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."
Sleep Spent
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's much more than I thought I could do
And with time my worth with stain
And split your heart from my name...
So drive away your mouth from my ears
And waste a day so I can think clearly
And what's left to wait for here
As my hands sleep spent this last year
The lyrics to Death Cab for Cutie's song Sleep Spent suggest a break-up between two individuals. The singer seems to be struggling with telling the truth, perhaps about why the relationship ended. He acknowledges that his worth with decline with time and eventually, his name will no longer be associated with the person he is singing about. The line "Choking the bottle's neck that pulled you from my bed" suggests that alcohol was a factor in the dissolution of the relationship.
The singer seems to be looking for time to think and process his emotions. He asks the other person to drive away and let him have a day to himself. The lyrics suggest a feeling of regret for the end of the relationship and perhaps some confusion about what's next.
Overall, the lyrics paint a picture of a relationship that has ended with some unresolved emotions and a search for clarity and closure.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't expel the truth
I am unable to deny the truth
It's much more than I thought I could do
The truth is harder to face than I had anticipated
And with time my worth will stain
As time passes, my value will decrease
And split your heart from my name...
I want you to forget about me completely
So drive away your mouth from my ears
I do not want to hear anything you have to say
And waste a day so I can think clearly
I need time alone to clear my thoughts
And what's left to wait for here
There is nothing left for me in this situation
As my hands sleep spent this last year
My hands are tired from the past year of holding on
Choking the bottle's neck that pulled you from my bed
I am using alcohol to cope with the pain of losing you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BENJAMIN GIBBARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@N-e0N
"Sleep Spent"
I can't expel the truth
It's much more than i thought i could do
And with time my worth with stain
And split your heart from my name...
So drive away your mouth from my ears
And waste a day so i can think clearly
And what's left to wait for here
As my hands sleep spent this last year
Choking the bottle's neck that pulled you from my bed
@xdevantx5870
This is one of the best songs ever written. I just keep coming back to it years later.
@shannonwilson8231
The emotions this song made me feel are intense, I could listen forever
@FurRealEnemies
No song makes me feel as lonely as this one does. I love it!
@Boo.....
Wolves - Phosphorescent
@CassandraJanzen
It’s been over 15 years since I saw these guys and somehow I remember every word
@xdevantx5870
Had this stuck in my head all week. Finally caved and played the full album.
@coffee5736
One of the best death cab songs.
@N-e0N
"Sleep Spent"
I can't expel the truth
It's much more than i thought i could do
And with time my worth with stain
And split your heart from my name...
So drive away your mouth from my ears
And waste a day so i can think clearly
And what's left to wait for here
As my hands sleep spent this last year
Choking the bottle's neck that pulled you from my bed
@sunsettundra3945
I feel a strong connection between this and Stability / Stable Song
@N-e0N
What is this song about? Especially this line,
"As my hands sleep spent this last year
Choking the bottle's neck that pulled you from my bed"