The song was already played live when Blood Orange was opening up for Solange’s fantastic Cosmic Journey show at the Hollywood Bowl on September 24, 2017.
For an interview with Pitchfork in which he spoke about each song on "Negro Swan", Dev Hynes provided insight into “Charcoal Baby”:
Pitchfork: Though you’re a great guitar player, you’ve sometimes backgrounded that skill on Blood Orange records. But this song features a pretty prominent guitar part. What was the thinking behind that choice?
Dev Hynes: The only reason there wasn’t really guitar on the last couple of records—I mean, there is, but it’s very sparse—is because I didn’t have one. It was never, like, “I’m not gonna use guitar.” At the end of Freetown Sound, when it goes into this acoustic thing, it’s because I’d moved into the studio that was on St. Mark’s, which used to be my lawyer’s room, and he’d left his acoustic guitar there. So I used it.
But finally, through some blessings or luck, Fender made a guitar for me. Which is so crazy, because as a kid I had one guitar and it broke, and that was it. So “Charcoal Baby” was one of the first songs that I did with that guitar because I actually had one. [laughs] And I did a lot of crazy shit to that guitar sound. I put two different vinyl effects on it, warping at different speeds, so the guitar is, like, completely out of tune on the whole song, but the bass kind of keeps it locked in. Then, for the vocals, I wanted something that felt a bit more joyous for, quite simply, a celebration of black skin.
Charcoal Baby
Blood Orange Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's not the first thing that you wanna know
Can you still count
All of the reasons that you're not alone?
When you wake up
It's not the first thing that you wanna know
Can you still count
All of the reasons that you're not alone?
No one wants to be the odd one out at times
(No one wants to be the, yeah)
No one wants to be the negro swan (the swan)
Can you break sometimes? (Sometimes)
Can you break sometimes? (Sometimes, ooh)
Charcoal make it start and make me liked at times
(No one wants to be, yeah)
Lick me 'til it cleans all of the world
Can you break sometimes?
Can you break sometimes? (yeah, sometimes)
When you wake up
It's not the first thing that you wanna know
Can you still count
All of the reasons that you're not alone?
No one wants to be the odd one out at times
(No one wants to be, yeah)
No one wants to be the negro swan
Can you break sometimes? (Sometimes)
Can you break sometimes? (Sometimes, oh)
Charcoal make it start and make me liked at times
(No one wants to be, yeah)
Lick me 'til it cleans all of the world
Can you break sometimes? (Sometimes)
Can you break sometimes? (Sometimes)
(Can you break sometimes?)
No one, no one
(Can you break sometimes?)
No one, no one
(Can you break sometimes?)
No one, no one
(Can you break sometimes?)
No one, no, no one
Can you break sometimes?
Can you break sometimes?
Can you break sometimes?
Can you break sometimes?
The lyrics to Blood Orange's song "Charcoal Baby" explore themes of loneliness and the struggle for acceptance as a person of color in a predominantly white world. The opening lines emphasize the importance of finding reasons to not feel alone in the world, suggesting a sense of isolation that might be felt by someone who feels like an outsider in their community. The repetition of the question "Can you break sometimes?" reflects a sense of vulnerability and the need to let down one's guard in order to be understood and accepted.
The chorus of the song is particularly powerful, with the repeated line "No one wants to be the negro swan." The image of a black swan, which is a rare and unusual sight, is used to represent the experience of being black in a world that is largely white. The lyric suggests that being different can be beautiful, but it can also be isolating and painful. The second half of the chorus switches to the second person ("Can you break sometimes?"), making the overall message of the song feel more personal and urgent.
Overall, "Charcoal Baby" is a deeply introspective and emotionally charged song that explores the struggles faced by people of color who are searching for a place to belong in a world that can be unwelcoming and hostile.
Line by Line Meaning
When you wake up
When you awaken from sleep
It's not the first thing that you wanna know
You aren't immediately curious about it
Can you still count
Are you still able to enumerate
All of the reasons that you're not alone?
All of the reasons proving that you're not by yourself?
No one wants to be the odd one out at times
Sometimes, no one desires to be peculiar
(No one wants to be, yeah)
(Nobody wants to be like that, yeah)
No one wants to be the negro swan
No one wants to be different in the way Black people are different from White people
Can you break sometimes? (Sometimes)
Can you allow yourself to be vulnerable at times? (At certain times)
Charcoal make it start and make me liked at times
Using charcoal could begin something and at times please me
(No one wants to be, yeah)
(Nobody wants to be like that, yeah)
Lick me 'til it cleans all of the world
Purify the entire world by licking me
Can you break sometimes?
Can you allow yourself to be vulnerable at times?
(Sometimes, ooh)
(At certain times, ooh)
No one, no one
Nobody
Can you break sometimes?
Can you allow yourself to be vulnerable at times?
Can you break sometimes?
Can you allow yourself to be vulnerable at times?
Can you break sometimes?
Can you allow yourself to be vulnerable at times?
Can you break sometimes?
Can you allow yourself to be vulnerable at times?
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: Aaron Cooper Maine, Dev Hynes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@patrickjmt
every time i hear this song i stop what i am doing and just jam, such a great song. then i go back to real life. thanks for the mental vacation :)
@graceykinz
You single handedly helped me pass calculus back when I was in college. Never thought I'd see you here!
@Bettercallsaul316
Couldn't have put my feelings for this song in any better words 🙏🏻
@alexis896
SAME
@cristalwu4222
@@graceykinz SAMEEEE
@statefarmjake8027
What if you’re having sex when this song comes on? Do you stop what you’re doing then?
@brandonbarrat7632
i respect anyone listening to this right now
@iraorozco754
I respect you
@Johndoe22120
Thanks, can I borrow $20?
@zay3545
Yung Don i still play this whole album everyday. masterpiece