1. Callow was a hard… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least two bands with name, Callow:
1. Callow was a hardcore punk band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that existed from 2012 to 2016. During their time as a band, they released an EP on cassette entitled Disappear Here and a split 7" with Jungbluth from Germany.
http://wearecallow.bandcamp.com/
2. Callow is a two-piece art rock band from San Francisco, California. Since forming in 2009, the band has released two full-length albums, Orb Weaver and Blue Spells.
http://callow.bandcamp.com/
http://www.callowmusic.com/
Black
Callow Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a grand piano-playing man;
He knows that they can't kid him
'Cause he's got hot rhythm in his hand.
The blues that he'll compose will thrill you
From your head to your toes.
He called his song "Black Rhythm,"
'Cause his black hands did it 'neath the moon,
And you're left completely in a swoon.
The melancholy strum
Mixed with the rum-tum of melodious blues.
When he plays the blue note,
And adds a new note,
You'll think that he wrote a symphony.
But he's just improvising
On a southern mammy melody.
You'll quit your pouting,
And start a'shouting,
No need in doubting he knows the keys.
He can lay on the white ones,
Can play on the black ones with ease.
The way he plays Black Rhythm
Makes the gang stick with him all night long,
Forget the hour is late,
They hear him syncopate his mournful song.
A'humming like the breeze,
A' strumming lightly on those ivories.
The lyrics of Callow's song "Black" appears to be a celebration of a skilled piano player, who is based in Louisiana, describing his ability to play the piano with excellent precision and skill. The lyrics take the listener to an imaginary place, where this 'grand piano-playing man' resides, and his music captivates everyone in earshot. The song starts with its opening lines, which paint a vivid picture of the piano player and his abilities. The lines read, "Down in Louisiana/There's a grand piano-playing man/He knows that they can't kid him/'Cause he's got hot rhythm in his hand."
As the song progresses, we are introduced to the player's blues compositions that thrill the listener from head to toe, while his black hands create the magic "neath the moon." The song's melody mixes "the melancholy strum" with "the rum-tum of melodious blues" to create a hauntingly beautiful sound that the singer hums and strums lightly on the ivories. Ultimately, the song speaks to the universality of music, transcending race and ethnicity, and bringing people together in a shared experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Down in Louisiana
The story takes place in Louisiana.
There's a grand piano-playing man;
There is a talented piano player in Louisiana.
He knows that they can't kid him
He is confident in his skills and cannot be fooled.
'Cause he's got hot rhythm in his hand.
He has the ability to create energetic rhythms with his hands.
The blues that he'll compose will thrill you
His blues music will excite you.
From your head to your toes.
His music will make you feel it throughout your whole body.
He called his song "Black Rhythm,"
He named his song "Black Rhythm."
'Cause his black hands did it 'neath the moon,
He named the song after himself, as he is a black man who played it at night.
The keys he plays on sweetly,
He plays the keys softly and beautifully.
And you're left completely in a swoon.
His music will leave you in a trance-like state.
The melancholy strum
He plays a sad melody on the keys.
Mixed with the rum-tum of melodious blues.
His melodic blues add to the overall sound.
When he plays the blue note,
When he hits a certain note on the keys,
And adds a new note,
And follows it with a new note afterwards,
You'll think that he wrote a symphony.
His improvisation will make you believe he's playing a symphony.
But he's just improvising
His music is not pre-planned, he is creating it on the spot.
On a southern mammy melody.
He is improvising on a popular southern tune.
You'll quit your pouting,
You'll stop complaining,
And start a'shouting,
And start cheering,
No need in doubting he knows the keys.
There's no need to doubt his ability to play the piano.
He can lay on the white ones,
He can play the white keys,
Can play on the black ones with ease.
And can also play the black keys smoothly.
The way he plays Black Rhythm
The way he plays the song "Black Rhythm"
Makes the gang stick with him all night long,
His performance keeps the audience engaged throughout the night.
Forget the hour is late,
They lose track of time and forget that it is late.
They hear him syncopate his mournful song.
They hear him play a moving, mournful melody.
A'humming like the breeze,
He is humming softly like a gentle breeze,
A' strumming lightly on those ivories.
And playing the piano keys with a gentle touch.
Contributed by Eliana A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.