I was reading a … Read Full Bio ↴Dia's story about the song from their myspace blog:
I was reading a lot into theology. All of my friends from high school kept asking for my new address in L.A. so they could send me wedding invitations. They were all 19 or 20... I read Buddhist books. I loved them. I read many C.S. Lewis Christian books. I loved them. My best friend was Catholic. I asked her questions. All my friends who were getting married were Mormon. I asked them questions. Meg is Atheist. I asked her questions. Carlo is Christian. He has read the Bible many a time. I asked him Questions. I asked Nick. How the hell should I know he would say. That was the best answer I had heard all month. I was confused. I prayed a lot. I read a lot. I asked questions a lot. I started writing Black Wedding. Most people think it is a "cute little dance rock song." It is the song about everything I believe. It is about my Apostasy. It is about my search for ascertainable fact. It is about people who feign their own religion...who bend their rules. -Honesty is good. But I can lie to Jack...because Jack lied to Jill- It is about parents who raise their kids on a certain religion without allowing them to explore their own ideas. Their family get togethers, educations, talks, which they would claim are not compulsory, but they are nothing short of coercive. It is about this idea: A girl raised in a Catholic family most likely will be Catholic. A girl raised in a Lutheran family will most likely be Lutheran. It is about people praying that their son's baseball team will win, while human hunger is still present all across the nations. It is about over 75% of marriages today, sadly, ending in divorce because of quick engagements, and a lack of patience. It is about my feelings of loss, not 'belonging" to any one religion, and trying to find my own god...trying to give love, like I think he would. It is a song about endless searching, and about being blind to everything around you. It is , to this day, also, the song where the sarcastic side of my personality is let loose with no restraint. (Anyone who knows me will know I am a very sarcastic person. Anyone who does not will think I am a brat). ....
From another blog:
Word from Dia: Dear listeners, friends, and haters. Muah! I just wanted to write a quick note on "Black Wedding," and why it was written, and what I intended it to be. Most songs, I like the listener to decipher their own stories, ideas, and perceptions of what it "really means." So, whenever someone comes up to me at a show and asks, "Dia. I have been dying to know: What is "Roses" about?" Or..."What is -such and such-about?" I find the most appropriate answer, (as well as the answer that pisses all people off) to be: "You. It is all about you." And then walk away. But when I say that, it is very true.
However, this song touches up on things that EVERYONE is very, well, touchy about. Religion. This song was not meant to offend, only to inspire. It was not meant to point fingers, only to provoke thought. This is not saying, "Your religion is bad. False. A figment of your imagination." No, not at all. I am not God. And I have no set religion, or in other words, I am spiritual, or agnostic. However, agnostic in turn usually means you are undecided, while I think, for the most part, I do have somewhat of solid ground underneath me, although, like many, I am still very curious about religions, love to learn about theology itself, etc. This song is praising religion, if you so wish it too. "Black Wedding" tips its hat at the firm Mormon believer. The reader of scriptures and Prayer book. The clean Virgin, the sweet Sunday Class. "Black Wedding" respects the avid reader of the best selling book of all time: The Bible. It appreciates the Catholic who believes with all their heart. The Christian that loves Jesus, and inspires to form a relationship with God and learn to be selfless, to love as Jesus loved others. However, "Black Wedding" Scorns the unknowledgeable church goer. In other words, it is not a fan of the child who is -insert whatever religion here- because his parents believe it and not himself. It does not look well upon the man who turns -insert religion here- simply because it is trendy, or because his girlfriend will not accept him as a decent human being because he is not what she deems is RIGHT. "Black Wedding" is heartbroken at the quick marriages only to satisfy infatuated sexual desire, and also laughs at the dependent son of God who repents just as avidly and quickly as he does the same sins, again, and again. And all in all, "Black Wedding" believes that God has better things to do, then make sure your sons baseball team wins. Hopefully, he doesn't care. I mean, I hope God enjoys basketball as much as I do, but I hope that is all that he does with it: enjoy. (Unless he is an awesome 3 point shooter, because that would rule my life).
Anyways, Black wedding is about my thoughts on marriage, on love, religion, and my belief in ...long engagements. Haha. It was not meant to offend at all. But it is my true thoughts, and that is what I am here for. I have been called a "sell out" many times in my life, but only when I start to write what I do not feel strongly for, is when I will believe it to be true.
Black Wedding
Meg & Dia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Were unaware that diamonds came with debt
Ironic sure, but that's the way it is
Got my vows off the internet
You
Say crying weakens my immune system
But don't forget that if you pray for me
I'll pray for you and cash flow too
I said, if you pray for me I
I'll pray for you and cash flow too, why not?
It was a black wedding
You could hear the organs not
The violins or the words the pope was saying
It was a black wedding
You could hear the organs but
No drunken story or real hallelujahs
Dumb people swore they saw the devil
While most prayed they wouldn't last a winter
It was a black wedding
Throw those blessings all around
So
You're finally viewing this at five foot six
It's not all roses like your mama said
We're not spoon fed anymore
So you gonna tell
All our kids I was an accident
Ironic true
But that's the way you act when you're upset
So let's take this outside
We see our mirrors from outside
And he said we are only pride
We stay hidden all our lives
It was a black wedding
You could hear the organs not
The violins or the words the Pope was saying
It was a black wedding
You could hear the organs but
No drunken story or real hallelujahs
Dumb people swore they saw the devil
But most prayed they wouldn't last a winter
It was a black wedding
Throw those blessings all around
(What else is there to know when our bible's here?)
What else is there to know when our bible's here?
(There are no lies to find when the page is bare)
What else is there to know when your tax is shared?
Outside
We're seeing mirrors from outside
And he said we are only pride
We stay hidden all our lives
It was a black wedding
You could heard the organs play
Words the Pope was saying
It was a black wedding, you could hear the organs but
No drunken story or real hallelujahs
Gravedigger said it's his cathedral
We drank holy water like animals at supper
It was a black wedding
Throw those blessings all around
(What else is there to know when you're bibles here?)
Was a black wedding
Throw those blessings all around
(What else is there to know when you're tax is shared?)
Was a black wedding
Throw those blessings all around
The lyrics of Meg & Dia's song Black Wedding convey a sense of irony and skepticism towards traditional concepts of marriage and religion. The first verse sets the tone of doubtfulness towards the institution of marriage, with the line "You were unaware that diamonds came with debt", suggesting that the glamour associated with weddings comes with hidden costs. The singer reveals that they got their vows off the internet, implying a lack of faith in the traditional institution of marriage. The second half of the verse introduces the theme of faith, with the suggestion that prayer and cash flow are related. The repetition of the line "I'll pray for you and cash flow too, why not?" implies that the exchange of prayers and money is an unorthodox but necessary arrangement.
The chorus, with its repeated references to a "black wedding", evokes a sense of foreboding and darkness. The organs playing in the background underscore this sense of unease. The line "Some people swore they saw the devil, while most prayed they wouldn't last a winter" implies that the wedding was a difficult event to endure, testing the faith of the attendees. The second half of the chorus is more ambiguous, with the repeated line "with those blessings all around" suggesting that despite the darkness, there is still hope for redemption.
The song's bridge introduces a new character, and a new layer of skepticism. The line "So you gonna tell all our kids I was an accident?" implies a lack of trust and commitment between the couple. The reference to being "five foot six" suggests either the perspective of the person being addressed or a fleeting reference to height. The final lines, "We see our mirrors from outside, And he said we are only pride, We stay hidden all our lives", suggest a lack of self-knowledge and a sense of trapped-ness.
Line by Line Meaning
You,
Were unaware that diamonds came with debt.
You didn't know that buying diamonds would also mean taking on a large amount of debt.
Ironic sure, but that's the way it is,
Got my vows off the internet.
It may be ironic, but I got my wedding vows from the internet.
You,
Say crying weakens my immune system,
But don't forget that if you pray for me
I'll pray for you and cash flow too,
Why not?
You say that crying makes me weaker, but don't forget that if you pray for me, I will pray for you and your financial situation as well.
It was a black wedding,
You could hear the organs not,
The violins or the words the pope was saying.
The wedding was so dark and somber that you could not hear the violins playing or the words of the pope.
It was a black wedding,
You could hear the organs but,
No drunken story or real hallelujahs.
Although the organs could be heard, there were no joyous stories or real expressions of praise.
Some people swore they saw the devil,
While most prayed they wouldn't last a winter.
It was a black wedding,
With those blessings all around.
Some people thought that they could see the devil, while most just prayed that the wedding would not end in disaster. Despite this, there were still blessings present.
So,
You're finally viewing this at five foot six.
It's not all roses like your mama said,
We're not spoon fed anymore.
So you gonna tell
All our kids I was an accident?
Ironic true,
But that's the way you act when you're upset
So let's take this outside.
You are now seeing things from a different perspective, and it is not as perfect as your mother made it out to be. We are no longer living comfortable lives. Are you going to tell our children that I was an accident? Although ironic, this is how you act when you are upset. Let's go outside and talk about this.
We see our mirrors from outside,
And he said we are only pride,
We stay hidden all our lives.
We often view ourselves from an outside perspective and are told that our pride is our downfall. We hide our true selves throughout our lives.
What else is there to know when our bible's here?
There are no lies to find when the page is bare
What else is there to know when your tax is shared?
What else is there to learn or discover when the truth is already written in our bible? There are no secrets to uncover. What else do we need to know when we share everything, including our taxes?
The gravedigger said it's his cathedral
We drank holy water like the wedding supper
It was a black wedding,
With those blessings all around
The gravedigger compared the cemetery to his own cathedral, and we drank holy water during the wedding ceremony. Despite the somber tone, there were still blessings present.
It was a black wedding,
With those blessings all around
(what else is there to know when you're bibles here?)
It was a black wedding,
With those blessings all around
(What else is there to know when you're tax is shared?)
It was a black wedding,
With those blessings all around
Although it was a dark and somber wedding ceremony, there were still blessings present throughout the event. We already have the truth in our bibles, and we share everything together, including our taxes.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Meg Frampton, Dia Frampton, Matthew Squire
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind