Paint It Black
Keith Richards/Mick Jagger Lyrics

I see a red door and I want it painted black
The singer desires a significant change in their life and is using the red door as a symbol of something they want transformed.

No colors anymore, I want them to turn black
The singer wants to reject all aspects of their current life and surroundings.

I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
The singer is unable to enjoy the simple pleasures around them because of their dark internal state.

I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
The artist is using avoidance as a coping mechanism to deal with their negative emotions.

I see a line of cars and they're all painted black
Death is represented in multiple ways throughout the song, and the line of black cars is a reminder of mortality.

With flowers and my love, both never to come back
The passing of someone beloved is being mourned with no hope of reconnection.

I see people turn their heads and quickly look away
The singer feels rejected and alone, as they believe others are too uncomfortable to face their pain.

Like a newborn baby it just happens ev'ryday
The artist is making a commentary on the inevitability of suffering for everyone.

I look inside myself and see my heart is black
The artist realizes that they are the source of their own pain, and their internal state is the cause of their desire to paint everything black.

I see my red door and I must have it painted black
The artist realizes that the only way to move on from their current state is to make a major change to their physical surroundings.

Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts
The singer is considering the possibility that by changing their outward appearance, their emotional issues will also disappear.

It's not easy facing up when your whole world is black
The artist is experiencing significant emotional pain and struggling to come to terms with their current reality.

No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue
The singer is experiencing a loss of beauty and hope in their life.

I could not foresee this thing happening to you
The singer is coming to terms with the loss of someone close to them, and acknowledging the unexpected nature of death.

If I look hard enough into the setting sun
The singer is searching for a sense of hope or meaning by examining the natural world around them.

My love will laugh with me before the morning comes
The artist is grieving a lost love and cherishing memories of happier times together.

I want to see your face painted black, black as night, black as coal
The artist is projecting their own negative emotions onto someone else, hoping that they will understand the artist's pain.

Don't want to see the sun, flying high in the sky
The singer is unable to appreciate the beauty of the natural world around them due to their darkness.

I want to see it painted, painted, painted, painted black, yea
The singer is desperately seeking an external change to correspond with their internal pain, hoping this will alleviate their suffering.