Dave Alvin (born November 11, 1955, in Downey, California), is an American … Read Full Bio ↴Dave Alvin (born November 11, 1955, in Downey, California), is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He has been one of the leading proponents of 'roots' or 'American' music, bringing together elements of rock-and-roll, blues, rural and tejano music.

Alvin and his older brother Phil Alvin grew up loving Americana, country and blues. In 1979 they formed The Blasters with friends Bill Bateman and John Bazz.

Shortly after leaving the Blasters, Alvin joined X as lead guitarist after the departure of Billy Zoom. Alvin amicably left the group to work on a solo project shortly after the recording sessions for their album See How We Are. Alvin is also a member of country band The Knitters (composed mainly of members of X), appearing on 1987's Poor Little Critter on the Road and the 2005 follow-up, The Modern Sounds of The Knitters.

In the early 1980s Alvin, along with fellow Blasters members Bill Bateman and Steve Berlin, performed on several albums with the Los Angeles punk band The Flesh Eaters. These albums are considered precursors to what is now called "deathrock". Alvin also played with the band The Gun Club briefly, playing guitar on "Eternally Is Here" & "The Stranger in Our Town" from the 1984 album, The Las Vegas Story.

Alvin's first solo album, entitled Romeo's Escape (1987) in the United States and Every Night About This Time in England, added a purer country influence along with a larger side-portion of the blues; while the album was critically well received, it didn't fare well in the marketplace, and Alvin was dropped by his American record label, Columbia. Alvin suffered health problems which sidelined him for a while, except for a wild tour with friends Mojo Nixon and Country Dick Montana as the Pleasure Barons, which was described as "a Las Vegas revue from acts who aren't going to be asked to play Vegas." (A live album was released of a second Pleasure Barons tour in 1993.)

In 1989, Dwight Yoakam scored a hit on the country charts with Alvin's song "Long White Cadillac," and Alvin used the royalties to start work on his second solo set, Blue Blvd. Released by the California-based roots-music label Hightone Records in 1991, Blue Blvd received enthusiastic reviews and sold well enough to re-establish Alvin as a significant artist in the roots rock scene.

After releasing Museum of Heart in 1993, Alvin began to turn his attention to acoustic music with 1994's King of California, and over the next several years Alvin moved back and forth between hard-edged roots rock and more introspective acoustic material that still honored his influences (and allowed him to display a greater range as a vocalist).

In 2000, Alvin recorded a collection of traditional folk and blues classics, Public Domain: Songs From the Wild Land, which earned him a Grammy award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

In 2011, Alvin released the album Eleven Eleven on Yep Roc Records. The album was a return to Alvin's rock roots. According to Rolling Stone, "Though Alvin has often switched between electric and acoustic, almost everything here is plugged in – above all Alvin, an under-recognized guitar hero."
www.davealvin.net

Black Sky
Dave Alvin Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Baby black sky, black sky is all I see
Yeah, baby black sky, black sky is all I see
Please stand beside me baby
Shine your light for me

Well, I been all around the world, ain't nothin? I ain't seen
From the Mekong river to the San Joaquin
I made it down to Helena but it?s just a ghost town

And I got to Jackson but they tore old Jackson down

Yeah, I been around the world
Black sky is all I see
Why don't you stand beside me baby?
Shine your light for me

Baby, well I went to the graveyard
To see my friend one last time, people gathered ?round
Some were prayin, some were cryin?
They were talkin? about heaven and the final judgement day
But all I could do was say goodbye to him turn and walk away

Yeah, I went to the graveyard
But black sky was all I seen
Please stand beside me baby
Shine your light for me

I wake up every mornin?, try the best I can
To make it one more day in a world I don't understand
Now the sun baby?s shinin? but there's darkness on the land
And I can't find my way baby unless you take my hand

Yeah I, I wake up every mornin? baby
Black sky is all I see
Please stand beside me baby
Shine your light for me

Yeah, black sky
Black sky is all I see

Please shine your light pretty baby
Take this black sky away from me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Dave Alvin's song Black Sky convey a sense of despair and hopelessness. The singer describes a world that is dark and oppressive, where even the sun can't penetrate the darkness. The black sky represents a sense of foreboding and doom that hangs over everything, and the singer is calling out for someone to stand beside him and shine a light, to give him hope and guidance in a world that seems to offer none.

The lyrics also touch on themes of loss and mortality. The singer has traveled the world, but everywhere he goes he finds that people are struggling and suffering. He goes to a graveyard to visit a friend who has passed away, but all he sees is darkness. He wakes up every morning and tries to make sense of the world, but there is always a sense of darkness and uncertainty that hangs over him.

Ultimately, the song is a plea for hope and guidance in a world that can be cruel and unforgiving. The singer knows that he can't navigate this world alone, and he is calling out for someone to stand beside him and help him find his way.

Line by Line Meaning

Baby black sky, black sky is all I see
The world is dark and gloomy, and there is no hope.

Yeah, baby black sky, black sky is all I see
The world is still dark and without any hope.

Please stand beside me baby Shine your light for me
I need you to be with me and help me find some light in this darkness.

Well, I been all around the world, ain't nothin? I ain't seen From the Mekong river to the San Joaquin I made it down to Helena but it?s just a ghost town And I got to Jackson but they tore old Jackson down
I have traveled far and wide, but I have not found anything that could bring me hope yet.

Yeah, I been around the world Black sky is all I see Why don't you stand beside me baby? Shine your light for me
Even though I have traveled so much, I am still lost in this world of darkness and need your help to find a way out.

Baby, well I went to the graveyard To see my friend one last time, people gathered ?round Some were prayin, some were cryin? They were talkin? about heaven and the final judgement day But all I could do was say goodbye to him turn and walk away
Even at a funeral, there was no hope, and all I could do was say farewell and move on.

Yeah, I went to the graveyard But black sky was all I seen Please stand beside me baby Shine your light for me
Even at a place of final rest, there is no light, and I still need your guidance.

I wake up every mornin?, try the best I can To make it one more day in a world I don't understand Now the sun baby?s shinin? but there's darkness on the land And I can't find my way baby unless you take my hand
Every day, I wake up and try to survive in a world that makes no sense to me, and even though the sun is out, there is still darkness that only you can help me overcome.

Yeah I, I wake up every mornin? baby Black sky is all I see Please stand beside me baby Shine your light for me
Even though I wake up each day, the world remains dark, and I need you to help me find some light in this world of darkness.

Yeah, black sky Black sky is all I see Please shine your light pretty baby Take this black sky away from me
The whole world remains dark and hopeless, and only you can help me find some light and take the darkness away.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Dave Alvin

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS