Black Cat Balloons
Her Space Holiday Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
but they own the pens
they filed our words
it's all for defense
they pick up the line
and try and decide
who should they kill
who should survive
battles within
they came to harm they came to win
serious. this is getting serious
If we all said sorry and tried to mean it
would that make things cool between us?
here comes the bombs
there goes our chance
now it's all a gone
a flash in the pan
hope you had fun
hope you are brave
we laugh all the way
into our graves
Now that's been said
let's try this again
the black cat balloon
has laid down to rest
we'll cut all the lines
one at a time
all will be safe
all will be fine
there's beauty abound
beauty within
we came to help
we came as friends
furious. We should be so furious.
If we all said sorry and tried to mean it
would that make things cool between us?
here comes the bombs
there goes our chance
now it's all a gone
a flash in the pan
hope you had fun
hope you are brave
we laugh all the way
into our graves
The lyrics of "Black Cat Balloons" by Her Space Holiday seem to convey a message about the continuous and often unjust struggles we face in the world. The first verse talks about how people with power (represented by owning the pens) control what gets written and recorded (filing our words) to protect themselves. They try and decide who should thrive and who should perish. In the line "there's battles abound, battles within," the internal struggles we face, both as individuals and as members of society, are highlighted. The verse ends with the refrain "serious. This is getting serious," noting the gravity of the situation.
The second verse suggests that in a world filled with violence, it might be worthwhile to try and apologize and mean it. Unfortunately, often before we have the chance to try and make amends, bombs go off, and we lose that chance, as represented in the line "here comes the bombs, there goes our chance, now it's all gone, a flash in the pan." The third and final verse presents a possible solution, the image of a black cat balloon that has laid down to rest. Its lines are cut one by one, indicating a step by step process of solving the problem. The final line "furious. We should be so furious," brings the song to a close, with the powerful emotion of anger serving as a motivating force to bring about change.
Line by Line Meaning
We've got our pads
We have our writing pads.
but they own the pens
They have the power to control what we write.
they filed our words
They edited and censored our words.
it's all for defense
Everything they did was justified as a defense mechanism.
they pick up the line
They analyze and scrutinize every line we write.
and try and decide
And make a decision about what they deem appropriate.
who should they kill
Who they should silence or reprimand.
who should survive
Who they should allow to keep expressing their thoughts.
there's battles abound
There are battles and conflicts all around us.
battles within
There are also internal battles within ourselves.
they came to harm they came to win
They came with the intent to cause harm and to come out victorious.
serious. this is getting serious
The situation is becoming grave and we need to take it seriously.
If we all said sorry and tried to mean it
If we all apologized and truly meant it,
would that make things cool between us?
Would it help ease the tension between us?
here comes the bombs
An imminent attack is approaching.
there goes our chance
Our opportunity to resolve things peacefully is gone.
now it's all a gone
Everything we worked for is now destroyed.
a flash in the pan
It was all fleeting and sudden.
hope you had fun
I hope you enjoyed it.
hope you are brave
I hope you have the courage to face the consequences.
we laugh all the way
We're laughing in the face of danger.
into our graves
Our recklessness will ultimately lead to death.
Now that's been said
Now that we've gotten that out of the way.
let's try this again
Let's start over and try again.
the black cat balloon
A symbol of misfortune.
has laid down to rest
The bad luck has dissipated.
we'll cut all the lines
We will sever all ties and connections.
one at a time
Slowly and methodically.
all will be safe
Everyone will be protected.
all will be fine
Everything will be okay.
there's beauty abound
There's still beauty and goodness in the world.
beauty within
And within ourselves.
we came to help
We came to assist and support others.
we came as friends
And we approached everyone with kindness and compassion.
furious. We should be so furious.
We should be outraged and angry about the injustices we face.
Contributed by Asher G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
chris champion
on The Good People Of Everywhere
Has no one read Lord of the Flies?