Although a vein of social and political humor runs though even his earliest work, Bern's work became more explicitly political during the 2004 US presidential election campaign, with songs such as "Bush Must Be Defeated" and "President" highlighting his sometimes surreal political takes.
Bern is reflexively literate, in the style of his favorite authors, including L.A.'s legendary bohemians Charles Bukowski and John Fante, urbane fantasist James Thurber, and yarn-spinning humorist Ring Lardner. He is in love with the power of words to turn on themselves, to frolic, to bite, and his strong, friendly voice can go from earnest to ferocious within seconds. Being captivated by Dan is the easy part; describing his music to the non-initiated is more difficult. One journalist tried: "topical-poetical-sarcastic-punk-folk." An admirable effort, further elaborated by the New York Times: "He veers from comedy to anger, conjectures to shaggy-dog stories; he takes sidelong approaches to theology, science fiction, consumer culture, art, love and baseball."
Dark Chocolate
Dan Bern Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I guess you could melt
But still I'd know better than to think you're food
Dark chocolate
Could you break off a piece
For me to carry on the road?
Dark chocolate
But you'll never say please
Dark chocolate
Who'd believe that you once saved my life
When you're split in so many pieces?
Ooh, when we drank wine and then, ooh
It was like a curtain fell down, ooh
And everybody thinks that you're so tough
But they never really tasted you
Dark chocolate
If I peeled away your wrapping
Would you hold one of your grudges
Dark chocolate
Everytime I rub against you
I come away with these smudges
Dark chocolate
I don't even care if they
Forgot to add sugar to your recipe
Dark chocolate
Don't you know I carry my own
In case of an emergency
Ooh, no one understands
Why you cut off both your hands
And I don't even know
Why you threw away your clothes
But you must have a reason
And I trust you so
Dark chocolate
You could cut yourself in hunks
Then pass 'em around and be done with it
Dark chocolate
Don't you think I know how hard it is
For you to hold back a bit
Dark chocolate
I could lick you all day long
And just be starting to taste you
Dark chocolate
They could shut the factory down
They're never going to replace you
Ooh, you're in all the hot places, ooh
Dripping on my laces, ooh
And everybody thinks
That you're bittersweet
I don't know about the bitter
But you sure are a treat
Dark chocolate
Ooh, dark chocolate
Ooh, dark chocolate
Ooh, dark chocolate
Ooh
Dan Bern's song "Dark Chocolate" is a complex and multi-layered ode to the titular confectionery. On the surface, the lyrics may seem simple, discussing the pleasure of eating dark chocolate on a road trip, for example, or imagining what the chocolate would be like without its wrapping. However, as the song progresses, it becomes apparent that the chocolate represents much more than just a tasty snack. The line "you'll never say please" suggests that the chocolate is withholding something, perhaps an element of danger or unpredictability. Additionally, when Bern sings "no one understands/ Why you cut off both your hands," it becomes clear that there is something dark and mysterious about the chocolate's origins or history.
The line "And I don't even know/ Why you threw away your clothes/ But you must have a reason/ And I trust you so" further reinforces this idea that the chocolate is imbued with a sense of personal history or symbolism, perhaps hinting at some deep-seated psychological trauma. Despite all this complexity, at the end of the day, Bern seems content to simply revel in the sensory pleasure of the chocolate - "I could lick you all day long/ And just be starting to taste you."
Line by Line Meaning
Dark chocolate
A reference to dark chocolate, which is yummy and has multiple layers of meaning throughout the song
I guess you could melt
The singer knows that it is possible to melt dark chocolate, but it's not really something that he's interested in doing with it
But still I'd know better than to think you're food
Despite its deliciousness, the singer knows that dark chocolate isn't actually an essential part of his diet
Could you break off a piece
The artist is asking for someone to give him a piece of chocolate
For me to carry on the road?
The artist would like to take a piece of chocolate with him as he travels
I know that you'd like to come along
The singer is aware that the chocolate would probably like to come with him on his travels
But you'll never say please
The chocolate is incapable of verbally expressing its desire to come along
Who'd believe that you once saved my life
The artist has an emotional connection to the chocolate and feels that it has helped him in the past
When you're split in so many pieces?
Despite the chocolate's previous helpfulness, it is now broken into many pieces, which seems to make it less powerful in the artist's mind
If I peeled away your wrapping
The artist is considering removing the chocolate's wrapping
Would you hold one of your grudges
The singer is afraid that the chocolate is holding some sort of grudge against him
Everytime I rub against you
The artist has a physical relationship with the chocolate, and seems to squeeze or rub it often
I come away with these smudges
As a consequence of his physical connection to the chocolate, the singer gets chocolate on himself
I don't even care if they
The singer isn't concerned about whether someone has made a mistake with the chocolate's recipe
Forgot to add sugar to your recipe
The singer is suggesting that the chocolate he's eating might not be sweet enough
Don't you know I carry my own
The artist carries his own chocolate with him, as a back-up
In case of an emergency
The artist is carrying the chocolate just in case something bad happens and he needs some chocolate to make him feel better
No one understands
The singer is feeling very alone in his relationship with the chocolate
Why you cut off both your hands
The singer doesn't understand why the chocolate has done something to remove its own ability to touch things
And I don't even know
The artist is really in the dark about what's been going on with the chocolate
Why you threw away your clothes
The artist is wondering why the chocolate has gotten rid of some part of itself that was important previously
But you must have a reason
Despite his confusion, the artist is willing to trust that the chocolate had a good reason for doing the things it did
You could cut yourself in hunks
The singer is suggesting that the chocolate could be physically divided into pieces
Then pass 'em around and be done with it
The artist thinks that other people should be allowed to share the chocolate, and using it up would be a good approach
Don't you think I know how hard it is
The singer understands that it might be difficult for the chocolate to share itself with others
For you to hold back a bit
The singer is aware that there must be times when the chocolate struggles against its natural desire to be generous
I could lick you all day long
The singer is really into the chocolate, and doesn't mind getting a little messy as he enjoys it
They could shut the factory down
The artist is worried that the chocolate might not be available forever
They're never going to replace you
The artist thinks that no other product could ever fulfill the same niche in his heart and taste buds as this chocolate
You're in all the hot places
The chocolate is popular and present in many different circumstances
Dripping on my laces
The singer has a specific association with the chocolate getting onto his shoes
And everybody thinks
Despite the artist's love of the chocolate, he recognizes that not everyone shares his enthusiasm for it
That you're bittersweet
The chocolate is known to have a certain complexity of taste that includes bitterness as well as sweetness
I don't know about the bitter
The artist is being a little facetious here, suggesting that he doesn't care about the chocolate's bitterness
But you sure are a treat
Despite any reservations, the singer thinks that the chocolate is really good
Ooh, dark chocolate
A refrain that serves to remind everyone what the song is about
Contributed by Adalyn F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.