A Day in Black and White is a driving, melodically-charged post-punk four-p… Read Full Bio ↴A Day in Black and White is a driving, melodically-charged post-punk four-piece - however, takes its innate D.C. music history in stride as it blends lessons from the past with an abundance of energy, passion and wit. Garnering the group comparisons to some of the most diverse punk-rooted bands of the past twenty years such as Fugazi and Sonic Youth, the band's new Level-Plane Records release, Notes, was recorded by Kurt Ballou (Converge, Cave In, Since By Man) and serves as the main piece of evidence to the aforementioned references. In short, these fellows are more than up to the challenge of finding their own place among D.C.'s musical luminaries.

Storming the Bastille
A Day in Black and White Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We were always on our own-
We were seeing things breaking down for once,
Crossing fingers until it comes full circle.
The shimmer of light or the blinding sun-
Now watch as we talk about how we acted,
We were living in the streets then.
Crossing the white and yellow lines,
If only our hearts were as big as our imaginations,

Pulling bullets from our pockets.
I was there when it all fell down,
This play is the justification of what we hated, now we can see our deaths or the opera.
It's '68 it's '68, the year false hope died.

You can see the fear
It's the shadows on the wall

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of “Storming the Bastille” by A Day in Black and White convey a disillusioned sense of urgency felt by the singer who is witnessing their world crumble around them. The lyrics “we were always on our own” suggests a feeling of isolation and self-reliance being the only way to survive in an unstable society. The song goes on to state that they were experiencing the breakdown of the world they knew and were hoping that it would come full circle in a positive reinforcement loop. The line “crossing the white and yellow lines” is reminiscent of jaywalking and taking risks that their hearts couldn't provide, as a result, this may be a metaphor for putting faith in a society that had ultimately let them down.

The lyrics suggest that they were involved in a traumatic event in the past that left them with a sense of hatred that still resonates with them today. The singer recognizes that their own behavior contributed to their downfall and they must seek justification for their actions. The lyrics “pulling bullets from our pockets” may suggest violence and the use of weapons to solve problems, ultimately creating more chaos. The song mentions the year '68 which is seen as the year full of hope and idealism, however, here the lyrics say that those ideals were false hope that created a sense of dread and panic. The last line "it's the shadows on the wall" alludes to the constant state of anxiety that lingers on the singer's mind.

Line by Line Meaning

We were always on our own-
We were never relying on anyone else or any external help.

We were seeing things breaking down for once,
We were witnessing destruction and decay that was uncommon or unexpected.

Crossing fingers until it comes full circle.
We were hoping for a positive outcome, waiting for things to turn around.

The shimmer of light or the blinding sun-
We were experiencing either a flicker of hope or an overwhelming brightness that obscured our vision.

Now watch as we talk about how we acted,
We're reflecting on our past actions and behaviors.

We were living in the streets then.
We were homeless or impoverished, living rough and struggling to survive.

Crossing the white and yellow lines,
We were breaking the rules and going against the boundaries set by society.

If only our hearts were as big as our imaginations,
We wish we had the same amount of passion and creativity as our dreams and aspirations.

Pulling bullets from our pockets.
We were prepared for violence or conflict, armed and ready for anything.

I was there when it all fell down,
We were first-hand witnesses to a catastrophic event or situation.

This play is the justification of what we hated, now we can see our deaths or the opera.
We feel vindicated by the events that have occurred, and now view them either as a matter of life and death or as a grand performance.

It's '68 it's '68, the year false hope died.
We're referencing the year 1968, a time when our optimism and idealism was crushed or betrayed.

You can see the fear
We see the panic and terror in those around us.

It's the shadows on the wall
We're referring to something that's been imprinted or left behind, hinting at a hidden or obscured truth.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS