Black

Sheets of empty canvas
Untouched sheets of clay
Were laid spread out before me
As her body once did
All five horizons revolved around her soul
As the earth to the sun
Now the air I tasted and breathed
Has taken a turn

And all I taught her was...
Everything
I know she gave me all that she wore

And now my bitter hands
Shake beneath the clouds
Of what was everything
All the pictures had all been washed in black
Tattooed everything...

I take a walk outside
I'm surrounded by some kids at play
I can feel their laughter
So why do i sear

And twisted thoughts that spin round my head
I'm spinning, oh, I'm spinning
How quick the sun can, drop away

And now my bitter hands
Cradle broken glass
Of what was everything
All the pictures had all been washed in black
Tattooed everything...

All the love gone bad
Turned my world to black
Tattooed all I see
All that I am
All i'll ever be...

I know someday you'll have a beautiful life
I know you'll be a star
In somebody else's sky
But why
Why
Why
Can't it be
Why can't it be mine?



Previous Songs of the Moment
In My Tree
Red Mosquito
Porch
I Got Id
Release
Do The Evolution
Breath
Corduroy
Elderly Woman...
Leash
Hail Hail
Grievance
Love Boat Captain
Even Flow
Black Red Yellow
In Hiding
Can't Keep
Indifference
Insignificance
Whipping

Black is a new favorite of mine. I always recognized it as a great song, but it wasn't until the remixed version on RVM that it really began affecting me. Better late than never

I have always admired the lyrics though. Other than the second verse, which does not do a whole lot of me (it's still pretty good) this is just loaded with great imagery, especially the self-destruction in the chorus and the end. I love the picture of the singer on his knees crying to the heavens, or the picture of him on his knees (always on his knees) cradling the shards of his life with bloodied hands.

The end of the song is amazing, probably the best part. Those questions he asks at the end are really powerful (and really hit home as I'm sure anyone who has seen an important relationship end can attest to)--while you wish the person the best cuz you love them it just rips you apart that their best can't be with you.

The musical breakdown is great too, There is no real solo (at least on the album version) and no real words--just crying vocals, wailing guitars, and a tortured broken soul.


I'll always wonder how much bigger they would have been if they made a video for this and betterman.

p.s.--I'm going to be away for two and a half weeks so Corduroy Blazar will be handling the next song of the moment.

this is one of the best songs ive ever heard in my life. im a fan of the older versions of black, but even today this song still holds up live. i think my favorite version is unplugged. i just put it on and ed's voice is amazing. but its not just ed's voice that does it for me, stones music is beautifully haunting. the music alone could almost make me break down.

this has always been one of my favorite songs, but i never really connected to it until i was about 19. i had broken up with my g/f of over 2 years who i was deeply inlove with. the kind of emotions i had for this girl are hard to explain, except to say that i thought we belonged together. the break up was messy and totally left me empty, but with so much anger. i had spent everyday with this girl, i felt like i had opened her eyes to so much that she didnt see coming from such a fucked up family and i wanted to get her away from them b/c when we were together we were so happy. i even quit wrestling my senior year b/c her dad kicked her out of her house and i didnt wanna leave her alone. so when i knew it was over, it was like my heart had been ripped out of my heart. i was devastated. and god damn it, once again eddie vedder put my emotions into words...

All the love gone bad
Turned my world to black
Tattooed all I see
All that I am
All i'll ever be...

I've always thought this too. To the casual rock fan, Black is often overlooked in comparison with Ten's other, more publicised tracks (Alive, Evenflow, Jeremy).

Black at Benaroya.....man, that performance is hard to put into words. Simply beautiful.


This is one of their best, but Even Flow takes it in a photo finish.

Like Warehouse was saying, I liked the song a great deal, but the lyrics didn't grab me and pull me down until I broke up with the g/f I was dating at the time. I was 19, and had never experenced what the song was addressing until the lady and me split up.

noting beats black on mtv unplugged, eddie goes nuts, the "i take a walk outside i'm surrounded by some kids that play" part is the absolut best. other than that hearing it live is great also.

We've had our yearly top-100 songs of all time voted by the alternative radio station on christmas and Black once again moved up. From 20 to 19. Alive is at 7 (comes from 5). Jeremy is at 80 (comes from 100). Other than that, PJ is non-existing in Belgium. it keeps surprising me how Black is still going up. In 2001, it was at 84.

As to the song, what can be said more about it? It's not even close to being my favourite PJ song anymore (for the break-up related things, i appreciate Parting Ways a whole lot more), but there are moments in anyone's life I guess where you don't listen to this song, but you just feel it. And Black live is magic... speaking as someone who had the We Belong Together tag twice and the famous Ottawa tag.

stone must always play this song with the electric.

yup

if you guys haven't, do yourself a favor and go to pearljamlive.com and check out the version from albuquerque 2000.

The remix of this is too good for words. Anyone who's ever had a rough break up can relate to this song. The ending is what does it for me everytime, whether it's the franticness of the original or the blazing solo from Live On Two Legs, and the coda

"I know someday you'll have a beautiful life
I know you'll be a star
In somebody else's sky
But why
Why
Why
Can't it be
Why can't it be mine?"

is just beautiful. Taking a slightly shopworn image ("I know you'll be a star") and turning it on its head in the next line is a masterful move- you get the andrenaline rush as the guitar begins to build up, the drums crash, you imagine the soaring heights of that special someone being a star, then you're brought crashing down at the thought of them burning for someone else, lighting up their life, and the music crashes and pulls you away.

didnt like it when it came out, dont like it now.

Are you the grinch?

Nice description. The do do do do do do do part that is happening underneath the music always reminded me of crying--not a teary sob but a real visceral wail.

nope.

do you hate puppies?


(sorry-I missed your interview thread)

nope.