believe in you so much,
I could die for the words that you say.
But I believe in you so much,
I could die from the words that you say.
But you're chasing the ghost
Of a good thing. Haunting yourself
As the real thing is getting away from you again,
While you're chasing ghosts.
I guess it's luck, but it's the same
Hard luck you've been trying to tame.
Maybe it's love but it's like you said,
Love is like a role that we play.
But I believe in you so much,
I could die for the words that you say.
But I believe in you so much,
I could die from the words that you say.
But you're chasing the ghost
Of a good thing. Haunting yourself
As the real thing is getting away from you again,
While you're chasing ghosts.
Just bend the pieces 'til they fit,
Like they were made for it.
But they weren't meant for this.
No they weren't meant for this.
Just bend the pieces 'til they fit,
Like they were made for it.
But they weren't meant for this.
Chasing the ghost
Of a good thing. Haunting yourself
As the real thing is getting away, away, away, away
From you again,
Chasing the ghost
Of a good thing. Haunting yourself
As the real thing is getting away, away, away, away
From you again,
While you're chasing ghosts.
The song "Ghost of a Good Thing" by Dashboard Confessional is a reflection on the concept of chasing after something that may have been good in the past, but is now simply a distant memory. The lyrics suggest that the singer is struggling to move on from a previous relationship or experience, and is holding onto the idea of what was once "good" instead of facing the reality of what currently is. The chorus of "chasing the ghost of a good thing" is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the futility of holding onto something that is no longer attainable.
The verses also touch on the idea of love as a performance - "love is like a role that we play" - questioning whether the emotions and actions are genuine or just a façade. Nevertheless, the singer still believes strongly in the words and actions of the other person, to the point of potentially sacrificing their own well-being.
The bridge of the song - "just bend the pieces 'til they fit, like they were made for it, but they weren't meant for this" - reveals that the singer is attempting to force something that is not meant to work, perhaps out of fear of moving on or losing something that was once valuable.
Overall, "Ghost of a Good Thing" is a poignant commentary on the complexity of human relationships and the difficulty of letting go when something has run its course.
Line by Line Meaning
I guess it's luck, but it's the same
It's just pure chance, but it feels like the same situation you've been struggling with.
Hard luck you've been trying to tame.
You've been trying to control your bad luck, but it's been difficult.
Maybe it's love but it's like you said,
Perhaps it's love, but as you've mentioned before,
Love is like a role that we play.
Love is just a part we act out.
But I believe in you so much,
However, I trust and have faith in you,
I could die for the words that you say.
I would be willing to give up everything for the things you say.
But I believe in you so much,
But I trust and have faith in you so much,
I could die from the words that you say.
The words you say have such a powerful emotional impact on me that I could figuratively die from them.
But you're chasing the ghost
You're pursuing the remnants,
Of a good thing. Haunting yourself
Of something that was good. You're tormenting yourself,
As the real thing is getting away from you again,
As the actual tangible thing you desire keeps slipping out of your grasp,
While you're chasing ghosts.
All the while, you're desperately seeking something that's no longer there.
Just bend the pieces 'til they fit,
You're trying to force what you have to fit together,
Like they were made for it.
As if they were meant to be perfect for each other.
But they weren't meant for this.
However, what you have was never intended for this purpose.
Chasing the ghost
Pursuing a past memory that's long gone,
Of a good thing. Haunting yourself
Of something that was once wonderful. You're tormenting yourself,
As the real thing is getting away, away, away, away
As the actual tangible thing you want is moving further and further away from you,
From you again,
Slipping back into the distance once more,
While you're chasing ghosts.
And you're still desperately chasing after a memory that no longer exists.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: CHRISTOPHER ANDREW CARRABBA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Breanna Tirado
When he asked the crowd “what song should I play next?!”
I literally screamed “ghost of a good thing”
He heard me and played it 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 thank you the best night of my life last year on Feb 6th 2020 in the city of Anaheim !!
Christopher Alfred
One of my all time favorites
adamsik
Believe in you so much
Marissa Barrett
God it’s like I’m in 9th grade again and I’m depressed cause my first bf was abusive but I didn’t know any better
Zac The Ripper
That's sad
Jaquelin Magana
the fact that im in 9th grade rn and I'm listening to this
Audissey bardelas
👍🏿
Kelsey McCarthy
👍🏼
An Leng Uy
👍🏻
kat love
👍