Black Widows recorded a debut EP for Initial Records (Stops A Beating Heart, now included on the Widows Bloody Widows CD collection) and soon after joined the Equal Vision Records roster. As work on their debut album began, it came to their attention that the trademark for the name "Black Widows" was owned by another party (not to mention had been used thousands of times over by other bands) and the band decided to change its name to Black Cross.
In late 2002, Black Cross entered the studio with producer/guru J. Robbins to record Art Offensive, their full length debut. Released in 2003, Art Offensive garnered praise just about everywhere and the band set out on the road with the likes of Thursday, Give Up The Ghost, Hope Conspiracy, These Arms Are Snakes, and Suicide File, among others.
Soon enough, line up changes, the members' other bands, and responsibilities at home loomed and Black Cross became sidelined. Thommy Browne left the band to spend more time at home with his wife and children, with Sean Johnson briefly joining the band on drums, followed by Matt Jaha. Rob's touring time was limited due to teaching and family priorities, Evan formed Breather Resist (now Young Widows) who toured heavily, and Ryan then formed Coliseum in order to be able to spend more time touring.
While Black Cross never broke up, nearly all of 2005 found the band entirely inactive with the exception of the release of the three-song EP Sink, Knives & Chrome on Ryan & Evan's label Auxiliary Records. Late in the year, they reconvened with a new, more stable, line up and began writing songs for their next album. Evan switched from bass to second guitar and his Young Widows band mate Nick Thieneman (also of Brain Banger) took over bass duties. A friend of Rob's since the Endpoint / Sunspring tours in the mid-90s, Forrest Kuhn (Sunspring, Halifax Pier) joined on drums and the band made a grand reemergence at Auxiliary's Last Saturday show series kickoff in January 2006.
A year later, the band entered the studio with friend Chris Owens engineering to record their long awaited second proper full length. Titled Severance Pays, the album finds Black Cross focusing their patented melodic-yet-noisy hardcore sound while digging deeper into their earlier melodic punk influences such as Wipers, Husker Du, Gray Matter, etc.
Gift to the Sea
Black Cross Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
night room crawls on forever
still breaks from waves of sadness
dark days and no one's calling
one drink, one sleep for passage
ensures a slow return
one call to beg for portage
would sink this ship for sure
lives die in what seems like moments
tomorrow you're someone else
one beast dissolves to angel
one mountain falls to dust
hours are years from home
sunset brings relief
routines can fill the spaces
deny this grief
swallow me
embrace me in the salt of days
let me down
take me to a window
so I can see
take me to a window
so I can breathe
one hope for solace
for reckoning
beyond this vast place
beyond this mind
The lyrics to Black Cross's song "Gift to the Sea" explore themes of sadness, loss, and the impermanence of life. The opening lines set a somber tone, with the singer unable to find sleep and feeling as though they are trapped in a dark, endless night. They feel isolated and ignored, with "no one's calling" to offer them comfort. The only escape seems to be through drink and sleep, with the singer hoping to return from this bleak state slowly.
The song then turns to a broader meditation on mortality, with the repeated refrain that "one beast dissolves to angel / one mountain falls to dust." This imagery emphasizes the fleeting nature of life and the inevitability of change. Just as mountains eventually crumble and beasts die, so too do people's lives come to an end. The singer reflects on the passage of time, with "hours [feeling] like years from home" and finding solace in the routine of day-to-day life.
The final section of the song is a plea for release and escape. The singer asks to be "taken to a window" so they can see and breathe and find some kind of solace. It's unclear what this window represents, but it seems to be a way for the singer to access some kind of greater understanding or perspective beyond their current state of mind.
Line by Line Meaning
Wide eyed and sleep not falling
Unable to sleep, eyes wide open
night room crawls on forever
The night seems unending, time drags on slowly
still breaks from waves of sadness
Sadness keeps breaking through, unable to escape
dark days and no one's calling
Feeling alone in difficult times, without anyone reaching out
one drink, one sleep for passage
One drink and one rest to transition from one state to another
ensures a slow return
Allows for a gradual return to reality
one call to beg for portage
Asking for help to move forward and avoid failure
would sink this ship for sure
Without help, the situation would be doomed to fail
lives die in what seems like moments
Life can change or end suddenly
tomorrow you're someone else
The future is unpredictable and change is inevitable
one beast dissolves to angel
Transformations happen, even in unlikely ways
one mountain falls to dust
Even the biggest challenges can eventually be overcome
hours are years from home
When away from home, time can pass slowly and experiences can feel more significant
sunset brings relief
The end of the day can signify a sense of relief or release
routines can fill the spaces
Engaging in regular activities can help to fill time or distract from difficulties
deny this grief
Refusing to acknowledge or process feelings of sadness or pain
swallow me
Overwhelmed by emotions and seeking release or escape
embrace me in the salt of days
Finding comfort in life's experiences, even the difficult ones
let me down
Asking for a release or to be allowed to move on
take me to a window so I can see
Seeking a new perspective or clarity of vision
take me to a window so I can breathe
Entering a new state of being, one of calm or release
one hope for solace, for reckoning
A desire for comfort or resolution in a difficult situation
beyond this vast place, beyond this mind
Looking beyond the current situation, searching for something beyond one's own perceptions or limitations
Contributed by Maya O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.