The single was released on Atlantic Records, featuring the song "Crooked Teeth" and two B-side tracks: "Talking Like Turnstiles", and a cover of the Julian Cope song "World Shut Your Mouth", which was originally released two years earlier as a B-side on the internet-only single "Title and Registration", from the band's previous album, Transatlanticism. The single peaked at number 10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, making it Death Cab for Cutie's seventh highest charting song in the United States to-date.
The song was co-written by lead singer and guitarist Ben Gibbard, and guitarist Chris Walla. In a 2011 episode of VH1 Storytellers, Gibbard spoke about the back story behind the lyrical content of "Crooked Teeth":
"One of my favorite, favorite writers in the whole world is a man named Raymond Carver and he had this way of writing stories about people living small lives going through some very, uh... their very own trials and tribulations in ways that I've always really admired. I wanted to kind of create a story that involved two characters that were trapped by geography in Southern Florida and that they were kind of keeping themselves captive and the city that surrounded them was seemingly closing in on them and this was the outcome of that experiment. This is my attempt to be a junior Raymond Carver."
— Benjamin Gibbard, VH1 Storytellers
08. Crooked Teeth
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Whose tears didn't care they just hung in the air
And refused to fall, to fall
I knew I'd made a horrible call
And now the state line felt like the Berlin wall
And there was no doubt about which side I was on
Cause I built you a home in my heart with rotten wood that decayed from the start
No you can't find nothing at all if there was nothing there all along
I braved treacherous streets
And kids strung out on homemade speed
And we shared a bed in which I could not sleep
At all...
At night, the sun in the trees
Made the skyline look like crooked teeth
In the mouth of a man who was devouring, us both
You're so cute when you're slurring your speech
But they're closing the bar and they want us to leave
And you can't find nothing at all if there was nothing there all along
No you can't find nothing at all if there was nothing there all along
Idle war of head versus heart
It's always this way
My head is weak it always speaks
Before I know what it will say
Cause you can't find nothing at all if there was nothing there all along
No you can't find nothing at all if there was nothing there all along
There were churches, theme parks and malls
There was nothing there all along
The song "Crooked Teeth" by Death Cab for Cutie tells a story of a failed relationship and the regret that comes with it. The first verse talks about sitting under a willow tree on a hot day, with tears hanging in the air refusing to fall. The singer reflects on the mistake they made, feeling trapped on one side of the state line, and realizing which side they are on. The second verse talks about the singer's efforts to make things work, but their attempts to build a home with rotten wood ultimately failed. The third verse describes the struggles of the relationship, sharing a bed in which the singer couldn't sleep, and the imagery of the skyline looking like crooked teeth. The chorus repeats the idea that you can't find something that wasn't there in the first place.
The song's lyrics are a reflection on the pain and regret that comes with the end of a relationship, and the singer's realization that perhaps there was nothing there to begin with. The crooked teeth image is particularly striking, representing the brokenness and imperfections of the relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
It was 100 degrees as we sat beneath a willow tree
The heat was overwhelming as we sat outdoors under a willow tree
Whose tears didn't care they just hung in the air
The tree's dewdrops appeared to be unusually still in the humid air, unaffected by gravity
And refused to fall, to fall
They seemed to cling to the tree's leaves and branches tightly, not letting go
I knew I'd made a horrible call
I realized that my decision had been a terrible mistake
And now the state line felt like the Berlin wall
The state boundary felt like an impenetrable barrier, just like the Berlin Wall
And there was no doubt about which side I was on
I had made a choice and was now committed to one side
Cause I built you a home in my heart with rotten wood that decayed from the start
I constructed a home for you in my heart using poor materials, which fell apart from the outset
Cause you can't find nothing at all if there was nothing there all along
It's impossible to discover something that never existed in the first place
I braved treacherous streets
I risked my safety by walking through dangerous neighborhoods
And kids strung out on homemade speed
The kids I encountered on the streets were impaired by their own homemade drugs
And we shared a bed in which I could not sleep
Despite sharing a bed, I found it impossible to rest
At night, the sun in the trees
During the evening, the trees cast shadows that looked like rays of the setting sun
Made the skyline look like crooked teeth
The silhouette of the city's skyline resembled a mouthful of uneven teeth
In the mouth of a man who was devouring, us both
The city seemed to swallow us both whole, like a predatory beast
You're so cute when you're slurring your speech
I find you endearing even when you're drunk and speaking unclearly
But they're closing the bar and they want us to leave
The bar is shutting down and the staff are asking us to exit
Idle war of head versus heart
I am struggling with a battle between logic and emotion
It's always this way
This internal struggle is a constant conflict for me
My head is weak it always speaks
My rational side is my weakness because I tend to follow it blindly
Before I know what it will say
I don't always know what my rational side will dictate before I act on it
There were churches, theme parks and malls
Despite the seeming abundance of places to visit, there was emptiness and lack of true fulfillment
There was nothing there all along
Ultimately, despite my seeking and journeying, there was nothing truly valuable or meaningful to find
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BENJAMIN GIBBARD, CHRISTOPHER WALLA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Eric Wilson
It was one hundred degrees as we sat beneath a willow tree
Whose tears didn't care they just hung in the air
And refused to fall, to fall
I knew I'd made a horrible call
And now the state line felt like the Berlin wall
And there was no doubt about which side I was on
'Cause I built you a home in my heart
With rotten wood that decayed from the start
'Cause you can't find nothing at all
If there was nothing there all along
No, you can't find nothing at all
If there was nothing there all along
I braved treacherous streets
And kids strung out on homemade speed
And we shared a bed in which I could not sleep at all
'Cause at night, the sun in retreat
Made the skyline look like crooked teeth
In the mouth of a man who was devouring us both
You're so cute when you're slurring your speech
But they're closing the bar
And they want us to leave
And you can't find nothing at all
If there was nothing there all along
No, you can't find nothing at all
If there was nothing there all along
I'm the war of head versus heart
And it's always this way
My head is weak, my heart always speaks
Before I know what it will say
And you can't find nothing at all
If there was nothing there all along
No, you can't find nothing at all
If there was nothing there all along
And you can't find nothing at all
If there was nothing there all along
There were churches, theme parks and malls
Tyler O
It was 100 degrees as we sat beneath a willow tree whose tears didn't care
They just hung in the air and refused to fall
And I knew I'd made a horrible call and now the state line felt like the Berlin Wall
And there was no doubt about which side I was on
'Cause I built you a home in my heart with rotten wood and it decayed from the start
And you can't find nothin' at all if there was nothin' there all along
I braved treacherous streets and kids strung out on homemade speed
And we shared a bed in which I could not sleep at all
'Cause at night the sun in retreat made the skyline look like crooked teeth in the mouth of a man who was devouring us both
You're so cute when you're slurring your speech
But they're closing the bar and they want us to leave
And you can't find nothin' at all if there was nothin' there all along
I'm a war of head verses heart and it's always this way
My head is weak and my heart always speaks before I know what it will say
And you can't find nothin' at all if there was nothin' there all along
There were churches, theme parks and malls but there was nothing there all along
TheMasterBee
I must admit, I’m not the biggest DCFC fan and i don’t usually listen to their songs that much, but their good songs aren’t just good, they’re phenomenal
Sawderf
Having a few phenomenal songs will always be better than having a bunch of good songs.
TheMasterBee
@Sawderf Absolutely Agree
VanDangerousInc
This is one of those songs that never gets old.
degan Soliz
that's why more than a year ago I saw this live and I'm still obsessed
pwoswald
and refused to fall to faaalllllll
Eric Wilson
How's the illuminati frame up going?
Jacob Begley
His voice is just smooth as butter and so soothing, yet eerie almost... It's like the voice of my soul.
Eric Wilson
How's the illuminati frame up going?
Batzu Blu
The best summer of my teenage life. 2005.
This album is my heart.