Black Francis is the stage name used by Pixies singer, Charles Michael Kitt… Read Full Bio ↴Black Francis is the stage name used by Pixies singer, Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV. Inspired by a quip by the late Warren Zevon after the group's 1993 disbandment, Francis embarked upon a successful solo career under the inverted pseudonym, Frank Black; in addition to releasing a prolific number of stylistically departed records with Frank Black and the Catholics; until the 2004 reunion of the Pixies.

Despite the reunion proving a massive critical and financial success, Black remarked, "I privately went back to the old stage name, if that even makes any sense, almost as a joke. I couldn't get The Pixies back into a studio, but I would transform into my alter ego of yesteryear." He accordingly reverted to his original moniker for 2007's bluefinger - an homage to the Dutch painter/musician Herman Brood that marked a return to a more punk-driven sound.

Black has released three further recordings to date - the 2008 EP Svn Fngrs, an original score to the silent expressionist film The Golem released in 2010, and the recently released LP NonStopErotik.

You Can't Break A Heart And Have It
Black Francis Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You can shoot the breeze
You can shoot your shit
You can shoot it up
Ah, you can shoot from the hip

You can break the rules
You can break your balls
You can break your neck

You can break your back

But you can't break a heart and have it
You can't break a heart and have it
You can't break a heart and have it
You can't break a heart and have it

You can shoot the breeze (shoot the breeze)
You can shoot your shit (shoot your shit)
You can shoot it up (shoot it up)
You can shoot to Berlin (shoot to Berlin)

You can break the rules (break the rules)
You can break your neck (break your neck)
You can break your balls (break your balls)
You can break your back (break your back)

But you can't break a heart and have it
You can't break a heart and have it
You can't break a heart and have it
You can't break a heart and have it

You can't break a heart and have it
You can't break a heart and have it
You can't break a heart and have it
You can't break a heart and have it

You can't break a heart and have it
You can't break a heart and have it
You can't break a heart and have it
No

You can shoot the breeze (shoot the breeze)
You can shoot your shit (shoot your shit)
You can shoot it up (shoot it up)
You can shoot from the hip (shoot from the hip)

You can lose your mind (lose your mind)
You can lose your quick (lose your quick)
You can lose your Louisiana (lose your Louisiana)
You can shoot to Berlin (shoot to Berlin)

You can break the rules (break the rules)
You can break your neck (break your neck)
You can break your balls (break your balls)
You can break your back (break your back)

But you can't break a heart and have it
Break a heart and have it
You can't break a heart and have it
You can't break a heart and have it

You can't break a heart and have it
You can't break a heart and have it

You can't break a heart and have it
No

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Black Francis's song "You Can't Break A Heart And Have It" speak to the idea of the irreparable damage caused by breaking someone's heart. The first few lines of the song highlight various ways in which someone can exert control or dominance, like shooting the breeze or breaking rules, but then the chorus comes in to assert that despite these actions, a heart cannot be broken and still remain in the possession of the broken-hearted person. The following verses contain more seemingly arbitrary actions one can take, like shooting up or losing one's mind, but they all circle back to the same idea: breaking a heart is not something that can be done without consequence.

It's worth noting that in some interpretations, the song could be seen as almost sarcastic. The verses contain a lot of nonsense phrases like "shoot your shit" and "shoot to Berlin," which could be interpreted as mocking the idea of power and control. Especially paired with the repetition of the chorus, which drills in the idea that hearts cannot be broken without consequence, there could be an argument made that the song is meant to undermine the idea of masculinity predicated on domination.

Line by Line Meaning

You can shoot the breeze
You can have casual conversation

You can shoot your shit
You can express yourself freely

You can shoot it up
You can take drugs

Ah, you can shoot from the hip
You can be honest and direct

You can break the rules
You can defy conventions

You can break your balls
You can exert yourself

You can break your neck
You can put yourself in danger

You can break your back
You can work hard

But you can't break a heart and have it
You cannot emotionally harm someone and still have their affection

You can lose your mind
You can become insane or overwhelmed

You can lose your quick
You can lose your agility or sharpness