Black Lab is a rock band which formed in 1995 in Berkeley, California, Unit… Read Full Bio ↴Black Lab is a rock band which formed in 1995 in Berkeley, California, United States. The band is lead by Paul Durham (vocals, guitar), who has been the only constant member of the band. The only other official member is Andy Ellis (keyboards, guitar), who has been in the band since 2000.

In 1998, Paul Durham and his rock band, Black Lab, released their Geffen Records debut Your Body Above Me to critical acclaim. The album yielded the top 10 rock and alternative single "Wash it Away," and the top 40 ac and pop track "Time Ago."

Paul Durham grew up in Twin Falls, Idaho before moving to San Francisco to pursue his passion for musical invention. He recorded and toured with a group of friends under the moniker “Durham,” and made an acoustic-based singer/songwriter record with celebrated jazz producer Lee Townsend. (now available at blacklabworld.com under the title Ten Million Years: songs from the nineteen nineties).

“Durham” split, but a deal with Geffen Records followed, a new band was built, and Black Lab's debut was tagged as "one of this year's breakout records" (Billboard). Hollywood called, and the band contributed songs to the soundtracks for Can't Hardly Wait, Varsity Blues, Permanent Midnight, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. After a year of touring, Black Lab was poised to fulfill their destiny as "the American U2" (San Francisco Chronicle) when their record label was quickly shuttered. Over the next two years, Durham left his band, fired his manager and moved to LA. "In the end, all I had were my guitars and the songs I was writing." Durham wanted to control the sound around his voice, so he bought a computer and learned to use it. "I had to get back to how it was in high school -- just me and my four-track."

The resulting demos got Durham a new deal with Epic Records. "The first thing I did was buy a giant ProTools system." The only problem was, he didn't know how to install the software. On advice from a friend, Durham hired Andy Ellis to set up his studio. "So, we're sitting around waiting for the computer to reboot," remembers Durham, "And this guy picks up my guitar, without asking. I was cringing inside, afraid of what he would play. But he was great. I wanted to sing over the top of everything he played. Pretty soon, we were writing together."

At 23, Ellis was already an accomplished guitarist, keyboard player and programmer. He had been working as an assistant to some of the best engineers in the business and knew how to twiddle some serious knobs. Durham had found the missing link between what he heard in his head and what came out of the speakers. "Working with Andy is the first time collaboration has ever been easy," says Durham. "Instead of the whole hell-is-other-people thing, we have a blast just making sounds.

See the Sun has a depth and emotional range that broadens with each listen. Much of the album was mixed by Tom Lord-Alge (Live, Blink 182, Avril Lavigne). What shines brightest is the band's pop sensibility – the liquid swirl of "Remember," the epic sweep of "See the Sun," the raging loss of "Without You," and the open-armed surrender of "Lonely Boy."

“Learn to Crawl” was tapped as the fourth track on the platinum Spider-Man soundtrack. Produced by Durham and veteran mixer/producer Tom Lord-Alge, the song wraps an aggressive guitar riff around what Rolling Stone calls "Black Lab's tightly spun, highly melodic rock."

The title of "Ecstasy," a pulsing shadow that wakes to full rock glory, was inspired by Durham's experience recording: "The freedom to do what I wanted – in the studio across the hall from my bedroom – was amazing. I would get up late, go to the beach, then work until four or five in the morning. I got to record this album the same way I wrote it."

While See the Sun represents a zenith in Black Lab’s songwriting and production, the band continues to push and expand its sound into uncharted territory, contributing a vicious techno track called “This Blood” to the worldwide hit movie Blade : Trinity. Black Lab also continues to produce music for television (MTV’s Real World, “What I Like About You,” “The Days”) as well as the upcoming film Lovewrecked.

The third Black Lab album, entitled "Passion Leaves A Trace" was released on January 16th, 2007. Highlights include the majestic "Mine Again", the jet-black remorse of "This Night" (featured in the trailer for The Shield Season 6, and on the episode "Out of the Chute" of House), the hook-laden driving force that is "The Real You", and the achingly beautiful "Ghost In Your Mind".

All things Black Lab, including streaming and free downloads from the new and past albums, can be found at blacklabworld.com.

The Real You
Black Lab Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

So, let me stay
Stay a little while
I?ll be gone girl
Before the sun can rise

I know you?re scared
I know your father?s mad
I know the saying in thee

And ?I?d make you sad?

[Bridge]
But I won?t give up and I don?t mind waiting,
I can wait another day
And I won?t give up, and I don?t mind watching
But I can?t walk away

[Chorus]
?Cause I lost my shadow, lost my heart
Broke my back and crash my car
And I know that I?ve got one last chance to show you the real you

So, will you stay?
Stay for a little while
Everything is easy
When you let me see you smile

And I?ll go down
Down before it?s through
There?s nothing secret
That I wouldn?t do for you

[Bridge]
[Chorus]

And I lost my shadow, lost my heart
Broke my physique, crash my car
And I know that I?ve got one last chance to show you the real you

And I don?t mind waiting?
And I don?t mind watching?
But I can?t walk away?
And I don?t mind waiting?
But I can?t walk away?
And I don?t mind watching?
But I can?t walk away?

(Lyrics submitted by Felipe Gallego)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Black Lab's song "The Real You" express the artist's willingness to stay and fight for the one he loves. He acknowledges the difficulties they will face, such as the disapproval of her father and the probability of making her sad. However, the artist is determined to persevere for one more chance to show her the real him. He lost everything in his life, including his shadow, heart, and even crashed his car, but he's still willing to do everything he can to prove his love. He offers to wait, watch, and be patient, but he cannot just walk away. The lyrics portray how hard it is to find the right person, and when we do find that person, we must be willing to fight for them.

These lyrics capture the passionate plea of someone who is willing to do anything to be with the one they love. The song sends a message that love is worth fighting for, despite the hurdles and obstacles that may arise. It's a relatable song, especially for those struggling to make their relationships work.

Line by Line Meaning

So, let me stay
The singer requests the subject of the song to allow them to stay for a little while.

Stay a little while
The singer asks to stay for a brief period.

I?ll be gone girl
The singer promises to leave shortly.

Before the sun can rise
The singer promises to leave before the morning.

I know you?re scared
The singer acknowledges that the subject of the song is afraid.

I know your father?s mad
The singer is aware that the subject of the song's father is angry.

I know the saying in thee
The singer is aware of the subject of the song's negative opinion of them.

And ?I?d make you sad?
The singer is aware that the subject of the song believes they only bring sadness.

But I won?t give up and I don?t mind waiting,
The singer is determined to keep trying and is patient enough to wait.

I can wait another day
The singer can remain patient for another day.

And I won?t give up, and I don?t mind watching
The singer won't give up and is willing to keep watching for their chance.

But I can?t walk away
The singer is unable to move on from the subject of the song.

Cause I lost my shadow, lost my heart
The singer has lost their sense of self and love.

Broke my back and crash my car
The singer has suffered severe physical injury and damage.

And I know that I?ve got one last chance to show you the real you
The singer is aware that they have one final opportunity to reveal the true self of the subject of the song.

So, will you stay?
The singer asks again if the subject of the song will allow them to stay.

Stay for a little while
The singer again requests to stay for a brief period.

Everything is easy
The singer believes that life could be simple and carefree.

When you let me see you smile
The singer believes that seeing the subject of the song happy could bring them happiness.

And I?ll go down
The singer supports the subject of the song through any difficulty.

Down before it?s through
The singer is willing to go lower than anyone else for the subject of the song.

There?s nothing secret
The singer promises to hold nothing back from the subject of the song.

That I wouldn?t do for you
The singer is willing to do anything for the subject of the song.

And I lost my shadow, lost my heart
The singer has lost their sense of self and love.

Broke my physique, crash my car
The singer has suffered severe physical injury and damage.

And I know that I?ve got one last chance to show you the real you
The singer is aware that they have one final opportunity to reveal the true self of the subject of the song.

And I don?t mind waiting?
The singer reiterates their patience and willingness to wait.

And I don?t mind watching?
The singer reinforces their determination to keep watching and waiting.

But I can?t walk away?
The singer is incapable of moving on from the subject of the song.

And I don?t mind waiting?
The singer reiterates their ability to wait patiently.

But I can?t walk away?
The singer is unable to move on from the subject of the song.

And I don?t mind watching?
The singer reinforces their determination to keep watching and waiting for their chance.

But I can?t walk away?
The singer is physically and emotionally incapable of leaving the subject of the song.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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