Musically, the group were influenced by trip-hop, ambient music, and French electronic groups such as Air. However, the lyrics to these lush and romantic melodies are frequently bleak, ironic or sarcastic.
Rock 'n' Roll Suicide
Black Box Recorder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You pull on your finger, then another finger, then cigarette
The wall to wall is calling, it lingers, then you forget
Oh oh oh, you're a rock 'n roll suicide
You're too old to lose it, too young to choose it
And the clock waits so patiently on your song
You walk past a cafe, but you don't eat when you've lived too long
Oh, no no no, you're a rock 'n roll suicide
But the day breaks instead so you hurry home
Don't let the sun blast your shadow, don't let the milk float ride your mind
So natural religiously unkind
Oh no love you're not alone, you're watching yourself but you're too unfair
You've got your head all tangled but if I could only make you care
Oh no love you're not alone no matter what or who you've been
No matter when or where you've seen, all the knives seem to lacerate your brain
I've had my share, I'll help you with the pain.
You're not alone, just turn on with me, you're not alone, let's turn on and be
not alone (wonderful), gimme your hands, you're wonderful (wonderful), gimme your hands
You're wonderful (wonderful), gimme your hands
The lyrics to Black Box Recorder's song "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" convey a sense of desperation and hopelessness as the singer grapples with the realities of growing older in the face of a fleeting youth culture. The song opens with the line "Time takes a cigarette, puts it in your mouth" which sets the tone of the song as one of decay and loss. The repetition of the line "You're a rock 'n roll suicide" throughout the song is particularly poignant as it speaks to the sense of despair that comes with feeling like one's time has passed.
The second verse of the song highlights the tension between the desire to hold onto youth and the inevitability of aging. The line "You're too old to lose it, too young to choose it" captures this paradox perfectly. The singer is stuck in a liminal space where he is too old to be a part of youth culture, but too young to give up on it. The rest of the verse speaks to the sense of isolation that comes with this feeling - the singer walks past a cafe that he used to frequent but can no longer bring himself to enter.
The rest of the song is a plea for connection and empathy. The line "Oh no love you're not alone, you're watching yourself but you're too unfair" highlights both the singer's desperation for connection and his inability to find it. The repetition of the phrase "gimme your hands" at the end of the song is a final attempt to bridge the gap between the singer and the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
Time takes a cigarette, puts it in your mouth
You're wasting your time with something harmful, smoking a cigarette as it slowly deteriorates your health.
You pull on your finger, then another finger, then cigarette
You compulsively smoke one cigarette after another and can't seem to break the cycle.
The wall to wall is calling, it lingers, then you forget
The environment around you is reminding you of your problems, but you're doing all you can to forget them by escaping into the world of rock 'n roll.
Oh oh oh, you're a rock 'n roll suicide
Your reckless behavior and addiction to music can be self-destructive, leading to a potential 'rock 'n roll suicide'.
You're too old to lose it, too young to choose it
You've reached a crossroads in life where you're not old enough to be mature, but not young enough to be reckless. You're stuck in-between, and it's tough to choose which direction to go.
And the clock waits so patiently on your song
Time is ticking, but you're not living up to your full potential as an artist. The clock is waiting for you to create a masterpiece.
You walk past a cafe, but you don't eat when you've lived too long
You're so consumed by your addiction and your lifestyle that you neglect simple pleasures, such as eating at a cafe. You feel as though you've lived too much to enjoy the simple things in life.
Oh, no no no, you're a rock 'n roll suicide
Your addiction and reckless lifestyle is becoming more apparent, and you're heading down a path towards a self-destructive outcome.
Chev brakes are snarling as you stumble across the road
You're losing control and spiraling downwards, and this is evident through your reckless behavior while crossing the road.
But the day breaks instead so you hurry home
Despite the close call, you're lucky enough to make it home, and you're hoping for a better tomorrow.
Don't let the sun blast your shadow, don't let the milk float ride your mind
Don't let the small things in life get to you and bring you down. There's still hope and positivity to be found in the world.
So natural religiously unkind
Life can be cruel, and people can be unkind without intentionally being so. It's just a natural occurrence that is difficult to deal with.
Oh no love you're not alone, you're watching yourself but you're too unfair
You feel isolated and alone, but in reality, you're watching yourself and creating negative thoughts and beliefs that make you feel worse.
You've got your head all tangled but if I could only make you care
You're so caught up and confused about life that you can't think clearly. But if someone could make you care or give you a reason to hope, your life might improve.
Oh no love you're not alone no matter what or who you've been
Regardless of what you've been through or the person you are, you're not alone in this world. There's always hope and love to be found.
No matter when or where you've seen, all the knives seem to lacerate your brain
Life has been rough on you, and it seems like every experience causes you pain and suffering.
I've had my share, I'll help you with the pain.
The artist can empathize with you and has gone through similar struggles. They're willing to help you through the pain and suffering.
You're not alone, just turn on with me, you're not alone, let's turn on and be not alone (wonderful), gimme your hands, you're wonderful (wonderful), gimme your hands, You're wonderful (wonderful), gimme your hands
Despite feeling alone, there are others out there who can empathize and help you through tough times. The singer is extending a hand of friendship and offering to help you find meaning and wonder in life again.
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Peermusic Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, TINTORETTO MUSIC
Written by: DAVID BOWIE, JORGE SEU
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
奶油soda
Time takes a cigarette, puts it in your mouth
You pull on your finger, then another finger, then cigarette
The wall to wall is calling, it lingers, then you forget
Oh oh oh, you're a rock 'n roll suicide
You're too old to lose it, too young to choose it
And the clock waits so patiently on your song
You walk past a cafe, but you don't eat when you've lived too long
Oh, no no no, you're a rock 'n roll suicide
Chev brakes are snarling as you stumble across the road
But the day breaks instead so you hurry home
Don't let the sun blast your shadow, don't let the milk float ride your mind
So natural religiously unkind
Oh no love you're not alone, you're watching yourself but you're too unfair
You've got your head all tangled but if I could only make you care
Oh no love you're not alone no matter what or who you've been
No matter when or where you've seen, all the knives seem to lacerate your brain
I've had my share, I'll help you with the pain.
You're not alone, just turn on with me, you're not alone,
let's turn on and be
not alone (wonderful), gimme your hands, you're wonderful (wonderful), gimme your hands
You're wonderful (wonderful), gimme your hands
Clr Jj
Time takes a cigarette, puts it in your mouth
You pull on your finger, then another finger, then cigarette
The wall-to-wall is calling, it lingers, then you forget
Oh, you're a rock 'n' roll suicide
You're too old to lose it, too young to choose it
And the clock waits so patiently on your song
You walk past a cafe, but you don't eat when you've lived too long
Oh, no, no, no, you're a rock 'n' roll suicide
Chev brakes are snarling as you stumble across the road
But the day breaks instead, so you hurry home
Don't let the sun blast your shadow
Don't let the milk float ride your mind
You're so natural, religiously unkind
Oh no, love, you're not alone
You're watching yourself, but you're too unfair
You got your head all tangled up, but if I could only make you care
Oh no, love, you're not alone
No matter what or who you've been
No matter when or where you've seen
All the knives seem to lacerate your brain
I've had my share, I'll help you with the pain
You're not alone
Just turn on with me, and you're not alone
Let's turn on and be not alone
Gimme your hands, 'cause you're wonderful
Gimme your hands, 'cause you're wonderful
Oh, gimme your hands
Ifan Agustian
Time takes a cigarette, puts it in your mouth
You pull on your finger, then another finger, then cigarette
The wall-to-wall is calling, it lingers, then you forget
Oh, you're a rock 'n' roll suicide
You're too old to lose it, too young to choose it
And the clock waits so patiently on your song
You walk past a cafe, but you don't eat when you've lived too long
Oh, no, no, no, you're a rock 'n' roll suicide
Chev brakes are snarling as you stumble across the road
But the day breaks instead, so you hurry home
Don't let the sun blast your shadow
Don't let the milk float ride your mind
You're so natural, religiously unkind
Oh no, love, you're not alone
You're watching yourself, but you're too unfair
You got your head all tangled up, but if I could only make you care
Oh no, love, you're not alone
No matter what or who you've been
No matter when or where you've seen
All the knives seem to lacerate your brain
I've had my share, I'll help you with the pain
You're not alone
Just turn on with me, and you're not alone
Let's turn on and be not alone
Gimme your hands, 'cause you're wonderful
Gimme your hands, 'cause you're wonderful
Oh, gimme your hands
Silvanus Jos Martin
Time takes a cigarette, puts it in your mouth
You pull on your finger, then another finger, then cigarette
The wall-to-wall is calling, it lingers, then you forget
Oh, you're a rock 'n' roll suicide
You're too old to lose it, too young to choose it
And the clock waits so patiently on your song
You walk past a cafe, but you don't eat when you've lived too long
Oh, no, no, no, you're a rock 'n' roll suicide
Chev brakes are snarling as you stumble across the road
But the day breaks instead, so you hurry home
Don't let the sun blast your shadow
Don't let the milk float ride your mind
You're so natural, religiously unkind
Oh no, love, you're not alone
You're watching yourself, but you're too unfair
You got your head all tangled up, but if I could only make you care
Oh no, love, you're not alone
No matter what or who you've been
No matter when or where you've seen
All the knives seem to lacerate your brain
I've had my share, I'll help you with the pain
You're not alone
Just turn on with me, and you're not alone
Let's turn on and be not alone
Gimme your hands, 'cause you're wonderful
Gimme your hands, 'cause you're wonderful
Oh, gimme your hands
奶油soda
Time takes a cigarette, puts it in your mouth
You pull on your finger, then another finger, then cigarette
The wall to wall is calling, it lingers, then you forget
Oh oh oh, you're a rock 'n roll suicide
You're too old to lose it, too young to choose it
And the clock waits so patiently on your song
You walk past a cafe, but you don't eat when you've lived too long
Oh, no no no, you're a rock 'n roll suicide
Chev brakes are snarling as you stumble across the road
But the day breaks instead so you hurry home
Don't let the sun blast your shadow, don't let the milk float ride your mind
So natural religiously unkind
Oh no love you're not alone, you're watching yourself but you're too unfair
You've got your head all tangled but if I could only make you care
Oh no love you're not alone no matter what or who you've been
No matter when or where you've seen, all the knives seem to lacerate your brain
I've had my share, I'll help you with the pain.
You're not alone, just turn on with me, you're not alone,
let's turn on and be
not alone (wonderful), gimme your hands, you're wonderful (wonderful), gimme your hands
You're wonderful (wonderful), gimme your hands
Björn Acke Johansson
Thanks to
🐤
Tommy Cho
thanks
ameaba2012
very emotional and honest - top version - thanks
Miguel Carrillo Díaz
A good cover of a iconic song. 👍
Clr Jj
Time takes a cigarette, puts it in your mouth
You pull on your finger, then another finger, then cigarette
The wall-to-wall is calling, it lingers, then you forget
Oh, you're a rock 'n' roll suicide
You're too old to lose it, too young to choose it
And the clock waits so patiently on your song
You walk past a cafe, but you don't eat when you've lived too long
Oh, no, no, no, you're a rock 'n' roll suicide
Chev brakes are snarling as you stumble across the road
But the day breaks instead, so you hurry home
Don't let the sun blast your shadow
Don't let the milk float ride your mind
You're so natural, religiously unkind
Oh no, love, you're not alone
You're watching yourself, but you're too unfair
You got your head all tangled up, but if I could only make you care
Oh no, love, you're not alone
No matter what or who you've been
No matter when or where you've seen
All the knives seem to lacerate your brain
I've had my share, I'll help you with the pain
You're not alone
Just turn on with me, and you're not alone
Let's turn on and be not alone
Gimme your hands, 'cause you're wonderful
Gimme your hands, 'cause you're wonderful
Oh, gimme your hands
Clara Arriaga
Love it
Toby Burnett
Beautiful ❤️
Frian
way better than I expected
Ifan Agustian
Time takes a cigarette, puts it in your mouth
You pull on your finger, then another finger, then cigarette
The wall-to-wall is calling, it lingers, then you forget
Oh, you're a rock 'n' roll suicide
You're too old to lose it, too young to choose it
And the clock waits so patiently on your song
You walk past a cafe, but you don't eat when you've lived too long
Oh, no, no, no, you're a rock 'n' roll suicide
Chev brakes are snarling as you stumble across the road
But the day breaks instead, so you hurry home
Don't let the sun blast your shadow
Don't let the milk float ride your mind
You're so natural, religiously unkind
Oh no, love, you're not alone
You're watching yourself, but you're too unfair
You got your head all tangled up, but if I could only make you care
Oh no, love, you're not alone
No matter what or who you've been
No matter when or where you've seen
All the knives seem to lacerate your brain
I've had my share, I'll help you with the pain
You're not alone
Just turn on with me, and you're not alone
Let's turn on and be not alone
Gimme your hands, 'cause you're wonderful
Gimme your hands, 'cause you're wonderful
Oh, gimme your hands