Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life

Life is a series of peaks and valleys. I've previously discussed how music can comfort in valleys and make peaks more heavenly. This is (duh.) another post about the former. The solace of another human being expressing similar emotions they have experienced cannot really be put into words. One lyricist in particular that 'speaks' to me is Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie/The Postal Service. The man has made a good living writing songs about heartbreak. It is a topic to which nearly everyone can relate and is normally sung over catchy melodic indie rock, which equates to money in the bank.

No song Gibbard has written rings true 100%, but there are a few that get the majority of my feelings spot on. Some time ago, the song "Nothing Better" by The Postal Service (which is a duet with Jenny Lewis) was a huge comfort for not only myself, but a friend of mine when we were both going through some difficult times. Most recently, the song which expresses some of my emotions best is "You Can Do Better Than Me" off the Death Cab album Narrow Stairs. The lyrics illustrate everything I'm feeling except a single line, so here, in it's entirety, are the words:

"You Can Do Better Than Me" by Death Cab For Cutie

We're starting to feel
We stayed together out of fear
Of dying alone
I've been slipping through the years
My old clothes don't fit like they once did
So they hang like ghosts
Of the people I've been

It's like my heart can't take
My fall in love every day
And I feel like a fool

I have to face the truth
That no one could ever look at me like you do
Like I'm something worth holding on to

These times I think of leaving
But it's something I'll never do

'Cause you can do better than me
But I can't do better than you