Beck has admitted on XFM that this song sounds closest to the raw rock album he has been planning to make for a while now. He called this song a “Bo Diddley / Adam Ant party”.
Written by Beck Hansen, Dust Brothers and Eugene Blacknell. * Contains a sample of Chapter 14: War Is the Health of the State by Eugene Blacknell & The New Breed.
Was featured in the David Lynch song Inland Empire, and the trailer for the film (500) Days Of Summer.
Was also in the video game Lumines II and Driver: San Francisco. Most notably, the beat is based on Serge Gainsbourg’s Requiem Pour Un Con.
Black Tambourine
Beck Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We sing a song that was hated
All dressed in rag and bones
Sharks smell the blood that I'm bleeding
I know there's something wrong
Might take a fire to kill it
Might take a hurricane
Don't know what life that I'm livin'
Oh oh oh
Black tambourine
Oh oh oh
Black tambourine
My baby run to me
She lives in broken down buildings
Can't pay the rent again
These spider webs are my home now
And when the sun is down
We'll shake and rattle our bodies
To keep it warm at night
My tambourine is still shaking
Oh oh oh
Black tambourine
Oh oh oh
Black tambourine
Black hearts in effigy
We sing a song that was hated
All dressed in rag and bones
Sharks smell the blood that I'm bleeding
I know there's something wrong
Might take a fire to kill it
Might take a hurricane
Don't know what life that I'm livin'
Black tambourine
Oh oh oh
Black tambourine
The lyrics of Beck's "Black Tambourine" paint a vivid picture of a life on the edge, full of desperation and danger. The imagery of "black hearts in effigy" suggests a sense of rebellion and defiance, and the fact that they are singing a song that was "hated" adds to this sense of defiance. The references to "rag and bones" and "broken down buildings" evoke a sense of decay and decline, while the mention of sharks smelling the blood that the singer is bleeding adds a note of danger and violence.
The lyrics also suggest a sense of uncertainty and instability, with the singer unsure of what kind of life they are living and whether they will be able to survive. The repetition of "might take a fire to kill it" and "might take a hurricane" suggests that the obstacles they face are immense and possibly insurmountable. Despite this, the singer and his lover find comfort in each other, as they "shake and rattle [their] bodies to keep warm at night."
Line by Line Meaning
Black hearts in effigy
We are portraying ourselves as evil or wicked in our music.
We sing a song that was hated
Our music is despised by a lot of people.
All dressed in rag and bones
We are dressed in tattered and worn clothes, symbolizing our struggles.
Sharks smell the blood that I'm bleeding
Predators are drawn to my vulnerability and weaknesses.
I know there's something wrong
I am aware that there are issues and problems within myself and my surroundings.
Might take a fire to kill it
It may take a drastic and intense action to overcome these issues.
Might take a hurricane
The magnitude of the problems may require a violent and catastrophic event to resolve.
Don't know what life that I'm livin'
I am uncertain about my current situation and the direction my life is headed.
Oh oh oh
Black tambourine
Oh oh oh
Black tambourine
The constant repetition of this phrase represents the persistent and consistent influence of music in our lives.
My baby run to me
She lives in broken down buildings
Can't pay the rent again
These spider webs are my home now
The artist's loved one is in a dire situation, living in poverty and struggling to make ends meet.
And when the sun is down
We'll shake and rattle our bodies
To keep it warm at night
My tambourine is still shaking
Despite the hardships and challenges, the singer and their loved one find joy and solace in music, using it to stay warm and cope with difficult circumstances.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: ELLIS EUGENE BLACKNELL, BECK DAVID (BECK US2) HANSEN, JOHN KING, MICHAEL SIMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@DonJuanDeMarco2
I LOVE when Beck gets funky.
@BarbaraGans
Psychodylic/Funk
@stabithalmfao
So always. <3
@spaceboy2095
Isn't he always funky?
@dixjam2258
Beck has a rare talent of turning really simple ideas into something special.
@supersailorchic98
Makes me think of inland empire- masterpiece.
@rawkgawdez
Every single video by Beck kicks fucking ass!
@tysm-iu5xd
Beck is really really huge in Japan. In 90's , people who didn't listen Beck & Bjork were not qualified to say "I know music well!"
And I think he's the best artist for the heir of PRINCE.
@jenr.2301
Beck was my first rockstar crush in the late 90s. I've rediscovered him and it's 2018 and I want to listen to this song everyday.
@henryjackson2357
"Where am I?! IM A FREEEEEEAKKKK!" - Inland Empire (6/16/18)