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.
Black Melt
Massive Attack Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
Or live or not at all
The most level
Sunken chapel
Love you for God
Love you for the Mother
All's there to love
Only love
The lyrics to Massive Attack's song Black Melt is a cryptic poem that takes several listens before one can begin to unravel its meaning. At a superficial level, the lyrics suggest a transformative experience between two people. The singer is not subservient to the listener nor vice versa, but instead, the two are equals who desire to be consumed by one another. It is a mutual exchange of emotions that only serves to strengthen their bond.
At a deeper level, the lyrics are a profound meditation on the nature of love and its relation to our understanding of God. The repeated phrase, "Love you for God/Love you for the Mother," suggests that the love the singer experiences is not for the physicality of the other person but for something greater than themselves. The singer finds transcendence in the love they share, believing it to be holy and divine. The Mother and God are celebrated in the lyrics as life-givers who nourish and sustain us.
The lines "Mother fountain/Or live or not at all" suggest the idea of a spiritual spring that brings life to those who drink from it. The phrase "All's there to love/Only love" implies a sense of oneness that can only be achieved through love. The imagery of the sunken chapel is a metaphor for the subconscious mind, the place where we confront our deepest fears and desires.
Overall, the lyrics of Black Melt encourage an integrated understanding of love that brings together the physical and spiritual aspects of our lives. It is a love that transcends the ego and celebrates the interconnectedness of all things.
Line by Line Meaning
You're not my eater
You do not consume me, I am not a source of sustenance for you.
I'm not your food
I am not something for you to consume or use for your own benefit.
Love you for God
I love you with a spiritual love, one that transcends earthly desires.
Love you for the Mother
I love you with a maternal love, one that is nurturing and protective.
Eat me
Consume me, take me into yourself.
In the space
In the emptiness or void within me.
Within my heart
Deep within my innermost being.
Mother fountain
A source of life and nourishment, like a mother's breast.
Or live or not at all
To truly live, one must have this essential source of nourishment and love, otherwise existence is incomplete or non-existent.
The most level
A place of equilibrium, stability.
Sunken chapel
A place of worship that is hidden or forgotten, but still holds significance and power.
All's there to love
Everything exists to be loved and experienced with love.
Only love
The only true and meaningful force in existence is love.
Contributed by Hailey D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.