Paint It Black
Burdon Eric & Animals Lyrics

Hmm, aahhhh
The singer starts with an indistinct expression of sound, expressing a mood that is difficult to define.

I see a red door and I want to paint it black
The singer sees a brightly colored door and wishes it was of a darker color, indicating his mood to be that of sadness and despair as he associates black with these emotions.

No colors in my life, you better turn them black
The singer has lost interest in bright colors and associates them with negative emotions, he prefers everything to be black.

I see people walking by, dressed in their colorful clothes
The singer observes people who are dressed in bright, colorful clothes, which contrasts with his own desire for things to be black.

I see them strolling by, my happiness just flows
The sight of people strolling about provides the singer with a source of fleeting happiness, but it does not last.

No more will my grey sea turn a deeper blue
The singer is experiencing a sense of hopelessness and despair, as even the blue color of the sea is losing its intensity and becoming grey for him.

I cannot foresee this thing happening to you
The singer expresses a sense of guilt and remorse as he wishes that the negative emotions felt by him should not impact others.

I see people walking by dressed in their summer clothes
The singer again observes people clothing but is unable to appreciate the brightness and contrast of summer clothes.

Turn it black
The singer repeatedly suggests his desire to turn everything black, signaling the fact that he is in deep depression and sadness.

Yeah yeah yeah yeah
The singer again enters into a state of ambiguous joy and speechlessness that is difficult to express in words.

I said I know baby
The singer is addressing someone he cares about, informing them of his current state of mind, as if wanting them to empathize with him.

Everything is black I know
The singer reiterates that his entire perspective is tinged with sadness and despair, and he can only see the color black.

Since you been gone
The singer hints that his present state of mind is due to separation from someone he loved deeply in the past.

Eveything is black before my eyes
The singer's perspective is so dark and devoid of joy that he cannot see even the slightest hint of bright colors anymore.

Baby eh
The singer uses this exclamation to invite the listener to relate to him as someone who is almost childlike in his desire for comfort and support.

Everything is black I know
The singer reiterates his new perspective that everything is colored by negative emotions and darkness, offering no way out of his current situation.

Turn to me
The singer urges the person he is addressing to turn towards him for comfort and support.

And help me see again baby
The singer desires the other person to offer him emotional support so that he can begin to see the world in its true colors again.

Help me walk once more
The singer is saying that he wants help in being able to move forward with his life, to embark once again on a life journey.

And help me talk again, walk again
These lines are a continuation of the previous line, further emphasizing the singer's desire to receive help so he can become his old self once again.

Stand up like a man baby
The singer is looking for an encouraging push for himself, and wants the other person to provide him that support by urging him to stand up and move forward in his life like a responsible human being.

Since you been gone, gone
The singer is again emphasizing the point that his present state of gloom and unhappiness is due to the absence of someone he cared for deeply in the past.

There is no color in my life baby
The singer keeps reiterating that his life is now devoid of all light or harmonious vibrations, and is in full darkness.

Its turning so very very bone-black
The singer doubles down on his definition of darkness by using the term 'bone' to indicate something that is lifeless, and incapable of harboring emotion or vivacity.

Humph, I walk down the street
The singer is continuing his lament about the darkness that he encounters in the world around him.

And I see a line of cars
The singer is describing a fairly innocuous and routine sight of cars parked against the street.

Maybe blue, maybe brown, maybe green
The singer is taking a moment to describe the different colors of the parked cars, emphasizing that the colors do not seem to matter to him.

But their turning black before my very eyes
The singer is emphasizing that his own perspective is so dark that even these mundane sights are colored by his own negative emotions, and appear black to him.

And you could not know
The singer concedes that the people around him might not be aware of his own struggles, and that they could not be blamed for their own happiness and good spirits.

What its like when your whole world is black
The singer is giving expression to his own internal struggles, describing how it feels like to live in a world that is devoid of its own colors, light and meaning.

When everything you see and touch
The singer re-emphasizes the point that even everyday experiences and everyday objects (like parked cars) are colored by his own despair and unhappiness.

Turns so very very black hmm
The singer finishes his thoughts by lamenting once again the total blackness that is his world now, seemingly without hope or respite.

Oh baby now
The singer is still addressing the person he cares about, seeking a sliver of hope and looking to them as a source of emotional support.

I need you by my side
The singer is leaning heavily on the person he cares about, emphasizing that they are his one and only point of reference and a source of fortitude for him.

Bring some color into my life
The singer is now inviting the other person to help him out of his despair by literally bringing in some colors into his life, and offering a visible point of relief and cheerfulness.

Once again
The phrase 'once again' is used repeatedly by the singer, reinforcing his own belief that there was a time when his life was more meaningful and colorful.

I even tripped down and fell
The singer is using a personal incident (a trip and a fall) to emphasize his own state of physical and emotional weakness.

Didn't see no colors anymore baby
The singer offers a brief explanation for his specific experience of despair, indicating that he cannot even see colors anymore.

Bad, bad scene
The singer is simply describing his life as a 'bad, bad scene', where everything appears bleak and pointless.

And I have to tell you baby
The singer is addressing the person he cares about, emphasizing his own vulnerability and his position of dependence on that person.

No more will my grey sea go turn a deeper blue
The singer is reiterating that his own life and perspective are getting darker, and that he cannot imagine a way out of the bleakness.

I cannot foresee this thing ever happening to you
The singer continues to address the person he cares about, and emphasizes that he would not wish the same things to happen to them.

I see people walking by me
Once again, the singer is taking comfort in experiencing the routine and the mundane, using other people's movements as a distraction from his own issues.

They're all going in different directions
The insistence on people going in different directions is the singer's way of emphasizing the chaotic and disconnected nature of the world around him that he cannot seem to make sense of.

I see them strolling by and my heart splinters like a flame
The singer is once again expressing a momentary sense of lightness and beauty, describing his own heart as splintering like a flame, but this moment of joy is fleeting and does not last long.

Turning black baby
The singer is again emphasizing his desire for everything to turn black, and sees the turning of other people in different directions as a way of emphasizing this idea.

Turning black I know
The singer reiterates his own perspective, that everything is turning black from his point of view.

Everything
The word 'everything' is used several times by the singer throughout the song, emphasizing the totality of his own emotional state.

Since you've been gone is turning black, turning black, turning black, turning black, turning black
Once again, the singer emphasizes the importance of separation from a loved one, describing how the absence of that person can make everything in the world turn black.

Oh lord, oh babe, whoa lord, help me see again, baby
The singer transitions to a more religious mode of address, asking the divine for help and also inviting the person he cares about to join him in that prayer.

Help me walk, talk, walk stand up like a man I know
The singer is looking for redemption and strength within himself, asking not just for help, but also to be taught to stand up tall and face his troubles head on.

Need you standing by my side
The singer reiterates his own dependence on the person he loves, seeking comfort and support from them through all his struggles.

Because I'm blind and I cannot see
The singer is openly confessing that he cannot find his way on his own, and needs help in order to see the world with a more positive and hopeful gaze.

Color blind
The singer's use of the phrase 'color blind' is intended to signify the difficulty he has in seeing the world around him, and the fact that everything appears to be of one color (black).

I'm color blind
The repeated mention of being 'color blind' indicates the singer's profound sense of despair and his inability to find any joy or happiness in the world around him.

Paint everything so black
The singer repeats his desire to paint everything black to emphasize again how he wishes to see the world in the same hues as his own negative emotions.

Go ahead and paint it black baby
The singer sees no way out of his own despair, and invites others (including the person he cares about) to paint everything black, accepting their own bleak perspectives, and in a sense, joining him in his own despair.

Everything is black black, black, its turning black I know
The reiteration of the phrase 'everything is black' underlines how the singer is unable to escape his own darkness and despair, and instead feels consumed by it.

Need some color in my life...
Finally, the singer expresses an urgent desire for help, expressing a desire for something to break through the darkness and offer a more positive, colorful perspective to his life.