My Gen X Playlist: I Will Follow You Into the Dark – Death Cab for Cutie

Not to put a damper on things, but I never really used to think about my mortality until I reached my 50’s. Maybe it’s passing the half century mark, or possibly the few health scares I’ve had to overcome. But the simple fact is, it crosses my mind. I’ll admit, it used to unnerve me a bit when it did. I searched YouTube videos about people who had near death experiences to understand what they saw, what they felt. It didn’t seem to help. I did find some solace in Tyler Henry videos. Connecting to voices from beyond was calming by the fact that finality seemed to be off the table. Sometimes you take what you can get. It was also a comforting thought of my father watching over me.

I came across a Keanu Reeves article the other day. It was this article that made me sit down and write today’s post. It seems he also thinks about death as well.

The Matrix star recently shared that as he’s started to get older, he is trying to make peace with the idea of dying.

“I’m 59,” Keanu told BBC News in an interview published July 22, “so I’m thinking about death all the time.”

And while he joked that he’s “young old,” he believes that “thinking about death is good.”

“Hopefully it sensitizes to an appreciation of the breath we have,” he continued, “and the relationships that we have the potential to have.”

– ENews

I appreciate his thoughtful view. It’s difficult to imagine this dude once was in the Bill and Ted movies. And for a guy who kills so many people in the John Wick series, Keanu actually is pretty introspective and sensitive, far more than the characters he portrays. Here is also a clip of him on the Stephan Colbert Show sharing what he thinks happens when we die. Colbert’s reaction is priceless.

When I was thinking about song pairings, Death Cab for Cutie came to mind mainly due to the name of the band. I researched the backstory of their song I Will Follow You Into the Dark. Little did I know it would hit the nail on the head.

“I think what it is about ‘I Will Follow You Into The Dark’ that connects to people is the fact that we are all going to lose everyone in our lives,” Gibbard told NME of the song’s meaning and inspiration. “Everyone in our lives is going to die. We too will die someday, and people will mourn us.

“In the same breath that one gains wisdom and experience with age, there is a period of your life in which it feels like you’re going to weddings every weekend and there’s a period in your life when it feels like you’re going to funerals every weekend. I think it’s very important in our relative age group that we recognise that we’re living in a very special time in our lives where we’re going to far more weddings than funerals.”

Gibbard continued: “Death is an ever-present fear. If not a fear, then an impending reality in our lives. We like to think that when people leave this life, we will see them again some day. Writing a love song that deals specifically with the inevitable death of one’s partner and that you will follow that person into whatever the afterlife is or is not, that’s something that people can relate to.”

– NME

Keanu and Gibbard might be on to something. I like the thought of appreciating the breath that we have and eventually following our loved ones into the afterlife, whatever it is or is not. Somehow it doesn’t seem quite as scary when I sandwich these two ideas together. And as Keanu frames it, I’m still young old. Maybe at this stage of life it’s OK to ponder on this, but not obsess about it. I’ve got plenty of time to do that later.

–

For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

Love of mine, someday you will die
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
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

In Catholic school as vicious as Roman rule
I got my knuckles bruised by a lady in black
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
But 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