Expo '86 Lyrics - Death Cab For Cutie
Review The Song (7)
sometimes i think this cycle never ends
we slide from top to bottom then we turn and climb again
and it seems by the time that i have figured what it's worth
the squeaking of our skin against the steel has gotten worse.
but if i move my place in line i'll lose.
and i have waited, the anticipation's got me glued.
i am waiting for something to go wrong.
i am waiting for familiar resolve.
sometimes it seems that i don't have the skills to recollect
the twists and turns of plot that turned us from lovers to friends
i'm thinking i should take that volume back up off the shelf
and crack it's weary spine and read to help remind myself
but if i move my place in line i'll lose.
and I have waited, the anticipation's got me glued.
i am waiting for something to wrong
i am waiting for familiar resolve
i am waiting for another repeat
another diet fed by crippling defeat
and i am waiting for that sense of relief
i am waiting for you to flee the scene
as if you held in your hand the smoking gun
and on the floor lay the one you said you loved.
and it's strange
they are all basically the same
so i don't ask names anymore.
sometimes i think this cycle never ends
we slide from top to bottom then we turn and climb again
and it seems by the time that i have figured what it's worth
the squeaking of our skin against the steel has gotten worse.
the squeaking of our skin against the steel has gotten worse (x2)
we slide from top to bottom then we turn and climb again
and it seems by the time that i have figured what it's worth
the squeaking of our skin against the steel has gotten worse.
but if i move my place in line i'll lose.
and i have waited, the anticipation's got me glued.
i am waiting for something to go wrong.
i am waiting for familiar resolve.
sometimes it seems that i don't have the skills to recollect
the twists and turns of plot that turned us from lovers to friends
i'm thinking i should take that volume back up off the shelf
and crack it's weary spine and read to help remind myself
but if i move my place in line i'll lose.
and I have waited, the anticipation's got me glued.
i am waiting for something to wrong
i am waiting for familiar resolve
i am waiting for another repeat
another diet fed by crippling defeat
and i am waiting for that sense of relief
i am waiting for you to flee the scene
as if you held in your hand the smoking gun
and on the floor lay the one you said you loved.
and it's strange
they are all basically the same
so i don't ask names anymore.
sometimes i think this cycle never ends
we slide from top to bottom then we turn and climb again
and it seems by the time that i have figured what it's worth
the squeaking of our skin against the steel has gotten worse.
the squeaking of our skin against the steel has gotten worse (x2)
Writer: Walla, Christopher / Gibbard, Benjamin
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing
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Thanks to will p =] for submitting Expo '86 Lyrics.
squeakng | Reviewer: Austin Allen | 9/29/10
I think the lyric "by the time that i have figured what it's worth
the squeaking of our skin against the steel has gotten worse." Refers to the fact that at the end of the slide to squeak to a halt. So when he's finally figured out what his relationship really means, it's already over.
Lovers? | Reviewer: Eric | 7/5/10
For me, most of the song is about relationships, as medic16 already said.
You're sliding down, and climbing up again. In every relationship. So the slide is a metaphor. And it's always repeating in the same or similar ways you slide it down. And once you get "turned from lovers to friends", you'll find someone else. And the next repetition of the same old story, the next time you climb the slide and slide it down, begins.
Well... "The squeaking of our skin against the steel has gotten worse." It's the same "slide" (the same love plot) everytime. But the squeaking gets worse, everytime you've taken the repetition of finding, loving, and leaving someone, it get's a bit harder for you to fall in love again, I think...
Well, that's the way I'd interpret the song. I hope it helps some people. If you've got another interpretation, post it, I'd really like to read it. I love that song...
Gorgeous. | Reviewer: Kadaj | 5/3/10
This is my 2nd favorite Death Cab song of all time. Ben Gibbard has literally summed up my entire life in acouple minutes of music. This is the ultimate song for any guy who always plays the friend, never the boyfriend. Their only better song in my opinion is What Sarah Said.
Speaking of which, if you don't know about the band Frightened Rabbit, please listen to them immediately. I heard about them from Ben, actually. Their album The Midnight Organ Fight is my favorite album in the universe.
And that's a lot, considering how amazing DCFC is.
Expo'86 | Reviewer: Ed | 8/10/09
I'm fairly certain that the whole first verse is a metaphore about a slide. (a piece of equiptment that children play on at parks) judging by the line "we slide from top to bottom then we turn and climb again"
I think that "the squeaking of our skin against the steel" refers to the fact that some slides are actually made of steel and they do make a nasty squeaking sound if you slide down them with bare skin, but I also think that if you look at it in depth, he's talking about how the friction between he and his partner in their relationship has gone too far for him to fix it.
this song has many childlike aspects. It's one of their most underrated songs.
awesome song. | Reviewer: medic16 | 7/27/09
Does anyone have any idea what the line:
"the squeaking of our skin against the steel has gotten worse" refers to?
I believe this song has a lot to do with lovers who continuously have their 'hot and colds'. People who just can't seem to figure out if they should be together or not. He is sitting on the sideline waiting for her and feels that if he stops trying, then he will miss out indefinetly- waiting for her to decide what she wants. Meanwhile, he knows that it's going to end up the same as it has many times before- something will go wrong. She dating other people, and he has seen it so many times before that he's starting to not care and he stops trying to figure out the details.
"and it's strange
they are all basically the same
so i don't ask names anymore."
But then it all repeats itself, again.
This whole album is so amazing.
<3
Best DCFC song | Reviewer: Allie | 12/24/08
Honestly, this is the best song I've ever heard by DCFC, and I literally own 58 of their songs. It has the best lyrics, and Ben Gibbards voice just takes it to the next level. The melody, the poetry, and the story behind it just make it FLAWLESS.
Expo | Reviewer: May | 9/15/08
This is, honestly, my favorite song by DCFC, and I'm a huge fan. This song is so underrated, the lyrics are simply beautiful and so is the sound of the song.
I can't stop listening to it, it's like it's own beautiful story without ever explicitly getting into the details. I love it.
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