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.
Peking Man in a Knight Suit
Black Cross Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
through lives and moments
fill his pockets with
verbs and nouns and photographs
and when it's cold outside
his brother freezing
blue to the knees blue to the bone
he'll shut the door
self serve the signs all say
save me from this blank slate
am I really here
a man can walk miles
through red and angry streets
with thirsty and empty eyes
taste bitter blood and cold sex
he hears a voice
it sounds like his own
but it's not his own
it cries lonely
he'll say he doesn't know that voice
and if you ask him
where have you been
he'll say heaven is a pocketful
self serve the signs all say
The lyrics of "Peking Man in a Knight Suit" by Black Cross seem to be about the fleeting nature of life and how people can become disconnected from others and their own emotions. The first stanza describes a man who has accumulated experiences and memories but is still able to shut out the suffering of others when it is inconvenient for him. The lines "fill his pockets with verbs and nouns and photographs" suggest that he is trying to capture the essence of life through language and imagery, but ultimately these things cannot fully satisfy him. The second stanza talks about how the same man can wander through life feeling nothing but bitterness and emptiness, unable to connect with others or even himself. He hears a voice crying out for connection, but he denies it and continues on his lonely path.
The repeated line "self serve the signs all say" could be interpreted as a commentary on our modern, individualistic society where people are encouraged to focus on themselves and their own needs without regard for others. The line "save me from this blank slate am I really here" also speaks to feelings of existential despair and a desire for meaningful connection.
Line by Line Meaning
A man can walk miles
This line establishes that the song is about a man's journey through life, and the different experiences that he encounters along the way.
through lives and moments
The idea of walking through different lives and moments represents the different stages and phases that the man goes through in his journey.
fill his pockets with
The imagery of filling pockets with verbs, nouns, and photographs suggest that the man is collecting memories and experiences as he goes along.
verbs and nouns and photographs
The use of specific parts of speech - verbs and nouns - and the mention of photographs reinforce the idea that the man is collecting experiences and memories.
and when it's cold outside
This line adds a sense of discomfort or hardship to the man's journey, implying that it's not always easy.
his brother freezing
This line introduces the idea of the man having a brother, and the fact that he is suffering in some way.
blue to the knees blue to the bone
The repetition of the word 'blue' emphasizes the cold and painful nature of the brother's suffering.
he'll shut the door
The man's reaction to his brother's suffering is to ignore it or shut it out, suggesting a lack of empathy or compassion on his part.
self serve the signs all say
This line is ambiguous, but could be interpreted as a commentary on the focus on individualism in our society, and the lack of concern for others.
save me from this blank slate
This line expresses a desire for meaning or purpose in the man's life, and a fear of living a meaningless existence.
am I really here
The questioning of one's existence or reality is a common theme in existentialist thought, and could suggest that the man is experiencing an existential crisis.
through red and angry streets
The use of the adjectives 'red' and 'angry' to describe the streets suggests a sense of danger or violence in the man's environment.
with thirsty and empty eyes
This line implies that the man is searching for something, but is unable to find it, suggesting a deeper sense of dissatisfaction or emptiness.
taste bitter blood and cold sex
The use of violent or sexual imagery in this line reinforces the sense of danger and discomfort in the man's surroundings.
he hears a voice
The introduction of a voice suggests an internal struggle or conflict within the man's psyche.
it sounds like his own
The fact that the voice sounds like the man's own implies that it is an internal voice, rather than an external one.
but it's not his own
The revelation that the voice is not actually the man's own suggests a sense of alienation or disconnection from oneself.
it cries lonely
The use of the adjective 'lonely' to describe the voice's cry reinforces the sense of isolation or disconnection from others.
he'll say he doesn't know that voice
The man's denial of the voice's identity suggests a resistance to acknowledging his own internal conflicts or struggles.
and if you ask him
This line implies an external perspective - someone asking the man about his experiences or struggles.
where have you been
The question of where the man has been suggests a sense of journey or progression, but also a lack of clear direction or purpose in his life.
he'll say heaven is a pocketful
This line suggests that the man is searching for some kind of spiritual or emotional fulfillment, but is unable to find it in his experiences or memories.
Contributed by Jake B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.