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."
Hold No Guns
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That there are no winners
Metals rung from silken strands
To greet you at the finish
As we're dissolving into the sea
I can only take what I can carry
The counsel's combing through our debris
The treasures we never buried
My love why do you run?
For my hands hold no guns
Darling, though you may pretend
Pretend that you are selfless
You break with but the slightest bend
It leaves you lost and helpless
So to whom will you place the call
In the coldest night of winter?
'Cause numbers change and people fall
And friends they always splinter
My love why do you run?
For my hands hold no guns
My love why do you run?
For my hands hold no guns
They hold no guns
No, not a one
The song "Hold No Guns" by Death Cab for Cutie delves into the themes of love, selflessness, and the fragility of human connections. The opening lyrics attempt to convey that there are no winners in love or romantic relationships, rather, the idea of winning or losing is futile. The next two lines metaphorically compare a successful relationship to a medal one would win, but eventually, everything dissolves into the sea, leaving behind only the memories and the treasures that were never buried. The chorus, "My love why do you run? For my hands hold no guns," shows that while the singer may not have any weapons, they are still perceived as a threat by the other person they love. The third verse speaks to the idea that even though someone may pretend to be selfless in love, they are still subject to the whims of emotions and the slightest misstep can leave them lost and helpless. The final lines express the fear and uncertainty about the future and the possibility of losing loved ones.
Line by Line Meaning
Darling, don't you understand
My dear, do you comprehend
That there are no winners
That nobody emerges victorious
Metals rung from silken strands
Medals are awarded from delicate threads
To greet you at the finish
At the end, to congratulate you
As we're dissolving into the sea
As we're slowly disappearing into the ocean
I can only take what I can carry
I can only bring what I can handle
The counsel's combing through our debris
The advisers are sifting through our remains
The treasures we never buried
The valuables that we never concealed
My love why do you run?
My dear, why do you flee?
For my hands hold no guns
Because I am unarmed
Darling, though you may pretend
My dear, even though you may feign
Pretend that you are selfless
Act like you're generous
You break with but the slightest bend
You crack under the smallest amount of pressure
It leaves you lost and helpless
It leaves you feeling stranded and powerless
So to whom will you place the call
So who will you call upon
In the coldest night of winter?
During the coldest winter night?
'Cause numbers change and people fall
Because digits alter and individuals falter
And friends they always splinter
And friends always disintegrate
My love why do you run?
My dear, why do you escape?
For my hands hold no guns
Because I am unarmed
My love why do you run?
My dear, why do you flee?
For my hands hold no guns
Because I am unarmed
They hold no guns
I do not have any weapons
No, not a one
No, not a single one
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BENJAMIN D GIBBARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BeccahTheHuman
Darlin', don't you understand?
That there are no winners?
Or metals hung from silken strands
To greet you at the finish
As we're dissolving into the sea
I only take what I can carry
As the council's combing through our debris
For the treasures we never buried
My love, why do you run?
For my hands hold no guns
Darling though you may pretend
Pretend that you are selfless
You break with but the slightest bend
That leaves you lost and helpless
So to whom will you place the call?
In the coldest night of winter?
As numbers change and people fall
And friends, they always splinter
My love, why do you run?
For my hands hold no guns
My love, why do you run?
For my hands hold no guns
They hold no guns
No, not one
@Rrodfer
'Querida, você não compreende
Que não há vencedores
Ou medalhas penduradas em fios de seda
Para recebe-la no final
Enquanto nós dissolvemos no mar
Eu apenas levo o que consigo carregar
O conselho está vasculhando nossos escombros
Os tesouros que nós nunca escondemos
Meu amor, por que você foge?
Em minhas mãos há armas
Em minhas mãos há armas
Querida, por mais que você finja
Finja que você é altruísta
Você se parte com o mais leve atrito
e fica perdida e desamparada
Então, para quem você vai ligar
Na noite mais fria do inverno?
Pois números mudam e as pessoas partem
E amigos sempre se separam
Meu amor, por que você foge?
Em minhas mãos há armas
Em minhas mãos há armas
Meu amor, por que você foge?
Em minhas mãos há armas
Elas não carregam armas
Não, não há nenhuma'
Death Cab For Cutie - Hold No Guns
@nooneinparticular1685
You ever love someone so much
That you know no one else could ever love them as you do?
So much that they don't even know what to do with that love?
But it still meant nothing in the end
because they couldn't see it and could never reciprocate
And you know they're just out there, not being as loved as you could've made them
Just knowing
There's nothing that could mend the distance between you now
So the only option is to wait for the next lifetime
Have you ever loved someone that much?
@qnguyen5489
Darling, don't you understand
That there are no winners
Metals rung from silken strands
To greet you at the finish
As we're dissolving into the sea
I can only take what I can carry
The counsel's combing through our debris
The treasures we never buried
My love why do you run?
For my hands hold no guns
Darling, though you may pretend
Pretend that you are selfless
You break with but the slightest bend
It leaves you lost and helpless
So to whom will you place the call
In the coldest night of winter?
Cause numbers change and people fall
And friends they always splinter
My love why do you run?
For my hands hold no guns
My love why do you run?
For my hands hold no guns
They hold no guns
No, not a one
@alucardsangel0715
My first full listen (start to finish) of this album was spent in a New Zealand airport during a layover back to the states. I sat facing a huge window of planes landing and taking off when this song caught me off guard.
It took about 30 seconds before my eyesight was blurred with tears, which coincidentally was the same amount of time it took for the same to happen when I saw them live a few weeks ago.
Death Cab, I love you. You save lives. See you again in Santa Barbara.
@andrewm1112
Amen to that, bro or sis! This band does this to people. Because Gibbard writes from the heart with such a poetic brain, it touches more than a small amount, and has the power of a million stars & the healing of a thousand water fountains, with such beauty too. I've fallen in love with this band.
@Zarzar22
I never cry. Haven't ever cried to a song or movie, until I Will Follow You Into the Dark
@SpinDoctor91
Death Cab always hits your emotions hard. Great comment
@BeccahTheHuman
Darlin', don't you understand?
That there are no winners?
Or metals hung from silken strands
To greet you at the finish
As we're dissolving into the sea
I only take what I can carry
As the council's combing through our debris
For the treasures we never buried
My love, why do you run?
For my hands hold no guns
Darling though you may pretend
Pretend that you are selfless
You break with but the slightest bend
That leaves you lost and helpless
So to whom will you place the call?
In the coldest night of winter?
As numbers change and people fall
And friends, they always splinter
My love, why do you run?
For my hands hold no guns
My love, why do you run?
For my hands hold no guns
They hold no guns
No, not one
@mikaelaspencer9485
Possibly my favorite song on the album, lyrically beautiful but simplistic. I feel if Mr. Johnny Cash were still alive he'd write like this.
@OrigamiRadio
a agree 100%
@malicesutton8592
probaly not though cause he doesnt fcking care bout shit, thats the best thing about cash
@billyma.1235
Well said
@fionaquiggles1175
This song deserves much more attention than it gets. Either way, it's beautiful