He started working as Dntel, pronounced Din-tell, in 1994. A collection of tracks created between 1995-1997 (Early Works For Me If It Works For You) was released on the Phthalo label in 1999, followed by the release of an EP recorded in 1994 (Something Always Goes Wrong) in 2000. After contributing a song to Plug Research's Voices In My Lunchbox compilation he was invited to do a full length for the label, preceded by a 12" EP (Anywhere Anyone).
Dntel released his full-length album Life Is Full Of Possibilities in 2001. The LP featured vocal contributions by many artists, including Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard on the breakout track (This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan, which led to a single in 2002 and later, the formation of the band The Postal Service with Gibbard. With vocals buried in static, cut-up acoustic guitars and sampled symphonies struggling to find somewhere to settle, Life Is Full Of Possibilities reserved Dntel's spot as a pioneer of contemporary glitch, electro-pop, and indietronica.
Tamborello is currently working with The Postal Service and continuing his solo work, including remixes for various artists. As Dntel, he is releasing a compilation, Early Works For Me If It Works For You II, which will feature unfinished instrumental tracks from when he was working on Life Is Full Of Possibilities in 1998-2001, to be released on Phthalo. He released his newest full-length LP, titled "Dumb Luck" on April 24, 2007. "Dumb Luck" is his first LP on Sub Pop records.
Suddenly Is Sooner Than You ..
Dntel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the freeway
I cried as if my tears
Would bring you back to me
The sirens followed close behind
But they were too late
Deserved to drown
The last words
Suddenly is soon, sooner than you think
Suddenly is soon, sooner than you think
Suddenly is soon
Sooner than you think.
Outside under a road
Backwards into the ground
Miss you
Down, down
Miss you
Down, down
Suddenly is soon, sooner than you think
Suddenly is soon, sooner than you think
The lyrics to Dntel's song Suddenly Is Sooner Than You Think are open to interpretation but one possible explanation is that it's a song about losing someone in a tragic way. The singer is carrying the body of the person they lost from the freeway, and they cry uncontrollably as if it could bring the person back. The sirens are too late, implying that the person has already passed away. The line "Deserved to drown" is particularly poignant because it implies that the person may have died in a watery accident. The last words they heard from the person were "Suddenly is soon, sooner than you think," which may suggest an acceptance of their own mortality or a warning to others to cherish their time.
Line by Line Meaning
I carry it, your body
I am carrying your lifeless body, which is now a burden to me.
From the freeway
I found your body lying on the side of the freeway.
I cried as if my tears
I shed my tears in anguish as if it could help bring you back to me.
Would bring you back to me
I clung to the hope that you could still be saved, but it was too late.
The sirens followed close behind
Emergency services were called, but they arrived too late for their assistance to matter.
But they were too late
Emergency services arrived at the scene after it was already too late to save you.
Deserved to drown
You deserved to be punished for your mistakes and for the consequences of your choices.
The last words
The final words that you spoke, which now haunt me.
Then you whispered
At the very end, you whispered something to me in a fragile state.
Suddenly is soon, sooner than you think
The unexpected can happen sooner than one thinks, and one should thus never take life for granted.
Outside under a road
Your body was found beneath a road, out in the open.
Backwards into the ground
Your descent into your grave begins, and there is no turning back.
Miss you
I feel an overwhelming sense of loss and emptiness without you here.
Down, down
Life must go on, and you must go down into the earth.
Suddenly is soon, sooner than you think
The unexpected can happen sooner than one thinks, and one should thus never take life for granted.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: JAMES TAMBORELLO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind