Death Cab began as a solo project of Ben Gibbard, now the band's vocalist and guitarist. Gibbard took the band name from the satirical song Death Cab for Cutie, performed by The Bonzo Dog Band in The Beatles' 1967 experimental film Magical Mystery Tour. As Death Cab for Cutie, Gibbard released a cassette titled You Can Play These Songs with Chords; the release was surprisingly successful, and Gibbard decided to expand the band into a complete project. He recruited Chris Walla (who had also worked on the cassette) as an electric guitarist, Nick Harmer as bass guitarist, and Nathan Good to play drums.
The four released the LP Something About Airplanes on August 18th 1998. The album was favorably reviewed in the independent music scene, and in 2000 the band released We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes. Nathan Good left the band at some point during this album's production. His playing on “The Employment Pages” and “Company Calls Epilogue” were kept, but Gibbard played drums on all other songs.
Michael Schorr would first appear on The Forbidden Love E.P., released on October 24, 2000. In 2001, another LP was released, entitled The Photo Album. Limited editions of this album contained three bonus tracks, which were later released separately as The Stability EP.
In 2003, there was another change of drummer, with Jason McGerr of Eureka Farm replacing Schorr. McGerr would play drums on the next release, Transatlanticism.
Transatlanticism was released in October of 2003. It received critical praise and also became the band's top-selling album, with 225,000 copies sold during its first year out.
In spring of 2004, the band recorded a live E.P. titled The John Byrd E.P., named for their sound engineer. The E.P. was released on Barsuk Records in March 2004.
In November of 2004, Death Cab for Cutie signed a “long-term worldwide deal” with Atlantic Records, leaving their long-time label Barsuk Records. Gibbard stated on the official website www.deathcabforcutie.com that nothing would change except that “Next to the picture of Barsuk holding a 7", there will be the letter "A" on both the spine and back of our upcoming albums.” This was a marked change from Gibbard's earlier views on major-label relations, which he said “are set up to fuck you and take all your money.”. After signing to Atlantic, the band was still nervous about corporate economics, and encouraged fans to download its songs from the Internet.
The first and second singles off the band's Atlantic Record release Plans were “Soul Meets Body” and “Crooked Teeth”, respectively. The full album was released in August of 2005. Plans was somewhat well-acclaimed by critics and fans, and received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album of 2005. It achieved Gold Status in 2006 after charting on Billboard for 47 consecutive weeks.
The band released a touring DVD titled Drive Well, Sleep Carefully in 2005. Known for their contributions to animal rights, the band is supporting the activist group PETA in giving away copies of the DVD to promote animal rights.
In early 2006, the band announced the upcoming release of Directions, eleven short films inspired by songs from the Plans album, each directed by a different person. The videos were posted one at a time at the band's website and the DVD went on sale April 11, 2006.
On May 12, 2008 their album, Narrow Stairs, was released and was well received by both critics and fans. It was their first album to reach #1 on the Billboard 200. The album contains the singles "I Will Possess Your Heart", "Cath..." and "Grapevine Fires".
The band's latest released The Open Door EP, which was released on March 31, 2009. Their main styles consist of slow progressive rock with dark lyrics.
The band's seventh album, Codes and Keys, was released on May 31, 2011. The album's first single was "You Are A Tourist".
On October 11, 2013, the band reportedly began working on their eighth studio album. This was then confirmed by the group's official Instagram profile in which an image was uploaded with the caption "DCFC LP8 begins". The new album will be produced by Rich Costey and is expected to be released in early 2015. In an interview with Stereogum, Gibbard said of the new album, "I do think from start to finish it's a much better record than Codes And Keys. If that record turned anybody off, I feel pretty strongly that this one could win them back. There are threads in this one that connect back to our earliest stuff that people love." On October 29, 2013, the band released a remastered tenth-anniversary version of their 2003 album Transatlanticism. The new album included a vinyl LP and MP3 download, with demos for all the songs from the album.
As part of the 2014 Record Store Day, the band released its first live album, a vinyl-only double LP recorded during various 2012 tour dates with Magik*Magik Orchestra. Included within the packaging was a code for a digital download of the recording.
On August 13, 2014, after 17 years as a member of Death Cab for Cutie, guitarist and songwriter Chris Walla decided to part ways with the band, with his last performance occurring on September 13, 2014 at the Rifflandia Music Festival in Victoria, British Columbia. Walla states that he plans to "...continue making music, producing records, and erring on the side of benevolence and beauty whenever possible." When asked in an interview about Walla's involvement in the eighth album, McGerr confirmed that Walla "played on everything and has been involved all the way through, even in the mixing. Even though he's played his last show with us, he's still been involved in everything involving this record."
Before the Bombs
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Before the walls came down
We would lie in the summer sun
Watching the clouds pass, one by one
Before the fires
Before the spools of barbed wire
You said you would never forget
There's only one thing that'll save this place
The only thing that they cannot face
There's only one thing that they cannot take
Love, love
Before the mobs
Before the inside jobs
Sleeping in our borrowed time
Too distracted for the minor crimes
Before the war
Before the troops came ashore
I held you deep in my arms
A fool to think that they could keep your from harm
There's only one thing that'll save this place
The only thing that they cannot face
There's only one thing that they cannot take
Love, love
There's only one thing that'll save this place
The only thing that they cannot face
There's only one thing that they cannot take
Love, love
Love, love
Before the bombs
There's only one thing that'll save this place
The only thing that they cannot face
There's only one thing that they cannot take
Love, love
Love, love
Love, love
Love, love
In Death Cab for Cutie's song "Before the Bombs," the lyrics paint a picture of a time before chaos and violence. The singer reminisces about a time before walls, fires, barbed wire, and war when they would simply lie in the sun watching clouds float by. The lyrics suggest that there was a happier, more peaceful time before the destruction and violence. The singer reflects on moments spent with a loved one, holding each other close and feeling safe despite the turmoil building around them. The chorus emphasizes that there is only one thing that is capable of saving this world and standing up to destruction - love.
The lyrics in "Before the Bombs" convey a message of hope, despite the destruction and chaos surrounding the singer. The song implies that love is the only thing that can save humanity from destruction. The lyrics suggest that even in the face of horrific events like war and violence, love can still prevail. The song ends on a hopeful note, with the repetition of "love, love," emphasizing the power and importance of love.
Overall, "Before the Bombs" is a beautifully written song that conveys a powerful message about love and hope in the face of destruction and turmoil.
Line by Line Meaning
Before the bombs
In the peaceful time before explosive warfare
Before the walls came down
In the time before political divides separated us
We would lie in the summer sun
We spent lazy summer days in each other's company
Watching the clouds pass, one by one
We marveled at the beauty of nature and the passage of time
Before the fires
Before destruction and chaos took over
Before the spools of barbed wire
Before physical barriers kept us apart
You said you would never forget
You promised to remember the importance of love
What pierces deeper than the bayonet
Love can hurt more than any weapon of war
There's only one thing that'll save this place
Only love can rescue us from despair
The only thing that they cannot face
Even the most powerful forces cannot withstand the strength of love
There's only one thing that they cannot take
Love cannot be taken away by those who wish to harm us
Before the mobs
Before civil unrest and violence took hold
Before the inside jobs
Before deceit and betrayal caused our downfall
Sleeping in our borrowed time
We indulged in moments of fleeting peace and serenity
Too distracted for the minor crimes
We were too preoccupied with life's struggles to worry about small mishaps
Before the war
Before conflict and aggression came to define us
Before the troops came ashore
Before military occupation furthered our separation
I held you deep in my arms
I cherished the moments we spent together
A fool to think that they could keep you from harm
I was naive to believe that I could protect you from the dangers of the world
There's only one thing that'll save this place
Only love can rescue us from despair
The only thing that they cannot face
Even the most powerful forces cannot withstand the strength of love
There's only one thing that they cannot take
Love cannot be taken away by those who wish to harm us
Love, love
Love is the answer to all of our problems
Love, love
Only love can save us from ourselves
Love, love
All we need is love
Love, love
Love is the most powerful force of all
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Benjamin Gibbard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gianlucaanelli7224
[Verse 1]
Before the bombs
Before the walls came down
We would lie in the summer sun
Watching the clouds pass one by one
Before the fires
Before the spools of barbed wire
You said you would never forget
What pierces deeper than the bayonet?
[Chorus]
There's only one thing that'll save this place
The only thing that they cannot face
There's only one thing that they cannot take
Love, love
[Verse 2]
Before the mobs
Before the inside jobs
Sleeping in on borrowed time
Too distracted for the modern crimes
Before the war
Before the troops came ashore
I held you deep in my arms
A fool to think that they could save you from harm
[Chorus]
There's only one thing that'll save this place
The only thing that they cannot face
There's only one thing that they cannot take
Love, love
There's only one thing that'll save this place
The only thing that they cannot face
There's only one thing that they cannot take
Love, love
Love, love
[Refrain]
Before the bomb
[Chorus]
There's only one thing that'll save this place
The only thing that they cannot face
There's only one thing that they cannot take
Love, love
Love, love
Love, love
Love, love
@cdcss
[Verse 1]
Before the bombs
Before the walls came down
We would lie in the summer sun
Watching the clouds pass one by one
Before the fires
Before the spools of barbed wire
You said you would never forget
What pierces deeper than the bayonet?
[Chorus]
There's only one thing that'll save this place
The only thing that they cannot face
There's only one thing that they cannot take
Love, love
[Verse 2]
Before the mobs
Before the inside jobs
Sleeping in on borrowed time
Too distracted for the modern crimes
Before the war
Before the troops came ashore
I held you deep in my arms
A fool to think that they could save you from harm
[Chorus]
There's only one thing that'll save this place
The only thing that they cannot face
There's only one thing that they cannot take
Love, love
There's only one thing that'll save this place
The only thing that they cannot face
There's only one thing that they cannot take
Love, love
Love, love
[Refrain]
Before the bomb
[Chorus]
There's only one thing that'll save this place
The only thing that they cannot face
There's only one thing that they cannot take
Love, love
Love, love
Love, love
Love, love
@iandaletonsiasat5781
Time has changed and all but their sound didn't. The feels is still there. This band is my definition of legends! 💕
@FrankLi92
Was just telling my friend the same thing. Always stay true to their own sound. No sellouts here.
@darrenthetuber743
Death Cab For Cutie remind me alot Jimmy Eat World, in that any experiments in sound still have to feel and sound like the band
@roncv26
His lyrics are so moving, I first found plans back in 2005 in Atlanta. It blew my mind and continues to do so in 2020. I was disappointed with Thank You for Today, but this EP made up for it. The feels are definitely still there.
@1alexanderkup1
I feel like this EP was hugely underrated (still is)
@willswan7714
This is briliant, Death Cab will always be one of those bands close to the heart.
@marred7071
Damn, this would be so good in a Tv series soundtrack, or in a car trip.
@gianlucaanelli7224
[Verse 1]
Before the bombs
Before the walls came down
We would lie in the summer sun
Watching the clouds pass one by one
Before the fires
Before the spools of barbed wire
You said you would never forget
What pierces deeper than the bayonet?
[Chorus]
There's only one thing that'll save this place
The only thing that they cannot face
There's only one thing that they cannot take
Love, love
[Verse 2]
Before the mobs
Before the inside jobs
Sleeping in on borrowed time
Too distracted for the modern crimes
Before the war
Before the troops came ashore
I held you deep in my arms
A fool to think that they could save you from harm
[Chorus]
There's only one thing that'll save this place
The only thing that they cannot face
There's only one thing that they cannot take
Love, love
There's only one thing that'll save this place
The only thing that they cannot face
There's only one thing that they cannot take
Love, love
Love, love
[Refrain]
Before the bomb
[Chorus]
There's only one thing that'll save this place
The only thing that they cannot face
There's only one thing that they cannot take
Love, love
Love, love
Love, love
Love, love
@JonatanGGomes
This fits Thank you For Today better than half of the songs in there. Man, it's good
@prodwoo5568
Can't remember the last time I was into an EP. Well isn't this FUN!