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."
To the Ground
Death Cab for Cutie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Slipped and began to roll
And on the wings of an ocean gale
Crashed right through the rail
Down to the valley below
To the valley below
Down in the charred remains
And the bramble grew through the frame
'Til it swallowed everything
Swallowed everything
Return to the ground
To the ground
Return to the ground
To the ground
Trees growing tall
Weeds covering all
And the animals made their homes
Underneath its fusted dome
All things come around
All comes around
Comes around
Returns to the ground
To the ground
Ground
Around
Comes around
To the ground
To the ground
To the ground
To the ground
The lyrics of Death Cab for Cutie's song "To the Ground" describe a vehicle or some kind of machinery that has lost control and crashed down to the valley below. The metaphor of the arms losing control and slipping indicates a loss of power or direction. The machine crashes through the rail like it has no restraint and ends up down in the valley, in the charred remains stripped down and overtaken by the bramble and the elements. All is swallowed up as the machine sinks into the valley below.
The line "Return to the ground" indicates a return to the earth or to the natural order of things. The imagery of trees growing tall, weeds covering all, and animals making their homes underneath the rusted out and overgrown remains of the machine shows the cycle of life and death. The conclusion that all things come around, and all comes around, and returns to the ground, emphasizes the transience of life, the inevitability of decay, and the circle of life.
Overall, the lyrics of "To the Ground" use the metaphor of a machine to explore themes of loss of control, decay, and the natural order of things. The image of the machine crashing and sinking into the earth serves as a reminder that all things are temporary and subject to the cycle of life and death.
Line by Line Meaning
The arms lost control
The person lost control and was unable to stop their movement.
Slipped and began to roll
The person slipped and began rolling uncontrollably.
And on the wings of an ocean gale
The person was propelled forward by a strong force, like the wind pushing a ship.
Crashed right through the rail
The person crashed through a barrier, with no way to stop their fall.
Down to the valley below
The person fell all the way to the bottom of a valley.
To the valley below
Emphasis is placed on the fact that the person has fallen to a deep, low place.
Down in the charred remains
The setting has changed from a valley to a place that has been burned and destroyed.
Stripped the chassis clean
All of the unnecessary parts were removed, leaving only the core structure behind.
And the bramble grew through the frame
Plants began to grow in and around the remaining structure, taking it over.
'Til it swallowed everything
The plants grew so much that they took over everything else in the area.
Swallowed everything
Emphasis is placed on the idea that the plants have completely taken over.
Return to the ground
All things eventually return to their natural state: the earth.
To the ground
Emphasis is placed on the idea that everything returns to the earth eventually.
Trees growing tall
Nature continues to grow, even in a place that has been destroyed.
Weeds covering all
Once a place has been left alone, even more plants will grow and take over.
And the animals made their homes
With plant life returning, animals are able to live there again.
Underneath its fusted dome
The plants have grown so much that they create a sort of shelter over the remaining structure.
All things come around
Everything happens in cycles and will eventually come full circle.
All comes around
Every event will eventually happen again.
Comes around
Emphasis is placed on the idea that events cycle and repeat.
Returns to the ground
Everything will eventually return to the earth, where it started.
Ground
Emphasis is placed on the idea that everything began and will eventually end with the earth.
Around
Emphasis is placed on the idea that everything happens in cycles and will eventually come full circle.
To the ground
Everything will eventually return to the earth.
To the ground
Emphasis is placed on the idea that everything returns to the earth eventually.
To the ground
Emphasis is placed on the idea that everything returns to the earth eventually.
To the ground
Emphasis is placed on the idea that everything returns to the earth eventually.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Benjamin Gibbard, Dave Depper
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@psychopathetique
Lyrics:
The arms lost control
Slipped and began to roll
On the wings of an ocean gale
Crashed right through the rail
Down to the valley below
To the valley below
Down in the charred remains
Stripped the chassis clean
And the gravel grew through the frame
Till it swallowed everything
Swallowed everything
Return to the ground
To the ground
Return to the ground
To the ground
Trees growing tall
Weeds covering all
And the animals make their homes
Underneath its fusted dome
All things come around
@danielpalumbo8375
The evolution of this band is outstanding.
@user-sl5uv2gg1s
THIS.
@dma5731
do they possess your heart?
@LovexxMuzik
Hell yeah it is! I have been following them since early 2000's. Their growth is mind-blowing! Still my #1 band. <3
@danielpalumbo8375
@Daniel Ma Always will.
@21innocentbystander
Latest records were really disappointing.
@2000thx
This is one of the best songs from Death Cab I've heard in a number of years, and this comes from someone who LOVES their work!!!! Great tune!
@ARTV-
Holy fucking shit. How am I just hearing this? This song is top notch quality, so impressed.
@olivecat420
I love how one of my absolute favorite bands has managed to stay my favorite all throughout my life. They have grown and evolved so well. I love how it has retained the core sounds and feelings of the music. Too many of my favorite artists try to change too much to appeal to new/changing audiences, and it just doesn't work most of the time. Being able to listen to Death Cab for Cutie 16+ years later and still hear and feel what I love the most from this music (and enjoy everything new) makes me so happy. I genuinely love every song in this EP so much.
@mega_boom_boom
This band takes me to very particular times in my life. No band quite does this for me like Death Cab. More memories to come!