Black
Pearl Jam(???) Lyrics

Hey, oh
The song begins with an expression of emotion to convey a sense of sadness or longing.

Sheets of empty canvas
The singer is presented with a blank canvas, symbolizing the uncertainty of his future.

Untouched sheets of clay
Like a piece of clay, the singer is still shaping himself into who he will become.

Were laid spread out before me
This emphasizes the feeling of helplessness and being lost in life.

As her body once did
The artist reflects on a past love that has passed away or left him.

All five horizons
The horizons are a metaphor for the many possible paths that life has to offer.

Revolved around her soul
The singer was so in love that everything he saw or did was influenced by his significant other.

As the earth to the sun
This comparison shows how important this person was to the artist's world and how lost he feels without her.

Now the air I tasted and breathed
The memories of the past are still with him and that makes him sad and overwhelmed.

Has taken a turn
The artist is feeling a shift or change in his life that is causing him to reflect on the past.

Oh and all I taught her was everything
The singer believes he taught his lover everything he knew about life and love.

Oh I know she gave me all that she wore
The artist feels this love was a mutual feeling because his partner gave him everything she had.

And now my bitter hands
The singer's hands symbolize his pain and sadness.

Chafe beneath the clouds
This line implies that the sky is overcast and the world seems dark and gloomy.

Of what was everything
The singer is lamenting the loss of this love and the emptiness of his life without it.

Oh the pictures have
This line is referring to past memories or photographs that the artist has kept or cherished.

All been washed in black
The color black symbolizes the loss and sadness that the artist feels about his past and his future.

Tattooed everything
The memories of this love are forever etched into the singer's heart and soul.

I take a walk outside
The singer tries to escape his sadness and go outside for some fresh air.

I'm surrounded by
The artist is in the world of the living but feels alone.

Some kids at play
This line may represent the innocence and happiness that the artist has lost.

I can feel their laughter
The artist is acutely aware of the joyous sounds around him but is unable to feel that way himself.

So why do I sear
The singer is wondering why he feels so much pain and resentment when those around him are living a joyful existence.

Oh, and twisted thoughts that spin
The artist is experiencing deeply negative emotions that he can't shake off.

Round my head
His negative thoughts are all-encompassing and seem inescapable.

I'm spinning
The negativity is dizzying and overwhelming for the singer.

Oh, I'm spinning
The singer reiterates his sense of spiraling out of control due to his emotions.

How quick the sun can, drop away
This line shows how suddenly and unexpectedly things can change for the worse, leaving the artist feeling helpless and alone.

And now my bitter hands
The artist has lost everything and is left with only his bitterness, shown by his hands.

Cradle broken glass
The shattered glass symbolizes his broken life and how everything he once held dear is now in ruins.

All the love gone bad
The love he once had is now a collection of negative feelings, represented by 'gone bad.'

Turned my world to black
The artist feels like his world is now entirely surrounded by sadness and darkness.

Tattooed all I see
The memories of this past love are so strong that they affect everything he sees and experiences.

All that I am
The artist has become defined by his past love and is unable to move on.

All I'll be
He feels as if he will always be defined and haunted by the feelings of loss and sadness he is experiencing at the present moment.

Yeah
This interjection implies a feeling of agreement or concurrence with what has been said before.

I know someday you'll have a beautiful life
The singer acknowledges that his past love will one day find happiness, and it is this thought that gives him a small glimmer of hope.

I know you'll be a star
The singer believes in his past love's potential and thinks she will be successful in life, despite everything that has happened.

In somebody else's sky
The singer believes that his past love will move on and find success in someone else's life.

But why
This rhetorical question implies the sense of injustice that the artist feels about his own life and emotions.

Why
He continues to question why things had to be this way and why he had to experience so much pain and loss.

Why can't it be
The singer is expressing his own selfish desires, and questioning why he couldn't be the one who ended up with his past love.

Why can't it be mine
The singer is struggling to understand why he couldn't have been the one to find happiness and success in love.