Espers is a psychedelic folk band from Philadelphia, PA, United States. The… Read Full Bio ↴Espers is a psychedelic folk band from Philadelphia, PA, United States. They formed in 2002 as a trio of singer-songwriter Greg Weeks, Meg Baird and Brooke Sietinsons but later expanded to a sextet including Otto Hauser, Helena Espvall and Chris Smith. Their music is reminiscent of late-sixties British folk such as that of Fairport Convention, Pentangle and The Incredible String Band as well as many contemporary folk acts such as Six Organs of Admittance, Marissa Nadler and Nick Castro and as such their work is often lumped in with the so-called New Weird America movement or naturalismo as Devendra Banhart preferred to coin it in 2006. Most of the band's members have also featured on recordings by a number of other folk artists, old and new, such as Nick Castro and Vashti Bunyan and as a result have become an important part of the psych-folk revival.

They released their self-titled debut, "Espers", in 2004 to much acclaim and followed that with an album of cover songs, "The Weed Tree", in 2005. This release featured the band's versions of songs by artists as diverse as Nico, The Durutti Column and Blue Oyster Cult. In 2006 the band released their third full-length "Espers II" on Drag City Records.

Their fourth album, "Espers III", was released on October 20, 2009.

Black is the Color
Espers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Black is the color of my true love's hair
His face is like some wondrous fair
With the prettiest face and the neatest hands
I love the ground whereon he stands

I love my love
And whell he knows
I love the ground whereon he goes

If you know ???
.....

I go to the Clyde for to mourn and weep
But satisfied I never can sleep
I'll write him a letter, just a few short lines
I'll suffer death one thousand times

Black is the color of my true love's hair
His face is like some wondrous fair

With the prettiest face and the neatest hands
I love the ground whereon he stands

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Black is the Color" by Espers are quite simple, yet they convey a powerful message about the singer's deep love and devotion to someone with black hair. The first stanza describes the physical attributes of the singer's true love, focusing on his impressive looks and the neatness of his hands. The second stanza reveals that the singer is so in love with this person that they love everything about them, including the ground they walk on. This person seems to be aware of the singer's love, as the line "And well he knows" suggests.

The third stanza takes a darker turn, as the singer mentions going to the Clyde to mourn and weep. It's unclear who or what the Clyde represents, but it could be a river or a symbolic place of emotional turmoil. The singer is not satisfied with their grief, and instead decides to write a letter to their true love. The final line of the stanza, "I'll suffer death one thousand times," emphasizes the singer's willingness to endure any hardship for their love.

The last stanza repeats the first, emphasizing the singer's love for their true love's black hair, face, and hands. The use of the word "wondrous" to describe the face suggests that the singer sees their love as not just physically attractive, but awe-inspiring. Overall, the lyrics of "Black is the Color" paint a picture of someone deeply in love, willing to endure even the most trying of circumstances for their beloved.

Line by Line Meaning

Black is the color of my true love's hair
My true love's hair is as dark as the night sky.

His face is like some wondrous fair
His face is as beautiful as a magical fair or festival.

With the prettiest face and the neatest hands
He has the most attractive face and the cleanest, most refined hands.

I love the ground whereon he stands
I love everything about him, including the very ground he walks on.

I love my love
I deeply love and care for my true love.

And well he knows
And he is fully aware of my love for him.

I love the ground whereon he goes
I am devoted to him, even to the places he goes and the things he does.

If you know ???
This line is incomplete and lacks context for a proper interpretation.

I go to the Clyde for to mourn and weep
I seek solace by the river Clyde and cry in sadness.

But satisfied I never can sleep
I can never find satisfaction in my sleep or in my waking hours because of my intense love for him.

I'll write him a letter, just a few short lines
I'll express my feelings in a letter, but only briefly because words cannot truly capture the depth of my emotions.

I'll suffer death one thousand times
I would endure death countless times if it meant being with my true love.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAMIEN GEORGE RICE, . TRADITIONAL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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