Ben Gibbard told Noisey that his song is about "Being so attracted to a person physically that I ignore all the qualities that are important to me, and I’m disgusted with myself for falling pray to that superficiality."
This song describes a lover's getaway that goes wrong for the singer when he realizes that the girl means nothing to him, and their sex is empty. According to Gibbard, the song is often oversimplified by listeners who hone in on the line, "She was beautiful but she didn't mean a thing to me." He says the song isn't about a sexist guy, but a conflicted one, as he wonders why he doesn't have stronger feelings for such an attractive woman.
Like many Death Cab songs, the title is taken from a verse line, not the chorus. In this case, the "tiny vessels" are the bite marks he leaves on her neck during lovemaking. They serve as a metaphor, as she says in the moment that she hopes they never fade, but of course they do - just like his affection for her.
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