Paint It Black
Carlton Vanessa Lyrics
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No colors anymore, I want them to turn black
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
I see a line of cars and they are painted black
With flowers and my love both never to come back
I see people turn their heads and quickly look away
I look inside myself and see my heart is black
I see my red door and it's heading into black
Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts
It's not easy facing up when your whole world is black
I want to see it painted painted, painted black, oh baby
I want to see it painted painted, painted black, oh baby
No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue
I could not foresee this thing happening to you
If I look hard enough into the setting sun
My love will laugh with me before the morning comes
I want to see it painted, painted black, oh
Black as night, black as coal
I want to see the sun blotted from the sky
Painted, painted, painted black oh baby
Painted painted, painted black
The song “Paint It Black” by Carlton Vanessa is a haunting and introspective look into the turbulent emotions of the singer. The opening lines, “See a red door and I want it painted black / No colors anymore, I want them to turn black,” set the tone for the song. The singer is disillusioned and wants to rid himself of all colors, he wants everything to be black. He observes the people and cars around him and sees them as a reminder of his own grief and loss- “With flowers and my love both never to come back / I see people turn their heads and quickly look away.” The singer cannot bear to face the world as it reminds him of the darkness in his own life.
The second verse of the song has the singer looking internal and seeing that his own heart is black - “I look inside myself and see my heart is black / I see my red door and it's heading into black.” The reason for his despair and negativity is not revealed, but it is apparent that the singer is in a dark place. The catchy chorus of the song has the singer repeatedly asking for everything to be painted black- “I want to see it painted, painted black, oh / Black as night, black as coal.”
Overall, “Paint It Black” is a poignant and emotional song about grief and the struggle to find light in the darkness. The color black is used as a metaphor for the singer's emotional state, and the song is a powerful reflection of the human condition.
Line by Line Meaning
See a red door and I want it painted black
I see a red colored door, and I have an intense desire to turn it black
No colors anymore, I want them to turn black
I have lost my interest in different colors, and I want everything to be black
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I notice the girls walking by, dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
However, I have to turn my head away from them until my sadness fades away
I see a line of cars and they are painted black
I observe a queue of cars, and they are all painted black
With flowers and my love both never to come back
There are flowers in the cars as they carry my love, and I know that both of them won't return
I see people turn their heads and quickly look away
I see people quickly turn their heads and look the other way, avoiding me
Like a new born baby it just happens every day
Just like how a newborn baby experiences life for the first time every day, the people pretend to ignore me every day
I look inside myself and see my heart is black
When I look inside myself, I realize that I am filled with sadness and darkness
I see my red door and it's heading into black
I notice my red door, and it appears to be slowly turning black
Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts
Perhaps if I fade away, I won't need to confront the harsh reality of life
It's not easy facing up when your whole world is black
It is difficult to confront reality when everything in my life seems dark and gloomy
I want to see it painted painted, painted black, oh baby
I have an intense desire to see everything painted black
No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue
My happy life won't turn into a sadder and darker one
I could not foresee this thing happening to you
I could not have predicted that something terrible would happen to you
If I look hard enough into the setting sun
If I focus and look hard enough at the sunset
My love will laugh with me before the morning comes
My love will be with me, and we will share a moment of joy before the morning arrives
I want to see it painted, painted black, oh
Once again, I want to see everything painted black
Black as night, black as coal
I want all things black, dark as night, and as black as coal
I want to see the sun blotted from the sky
I want to see the sun fade away from the sky and have darkness take over
Painted, painted, painted black oh baby
I want everything painted black, black, black
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Abkco Music Inc.
Written by: Keith Richards, Michael Jagger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind