Black Ice
AC Ϟ DC Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You toss 'em back and be a man,
With the last time,
Black ice,
End of it all, end of the line,
End of the road,
Black ice,
Black ice
Come on and bleeding out the crowds,
We're watching all the women go,
Many a mile I'll never take,
I run for forty miles and come up runnin' late,
Don't you know I live it down,
When the devil come a callin' I ain't gonna be around,
Black ice,
Black ice,
Black ice,
The devil come a callin' I ain't gonna be around,
Black ice
Livin' long, livin' long,
Sleep all alone, you're gonna take it all,
And I'm gonna rip it out,
I'll kick, I creep crawl down your street,
I'll gouge your eyes out,
Black ice,
Black ice,
Black ice,
Black ice,
My life,
Black ice,
My life,
Black ice,
My life,
When the devil come a callin' I ain't gonna be around,
I'll kick, I creep crawl down your street, and gouge your eyes out,
Black ice
The lyrics of AC/DC's Black Ice depict an individual who is living life on the edge, without any care for the consequences. They are boldly taking risks, consuming alcohol and living life to the fullest, with a sense of invincibility. The metaphorical use of "black ice" portrays the dangers lurking ahead, which can turn life on a dime. The individual acknowledges that their actions will lead to the end of the line, the end of the road, and the end of it all. They are living their life to the fullest, and not afraid to face the devil when he comes calling.
The songwriter's deep understanding of human nature comes to life in the song's lyrics. The song is a warning that living recklessly and without care will ultimately lead to painful consequences. The phrase "black ice" is used as an analogy for the hidden dangers that can come when least expected. The individual is warned that despite their boldness, they will not be able to escape the devastation that comes from living life on the edge. This is further emphasized in the line, "With the last time, Black ice, End of it all, end of the line."
Line by Line Meaning
Well the devil may care,
The devil may not worry about what people are doing or how they live life.
You toss 'em back and be a man,
When you drink, you don't care about the consequences- just drink as a sign of masculinity.
With the last time,
Each time drinking should be like the last time since you never know when you'll get another chance to drink.
Black ice,
This seems to be a metaphor for dangers or temptations that are not readily apparent.
End of it all, end of the line,
Things are coming to an end or conclusion and there's no turning back.
End of the road,
Things are coming to an end and there's nowhere else to go.
Come on and bleeding out the crowds,
People are being drained of their energy (possibly by a charismatic leader or satisfying addiction).
We're watching all the women go,
There's an emphasis on the art of seduction, possibly implying that people are sacrificing their values to satisfy their desires.
Many a mile I'll never take,
The road ahead is long and treacherous- it seems impossible to get to the destination.
I run for forty miles and come up runnin' late,
Even if someone is working hard, they may not be able to overcome obstacles and meet their goals on time.
Don't you know I live it down,
Although the person may seem like they have it together, they still dwell on their sins/mistakes at night.
When the devil come a callin' I ain't gonna be around,
The person singing will not be present when temptation arises since they will have already indulged.
Livin' long, livin' long,
The singer implies that they will continue to live as they always have.
Sleep all alone, you're gonna take it all,
The person will be successful in pursuing their desires in solitude (even if it means being selfish).
And I'm gonna rip it out,
The singer will go to great lengths to get what they want.
I'll kick, I creep crawl down your street,
The singer will do whatever it takes to get what they want, even if it means invading other people's personal space.
I'll gouge your eyes out,
The singer will take anything from anyone if it means satisfying their desires.
My life,
The singer possesses his life.
When the devil come a callin' I ain't gonna be around,
The singer will have exhausted all possibilities by the time temptation arrives.
Black ice,
The metaphor of black ice still seems to depict dangers that are not readily apparent.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANGUS MCKINNON YOUNG, MALCOLM MITCHELL YOUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ricardofrancou.c2430
Well the devil may care,
You toss 'em back and be a man,
With the last time,
Black ice,
End of it all, end of the line,
End of the road,
Black ice,
Black ice
Come on and bleeding out the crowds,
We're watching all the women go,
Many a mile I'll never take,
I run for forty miles and come up runnin' late,
Don't you know I live it down,
When the devil come a callin' I ain't gonna be around,
Black ice,
Black ice,
Black ice,
The devil come a callin' I ain't gonna be around,
Black ice
Livin' long, livin' long,
Sleep all alone, you're gonna take it all,
And I'm gonna rip it out,
I'll kick, I creep crawl down your street,
I'll gouge your eyes out,
Black ice,
Black ice,
Black ice,
Black ice,
My life,
Black ice,
My life,
Black ice,
My life,
When the devil come a callin' I ain't gonna be around,
I'll kick, I creep crawl down your street, and gouge your eyes out,
Black ice
@lucaspires8375
The sound of drumm in this show is a fucking awesome.
@yammmit
Lucas Pires That was almost English.
@naturallight9738
Phil Rudd is the boss.
@dantesanchez2491
This song, and this specific performance of it, is to me one of the, if not the finest example of what Phil's drumming is all about. His playing is clean as fuck, never missing any beat and with so many intricacies in it. Here he lays some badass drum fills, swings his hihats and hits hard his solidly tuned snare drum as he pulverizes the kick drum. No need to overplay, or showing off, just a simple yet solid ass kicking 4/4 beat. The man's a machine...!!
@stevephillips6309
Everybody is raving about Phill Rudd!!! Simply awesome drumming here.
@camana6688
He does play as clean as fuck on his drums Phil Rudd
@ericynot
Meth -- choice of drummers everywhere!
@wolfgang6028
... and by playing drums as clean as fuck the rhythm jumps over to the listener whose heartbeat then immediately changes, brain shuts off and the listener becomes a robot that is precisely replicating the rhythm by jumping and stomping and head shaking. That‘s how Phil the machine works
@realjoshhayes
Anytime someone wants a more recent example of why Rudd’s so crucial to AC/DC, I play them this song.
@madhurakaribe1476
Judging by the amount of clothing Angus has on yet, this was near the beginning of the performance