The debut Massive Attack album Blue Lines was released in 1991, with the single "Unfinished Sympathy" reaching the charts and later being voted the 63rd greatest song of all time in a poll by NME. 1998's Mezzanine (containing the top 10 single "Teardrop") and 2003's 100th Window charted in the UK at number one. Both Blue Lines and Mezzanine feature in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
The group has won numerous music awards throughout their career, including a Brit Award—winning Best British Dance Act, two MTV Europe Music Awards and two Q Awards. They have released five studio albums that have sold over 13 million copies worldwide. Throughout their history, Massive Attack have been supporters and activists for political, human rights and environmental causes.
03-Black Milk
Massive Attack Lyrics
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I'm not your food
Love you for God
Love you for the Mother
Eat me
In the space
Within my heart
Love you for the Mother
Mother fountain
Only Your Not At All
The most Black Road
Son Kid Child
Love you for God
Love you for the Mother
God Stares to Marvel
Only Love
The lyrics to Massive Attack's "Black Milk" are highly abstract and open to interpretation. The first two lines "You're not my eater, I'm not your food" could be interpreted as a statement of mutual affection between two people who are not relying on each other for sustenance. This is reinforced with the next two lines, "Love you for God, love you for the mother", which could represent the spiritual and maternal aspects of the relationship.
The next two lines, "Eat me in the space within my heart, love you for God, love you for the mother" could be seen as an invitation to truly inhabit each other's emotional space, while acknowledging the deep-rooted connection to spirituality and family. The phrase "Mother fountain, only you're not at all" may be speaking to the idea of spiritual nourishment, acknowledging the source of the maternal energy that is present, while intimating that it is not being accessed.
The final verse, "God stares to Marvel, only love" is even more abstract, perhaps suggesting that love is the only thing that truly matters in a world where God and nature appear increasingly distant. Overall, "Black Milk" seems to be a meditation on the different ways that we connect with each other and the world around us, whether it be through romantic love, spiritual beliefs or family.
Line by Line Meaning
You're not my eater
You do not have control over me or hold any power over me.
I'm not your food
I will not be consumed or exploited by you.
Love you for God
I love you unconditionally, as God loves us all.
Love you for the mother
I love you in the same nurturing and caring way a mother loves her child.
Eat me
Take in all that I am, experience and understand me fully.
In the space
In the emptiness, the nothingness.
Within my heart
Inside the depths of my being and emotions.
Mother fountain
The source of all life and sustenance.
Only You're not at all
But you are not present or connected to the essence of life.
The most black road
The darkest and most difficult path to take.
Son kid child
Referring to oneself as a young and naive individual.
Love you for God
I love you beyond any earthly attachment or motive.
Love you for the mother
I love you with the same unconditional love and care as the nurturing mother figure.
God stares to Marvel
God is in awe of the magnitude and depth of our love.
Only love
Our love is the only thing that truly matters and sustains us.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MANFRED MANN, ELIZABETH FRASER, ROBERT DEL NAJA, GRANTLEY MARSHALL, ANDREW VOWLES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind