--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think the narratives on 'Trans,'…" description: "\"I think the narratives on 'Trans,' 'Plans,' and 'Narrow Stairs' moved away from the way I wrote on the first couple of records, which was a lot more im..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebb/ben-gibbard-7584_early_i-think-the-narratives-on-trans-plans-an_3138043.jpg" --- # I think the narratives on 'Trans,' 'Plans,' and 'Narrow… ![“I think the narratives on 'Trans,' 'Plans,' and 'Narrow Stairs' moved away from the way I wrote on the first couple of records, which was a lot more impressionistic. I was writing those songs in my early 20s, so I thought I was being more clear than I actually was.” quote by Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebb/ben-gibbard-7584_early_i-think-the-narratives-on-trans-plans-an_3138043.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebb/ben-gibbard-7584_early_i-think-the-narratives-on-trans-plans-an_3138043.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebb/ben-gibbard-7584_early_i-think-the-narratives-on-trans-plans-an_3138043.jpg) > “I think the narratives on 'Trans,' 'Plans,' and 'Narrow Stairs' moved away from the way I wrote on the first couple of records, which was a lot more impressionistic. I was writing those songs in my early 20s, so I thought I was being more clear than I actually was.” [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early songs were impressionistic; later works on clearer narrative, reflecting artistic growth and changing self‑perception. **In simple terms:** Songwriting became more straightforward over time. Key Takeaway Embrace evolution in creative expression. Themes art self‑reflection growth music Mood nostalgic introspective Type analytical personal When to use this quote - album production - live performance - personal journaling Key Concepts narrative clarity impressionism artistic maturity Questions to Reflect On - What drives your shift from abstraction to clarity? - Do listeners prefer narrative or mood? A Different Perspective Clarity may sacrifice some emotional ambiguity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Narratives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narratives/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [People think in narratives - in beginnings, middles and ends. The danger when you edit something too severely is that it no longer makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/people-think-in-narratives-in-beginnings-middles-and-ends-the-danger/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [I think that through the narratives of other people you get closer to your own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chath-piersath/i-think-that-through-the-narratives-of-other-people-you-get-closer-to/) [Chath Piersath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chath-piersath/) > [Obviously I got known for some other songs early on, and some of those were rock'n'roll songs. Some of them were melodic pop songs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-costello/obviously-i-got-known-for-some-other-songs-early-on-and-some-of-those/) [Elvis Costello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-costello/) > [My role in the government was not to think about narratives and consistency with narratives, but think of the human consequences of rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/my-role-in-the-government-was-not-to-think-about-narratives-and/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [For 'Narrow Stairs', the majority of the songs I brought in were guitar songs - songs we could sit in a room and just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/for-narrow-stairs-the-majority-of-the-songs-i-brought-in-were-guitar/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [When I listen to and play the songs from 'Narrow Stairs' now, that record feels like a record where we had established a style…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/when-i-listen-to-and-play-the-songs-from-narrow-stairs-now-that/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [It does seem like, in the world today, we've moved further and further away from wildlife. There's that sense of whatever you're scared of,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-irwin/it-does-seem-like-in-the-world-today-we-ve-moved-further-and-further/) [Terri Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-irwin/) > [I joined Norwich when I was 15 and moved away from a life living on an estate in Cardiff and everything I knew. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-bellamy/i-joined-norwich-when-i-was-15-and-moved-away-from-a-life-living-on/) [Craig Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-bellamy/) > [My whole family were from the East End, but they moved away when I was a child. They still cannot get their heads around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-walker/my-whole-family-were-from-the-east-end-but-they-moved-away-when-i-was/) [Nicola Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-walker/) > [Twenty thousand birds moved away from me as one, like a ground-hugging white cloud, clucking softly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/twenty-thousand-birds-moved-away-from-me-as-one-like-a-ground-hugging/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [This country has moved away from the politics of caste, nepotism, and appeasement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-shah/this-country-has-moved-away-from-the-politics-of-caste-nepotism-and/) [Amit Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-shah/) > [I used to phone my mum and dad up when I first moved away from home, I didn't even know how to put an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coleen-nolan/i-used-to-phone-my-mum-and-dad-up-when-i-first-moved-away-from-home-i/) [Coleen Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coleen-nolan/) > [I didn't expect to be doing a whole bunch of Amber Browns. And because it was just one book, and the father had moved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-danziger/i-didn-t-expect-to-be-doing-a-whole-bunch-of-amber-browns-and-because/) [Paula Danziger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-danziger/) > [How canI put a smile on my face when my best friend moved away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-hankin/how-cani-put-a-smile-on-my-face-when-my-best-friend-moved-away/) Victoria Hankin > [I moved away when I was 17. It's been a mad journey, but I've met and made some incredible friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-buckley/i-moved-away-when-i-was-17-it-s-been-a-mad-journey-but-i-ve-met-and/) [Jessie Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-buckley/) ## More by Ben Gibbard > [I don't want to be overdramatic about it, but I'm starting to see a lot of my bad habits get the best of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/i-don-t-want-to-be-overdramatic-about-it-but-i-m-starting-to-see-a/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [We never sit down before we start making a record and talk about this new sonic palette that we are going to try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/we-never-sit-down-before-we-start-making-a-record-and-talk-about-this/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [When I'm old, I'd like to wake up in the morning and not really do anything - just be happy to exist. I'd like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/when-i-m-old-i-d-like-to-wake-up-in-the-morning-and-not-really-do/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [An ex-girlfriend once got upset when I told her that music is the most important thing in my life. It's more important than anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/an-ex-girlfriend-once-got-upset-when-i-told-her-that-music-is-the/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [At some point, I thought that, as I got older, I'd come to terms with a lot of things. I'd solve some big problems,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/at-some-point-i-thought-that-as-i-got-older-i-d-come-to-terms-with-a/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [The songwriting of Hall & Oates is deceptively complex. There are a number of key changes that pass you by as you're listening to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/the-songwriting-of-hall-oates-is-deceptively-complex-there-are-a/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [When you connect as many memories to your geography as I have, and then you see that geography change around you, you're forced to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/when-you-connect-as-many-memories-to-your-geography-as-i-have-and/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [It's trippy to think we have an album that's 10 years old. It's even trippier to think we have a couple of albums older…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/it-s-trippy-to-think-we-have-an-album-that-s-10-years-old-it-s-even/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [We all pine for a time in life when things were simpler. Even when they weren't necessarily simpler, hindsight makes them look a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/we-all-pine-for-a-time-in-life-when-things-were-simpler-even-when/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [I kind of dropped a lot of bad habits about three years ago and became kind of accidentally straight-edge. I don't have Xs on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/i-kind-of-dropped-a-lot-of-bad-habits-about-three-years-ago-and/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [For 'Narrow Stairs', the majority of the songs I brought in were guitar songs - songs we could sit in a room and just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/for-narrow-stairs-the-majority-of-the-songs-i-brought-in-were-guitar/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [I've always had a soft spot for Phil Collins. He's a great vocalist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/i-ve-always-had-a-soft-spot-for-phil-collins-he-s-a-great-vocalist/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [More times than not, it's a failed endeavor. You will fail more times than you succeed. But I think you need those failed endeavors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/more-times-than-not-it-s-a-failed-endeavor-you-will-fail-more-times/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [I think a lot of people who become music fans have that moment where they break from their parents' music, they break from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/i-think-a-lot-of-people-who-become-music-fans-have-that-moment-where/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [I want to write songs with complete sentences. I almos have this obsession with short-changing words. I would never be so pretentious to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/i-want-to-write-songs-with-complete-sentences-i-almos-have-this/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) [Explore all 89 Ben Gibbard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) ## More Early quotes > [I was also known as Frodo because I was an early adopter of 'The Lord of the Rings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-was-also-known-as-frodo-because-i-was-an-early-adopter-of-the-lord/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. 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I thought there would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-garlinghouse/i-had-been-exposed-to-bitcoin-early-i-thought-the-consumer/) [Brad Garlinghouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-garlinghouse/) > [In the beginning, if you look at those early label albums of the Chicks, we didn't write all that much. We had an A&R…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martie-maguire/in-the-beginning-if-you-look-at-those-early-label-albums-of-the/) [Martie Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martie-maguire/) > [With 'Aurangzeb,' I just knew that the film wasn't going to work, though I think it was one of my most underrated performances. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arjun-kapoor/with-aurangzeb-i-just-knew-that-the-film-wasn-t-going-to-work-though/) [Arjun Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arjun-kapoor/) > [I grew up in the early '60s, and there was a lot of civil rights, a lot of unrest in our country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herm-edwards/i-grew-up-in-the-early-60s-and-there-was-a-lot-of-civil-rights-a-lot/) [Herm Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herm-edwards/) > [The early days were really difficult because it was constant no's, I didn't have an agent. I always knew that I had something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madelyn-cline/the-early-days-were-really-difficult-because-it-was-constant-no-s-i/) [Madelyn Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madelyn-cline/) > [The latest I like to be to meeting is 15 minutes early](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-o-mckay/the-latest-i-like-to-be-to-meeting-is-15-minutes-early/) [David O. McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-o-mckay/) > [“Why'd she leave so early? It's practically yesterday.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/why-d-she-leave-so-early-it-s-practically-yesterday/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [The game business arose from computer programs that were written by and for young men in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They worked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-laurel/the-game-business-arose-from-computer-programs-that-were-written-by/) [Brenda Laurel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-laurel/) > [For years, I had a top secret clearance and never left Russia. Just once did I go to Bulgaria with my wife for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-kalashnikov/for-years-i-had-a-top-secret-clearance-and-never-left-russia-just/) [Mikhail Kalashnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-kalashnikov/) > [I suppose I'm led to do so by the fact of what happened to my contemporaries - people whom I've admired, people who I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-woodcock/i-suppose-i-m-led-to-do-so-by-the-fact-of-what-happened-to-my/) [George Woodcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-woodcock/) > [Kids in the entertainment industry are at a risk of developing depression, as they see glamour at an early age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divyanka-tripathi/kids-in-the-entertainment-industry-are-at-a-risk-of-developing/) [Divyanka Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divyanka-tripathi/) Browse all 3,940 Early quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think the narratives on 'Trans,' 'Plans,' and 'Narrow Stairs' moved away from the way I wrote on the first couple of records, which was a lot more impressionistic. 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