At the heart of his appeal is a lyrical honesty and devotion to his fans seldom found in today's mainstream musical landscape. And his fans love him for it. As testament to this artist-fan connection, out of 1,700 artists entered in the SSL/Eventful/Tunecore "Lay It Down And Mix It Up In The UK" Contest, Gavin took first place, winning by a margin of over 13,000 votes and more than doubling the number of votes cast for the second place finisher. Having won, Gavin traveled to Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios to begin work on his new studio album (due for release in 2013). Like his previous offerings, the album is sure to please fans and critics alike, showcasing his poignant lyrics, true musicianship, and further setting him apart from other artists in the piano singer-songwriter genre. Talented, down-to-earth, and with songs that touch the soul, Gavin is truly one to watch in 2013.
I'll Follow You Into The Dark
Gavin Mikhail Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I′ll be close behind
I'll follow you into the dark
No blinding light or tunnels to gates of white
Just our hands clasped so tight
Waiting for the hint of a spark
If Heaven and Hell decide
Illuminate the "No"′s on their vacancy signs
If there's no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark
In Catholic school as vicious as Roman rule
I got my knuckles bruised by a lady in black
And I held my tongue as she told me,
"Son, fear is the heart of love."
So I never went back
If Heaven and Hell decide
That they both are satisfied
Illuminate the "No"′s on their vacancy signs
If there′s no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark
You and me have seen everything to see
From Bangkok to Calgary
And the soles of your shoes are all worn down
The time for sleep is now
It′s nothing to cry about
'Cause we′ll hold each other soon
In the blackest of rooms
If Heaven and Hell decide
That they both are satisfied
Illuminate the "No"'s on their vacancy signs
If there′s no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark
Then I'll follow you into the dark
Gavin Mikhail's song "I'll Follow You Into The Dark" is a heartwarming ballad about unconditional love and devotion, even in the face of death. The opening lyrics suggest that love is not eternal and that someday, the person you love will pass away but it won't separate them as the singer promises that they will be close behind and they will follow the other person into the dark. The second verse reinforces this commitment to follow the other person to the end, they'd rather be in the dark than to just let go of the person they love. They will wait together for the hint of a spark, suggesting that they will continue to hold hands even in the afterlife.
The verse that follows, however, reveals a darker aspect to love through the eyes of the singer. The verse takes us back to the time when the singer was in Catholic school, and describes how fear plays a role in love. The singer received some lesson or a harsh teaching from a lady in black and learned that fear is the foundation of love. He never went back to the same environment, but the lesson stayed with him.
Line by Line Meaning
Love of mine, some day you will die
My dear, one day you will pass away
But I'll be close behind
But I will be with you, as near as can be
I'll follow you into the dark
I will be with you until the end
No blinding light or tunnels to gates of white
There won't be any bright lights or gates to heaven
Just our hands clasped so tight
But we will hold each other's hands firmly
Waiting for the hint of a spark
Waiting for any sign of hope or life
If Heaven and Hell decide
If the afterlife chooses
That they both are satisfied
If both sides are content
Illuminate the 'No's on their vacancy signs
Light up the 'No vacancy' signs
If there's no one beside you
If you're alone
When your soul embarks
When your soul departs from this world
Then I'll follow you into the dark
Then I will accompany you in death
In Catholic school as vicious as Roman rule
During my time in Catholic school, which was as harsh as the rule of the Romans
I got my knuckles bruised by a lady in black
I received physical punishment from a nun dressed in black
And I held my tongue as she told me, 'Son, fear is the heart of love.'
I remained silent as she said, 'My child, fear is at the core of love'
So I never went back
So I never returned to Catholic school
You and me have seen everything to see
We have experienced all there is to experience
From Bangkok to Calgary
From Bangkok to Calgary, and everywhere in between
And the soles of your shoes are all worn down
The bottoms of your shoes are worn out
The time for sleep is now
It's time to rest
It's nothing to cry about
There's no need to cry over it
'Cause we'll hold each other soon
Because we will soon be comforting each other
In the blackest of rooms
In the darkest of places
Then I'll follow you into the dark
Then I will accompany you in death
Writer(s): Benjamin Gibbard
Contributed by Jason W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Slapped Ham
Awesome cover. We just connected on Twitter and I came over to see what all the hubbub is about. Glad I did. Keep up the sweet tunes. :D
Kaitlin MacDonald
11 years later, and I still love this song more than the original.❤
Julia Pauly
I love this song, and I never really thought about the lyrics until I heard Gavin sing it. As I listened to it for the hundredth time tonight, I realized that it's about not being afraid of death, not having that fear of losing who you love if there is no afterlife. Because even if there is nothing after we die, we still had the memories we made during life, and that will ensure that you are forever entwined with the one you love.
the3ambreeze
Love the way you think ❤
Sara Upendo
You are one of those people who can sing softly and still show what an amazing voice you have. From my own experience of your cover and (I assume) everyone else's comments you are truly moving. You showed a whole new side of Ben's song, a peaceful yet full of profound emotion side. You gave a whole new meaning to the song and it takes a very deep emotional understanding of music to do that. I'm now looking up and watching all of your videos and most definitely enjoying them
Brady Turner
I just want to say, you did an outstanding job on this song, my friend. I already loved this song, but you took it and made it all your own. I love both versions. I just want you to know that I found this and heard your song "God In This Moment" which REALLY related to a dark time in my life when I was angry with God.
Sofia Moreira
so amazing! I'm a pianist myself and I usually play classical music but I can usually never play covers...but you inspire me so much to cover this song...you did an amazing job at expressing the emotion that this song has which makes it great, and your voice has real depth to it! keep up the good work!...it's a million times better than all those bad artists that are so famous for nothing these days
TJTroubleMaker
Damn, makes me think of my grandparents. Grandfather died 9 months after my grandmother. And the night before he died he said don't be sad about what happens tonight, and that he was goin to dance with Sara in glory.
Chris Daniel
That is beautiful
Cecania CC
That gives me chills in a good way