Paint It Black
Anvil Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I see a red door and I want it painted black
No colors anymore I want them to turn black
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes

I see a line of cars and they're all painted black
With flowers and my love both never to come back
I see people turn their heads and quickly look away
Like a new born baby it just happens every day

I look inside myself and see my heart is black
I see my red door and I want it painted black
Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts
It's not easy facing up when your whole world is black

No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue
I could not foresee this thing happening to you
If I look hard enough into the setting sun
My love will laugh with me before the morning comes

I want to see your face painted black, black as night




Don't want to see the sun flying high in the sky
I want to see it painted, painted, painted, painted black

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Anvil's song "Paint It Black" express a desire to no longer experience any colors in life, but rather everything should be painted black. The song begins with the singer seeing a red door and wanting it to be painted black, no longer wanting to see any colors. This can be interpreted as a way to try and escape from the world and the pain and sorrow that is associated with it. The singer then sees girls walking by in their summer clothes, but he has to turn away because their brightness, unlike his own darkness, is too much to handle.


The second verse describes a line of black-painted cars, representing the loss of something important that will never return, perhaps a sign of death. The people around the singer seem to turn away from the darkness, and he compares this to a new-born baby, suggesting that seeing darkness and pain in the world is an everyday occurrence. The third verse then delves deeper into the singer's own darkness, revealing that he feels his heart is black. He wants his red door painted black so that he can fade away and not have to face the painful truth of his existence.


The final verse holds a glimmer of hope, suggesting that the love he has lost may return to him before the morning comes. The lyric "I want to see your face painted black, black as night" then reveals a desire to share this darkness with someone else. Overall, "Paint It Black" is a melancholy song about wanting to escape from the pain and darkness of life.


Line by Line Meaning

I see a red door and I want it painted black
The singer is feeling depressed and wants to change his surroundings to match his mood


No colors anymore I want them to turn black
He doesn't want any reminders of happier times and wants everything to reflect his sadness


I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
The world is moving on without him and he can't find joy in the things that used to bring him happiness


I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
He can't bear to see anything that might remind him of what he's lost and wishes he could escape his own thoughts


I see a line of cars and they're all painted black
He sees death and loss everywhere he looks


With flowers and my love both never to come back
The world is cruel and he's lost someone or something that he loved deeply


I see people turn their heads and quickly look away
The singer's sadness is isolating him from others and making him feel like an outcast


Like a new born baby it just happens every day
The hopelessness and despair never seem to fade and are a constant part of his life


I look inside myself and see my heart is black
The singer's depression is deep and overwhelming


I see my red door and I want it painted black
He wants to symbolically shut out the world and everything that reminds him of his loss


Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts
The singer wishes he could disappear rather than confront the painful reality of his situation


It's not easy facing up when your whole world is black
Dealing with depression is a daunting and difficult task, and the singer feels overwhelmed by it


No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue
Even the natural beauty of the world has lost its appeal and seems dull and lifeless to him


I could not foresee this thing happening to you
The singer is struggling to understand and come to terms with his loss


If I look hard enough into the setting sun
Despite his despair, the singer is still searching for hope and meaning in his life


My love will laugh with me before the morning comes
The singer hopes that he can find a way to connect with and feel joy again, even if it's only fleeting


I want to see your face painted black, black as night
The singer is consumed by his own pain and wants others to feel the same way he does


Don't want to see the sun flying high in the sky
He can't find joy in anything and wants everything to be as bleak as he feels


I want to see it painted, painted, painted, painted black
The singer is expressing his desire for everything in his life to reflect his inner despair




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Abkco Music Inc.
Written by: Keith Richards, Michael Jagger

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Vade retro

Better than the original for me ... Thank's Anvil 🤘

Bjørn K Hagen

yepp this and w.a,s,p version :)

johnny Begood 2

Excellent Version by Anvil !!!!

George M

The best Paint it Black cover ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🤘

sudicalwig

Fantastic cover!

GellyVelly

How is there not a mash up of this and Priest's cover of "Diamonds and Rust"?! SOMEONE DO THIS!! Ya'll can hear that right?

60BloodyChamp60

The best mash up/remix of this is the intro to an 80s TV show called Tour of Duty. It’s an edited version of the original set to a video of bombs, helicopters and all kinds of cool stuff.

GellyVelly

@60BloodyChamp60 sounds badass, ill look it up.

P J Ostschinken

One of greatest album's, with over 4000 CDs and LP's it's right up their, fucking magic 🤘🤘🤘🇬🇧🇬🇧

60BloodyChamp60

This song hasn’t been hit just right by a metal cover yet, though many have tried. This isn’t bad and I love Anvil but this song should be covered perfectly somehow like Metallica Covered Am I Evil, Motley Crue covered Helter Skelter etc.

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