Live, the song's layered instrumentation has been difficult to pull off and thus has been performed a variety of ways. All of these involve Chris Walla switching halfway through the song from lead guitar to keyboards, whilst Ben Gibbard takes over the guitar part. For the first half of the song, initially, both Gibbard and drummer Jason McGerr used electronic drums in order to replicate the distinctive drum machine sound in the song. In the band's 2008 tour, Gibbard performed the entire first two verses as lead vocalist, without a guitar or drums; before picking up his guitar as Walla abandoned his. Most recently, Gibbard has kept his electric guitar strapped on for the song's entirety, but using a shaker as percussion during the song's first two verses.
Title & Registration
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And everybody knows it
So I'm proposing a swift orderly change
'Cause behind its door, there's nothing to keep my fingers warm
And all I find are souvenirs from better times
Before the gleam of your taillights fading east
To find yourself a better life
I was searching for some legal document
As the rain beat down on the hood
When I stumbled upon pictures I tried to forget
And that's how this idea was drilled into my head
'Cause it's too important to stay the way it's been
There's no blame for how our love did slowly fade
And now that it's gone, it's like it wasn't there at all
And here I rest where disappointment and regret collide
Lying awake at night
There's no blame for how our love did slowly fade
And now that it's gone, it's like it wasn't there at all
And here I rest where disappointment and regret collide
Lying awake at night, up all night
When I'm lying awake at night
The lyrics to Death Cab for Cuties' song, Title and Registration, tell the story of a person discovering old memories in their car's glove compartment. The opening lines state that the glove compartment is inaccurately named because it doesn't function as a place to keep gloves. The singer then proposes a swift orderly change because there's nothing in the compartment to keep their fingers warm, only souvenirs of better times. These souvenirs lead to memories of a past love who left seeking a better life.
The singer then realizes that the souvenirs they've held onto are too important to stay the way they've been. This realization is driven home by the lyrics, "And that's how this idea was drilled into my head". It's clear that the singer is reflecting on the idea of letting go of the memories and moving on with their life.
The song ends with the repeated lines, "There's no blame for how our love did slowly fade. And now that it's gone, it's like it wasn't there at all. And here I rest where disappointment and regret collide, lying awake at night, up all night." These lines drive home the theme of regret and the struggle to move on from a past love.
Line by Line Meaning
The glove compartment is inaccurately named
The compartment meant for gloves is not serving its intended purpose.
And everybody knows it
Everyone is aware that the compartment is not serving its intended purpose.
So I'm proposing a swift orderly change
I am suggesting a change to rectify the inaccuracies of the compartment.
'Cause behind its door, there's nothing to keep my fingers warm
The compartment lacks the resources to serve the fundamental purpose for which it was created, which is to keep gloves warm.
And all I find are souvenirs from better times
I only find tokens from past memories in the compartment.
Before the gleam of your taillights fading east
This line is an implicit explanation for the souvenirs - they are from a past relationship that has now ended and gone to find a better future.
To find yourself a better life
The vehicle leaving was to find a better life for itself, and the souvenirs were left behind in the glove compartment.
I was searching for some legal document
The artist was searching for a legal document in the car.
As the rain beat down on the hood
It was raining heavily while the artist searched for the document.
When I stumbled upon pictures I tried to forget
During the search, the artist stumbled upon pictures of their past relationship that they had tried to forget.
And that's how this idea was drilled into my head
This occurrence is what led to the idea of changing the inaccurately named glove compartment.
'Cause it's too important to stay the way it's been
Since the compartment is not functioning as intended, it is imperative that it gets changed.
There's no blame for how our love did slowly fade
The slow fading of the past relationship was not the fault of anyone.
And now that it's gone, it's like it wasn't there at all
Since the relationship is now over, it feels like it never existed.
And here I rest where disappointment and regret collide
The singer is in a place where their disappointment and regret meet.
Lying awake at night
The artist is losing sleep over their thoughts and emotions.
up all night
The artist is awake through the night, unable to sleep.
When I'm lying awake at night
This line signifies that the previous and current verses were in the singer's thoughts while they were lying awake at night.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BENJAMIN GIBBARD, CHRISTOPHER WALLA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lobae.vonwahnsinn6199
The glove compartment is inaccurately named
And everybody knows it
So I'm proposing a swift orderly change
'Cause behind its door, there's nothing to keep my fingers warm
And all I find are souvenirs from better times
Before the gleam of your taillights fading east
To find yourself a better life
I was searching for some legal document
As the rain beat down on the hood
When I stumbled upon pictures I tried to forget
And that's how this idea was drilled into my head
'Cause it's too important to stay the way it's been
There's no blame for how our love did slowly fade
And now that it's gone, it's like it wasn't there at all
And here I rest where disappointment and regret collide
Lying awake at night
There's no blame for how our love did slowly fade
And now that it's gone, it's like it wasn't there at all
And here I rest where disappointment and regret collide
Lying awake at night, up all night
When I'm lying awake at night
@lilymarie2705
Growing up my dad always loved this song and would play this music video for my sister and I all the time. Sadly, I lost my dad to suicide a few weeks ago and my heart feels connected to him whenever I hear this song. He was only 44, myself only 20. Rest easy, Dad. This one is from me to you. 🕊🤍
@0llieology
Sorry to hear of your loss. I lost my father to cancer at the end of last year. He was a musician, and loved this song among others by death cab. Stay strong.
@lilymarie2705
@@0llieology My father was a musician also. Sending you lots of love and healing. 🤍
@e2zbasketball288
Praying for you,
@Cognitoman
Damn I lost my dad 2 months ago but I’m 35 ... I was listening to this in high school
@smileygladhands6509
Jesus, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope time has started to heal the wound. Being 40 myself, that hit me. Keep the memories of your pops close, they're something no one can ever take from you.
@Thanatos138
"Before the gleam of your taillights fading leads to find yourself a better life".. That line really hits me..
@predwards8941
Probably my favorite Death Cab song
@tomasgarau5338
Deffo
@debbiepatino7858
DITTO