I Held My Tongue as She Told Me, "Son, Fear is the Heart of Love," so I Never Went Back

Have you ever woke up in the morning, turned on the radio, and heard exactly the song that you needed to hear? That happened this morning.

Usually, I try to keep the song lyrics from the post titles as a bit of a secret so that I can have some sort of bizarre little contest for people to guess the lyrics but not today. This morning as I woke up, I turned on my computer, opened up iTunes, and began listening to KPRI out of San Diego. The first song I heard was "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" by Death Cab for Cutie. You can listen to it here.

I'm not really sure why, but the song stopped me in my tracks. I just sat there on the bed and listened to Ben Gibbard strumming away on his guitar. The song is one about devotion and transition in the face of that great question that we all face: death. Here are the lyrics:

Love of mine some day 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
And I held my toungue 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
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

Again, I'm not really sure why the song meant so much this morning, but I wanted to share it with all of you. Don't worry, this is not a cry for help due to stress in law school.