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.
Plank Walker
Black Cross Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
only wanted a line
so that with one minute step
I could be on your side
Nothing denied nothing confined
dead or wide awake be absolved
I don't want to sleep
I don't want to feel like you
words can_t come close to a mark so felt
and from miles away you think you can help
go ahead stand aside
I_ll walk this myself
I don't want to sleep
I don't want to wait
I don't want to feel like you
take this walk, parallel me
defiance shatter your reality
don't you walk with me
I can carry myself without your help
The lyrics of "Plank Walker" tell a story of a person who is not interested in following the path of revolution but only wants to be on the same side with someone else. The person does not want to be confined by anything and wants to be absolved. There is a sense of urgency in the words, as the person does not want to sleep, wait, or feel like the one they are addressing.
The next line suggests that words cannot come close to the feeling this person experiences, and even if someone tries to help from miles away, they cannot truly understand. The person then tells the other to stand aside, as they will walk this path themselves. The repetition of "I don't want to sleep, I don't want to wait, I don't want to feel like you" shows the determination and individuality of the person.
As the song progresses, the person asks someone to parallel them but warns them that their defiance may shatter their reality. The final line, "don't you walk with me, I can carry myself without your help," reinforces the self-reliance and focus on individuality shown throughout the song.
Overall, the lyrics of "Plank Walker" speak to the idea of not needing anyone else to achieve one's goals and the strength that comes from forging one's own path.
Line by Line Meaning
Never wanted revolution only wanted a line
I never thirsted for a rebellion or overthrow, but only sought a definitive path to follow.
so that with one minute step I could be on your side
With one small stride, I could join you in your beliefs and actions.
Nothing denied nothing confined dead or wide awake be absolved
I want to be free from any restrictions or limitations, whether in life or in death.
I don't want to sleep I don't want to wait I don't want to feel like you
I do not desire to rest, to be patient, or to experience the same things as you do.
words can't come close to a mark so felt
The intensity of my emotions cannot be accurately expressed through language alone.
and from miles away you think you can help
Despite being separated by distance, you believe that you can aid me.
go ahead stand aside I'll walk this myself
You should step back and allow me to handle this situation alone.
take this walk, parallel me defiance shatter your reality
Accompany me on this journey and rebel against your current perception of reality.
don't you walk with me I can carry myself without your help
There is no need for you to accompany me on this path, I am capable of enduring it by myself.
Contributed by James O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.