Scott Walker (Noel Scott Engel, January 9, 1943 - March 22, 2019) was an Am… Read Full Bio ↴Scott Walker (Noel Scott Engel, January 9, 1943 - March 22, 2019) was an American-born singer-songwriter, composer and record producer. He is noted for his distinctive baritone voice and for the unorthodox career path which took him from 1960s pop icon to 21st century avant-garde musician.

Originally coming to fame in the mid-1960s singing orchestral pop ballads as the frontman of The Walker Brothers, Walker went on to a solo career balancing a light entertainment/MOR ballad approach with increasing artistic innovations in arrangement and writing. Despite a series of acclaimed albums, a disastrous drop in sales forced him back into straight Middle of the road recordings with little of his own artistic input. This in turn eventually led to a Walker Brothers reunion in the mid-1970s (although the latter eventually moved, by mutual consent, into more avant-garde areas).

From the mid-1980s, Walker revived his solo career while drastically reinventing his artistic and compositional methods, via a series of acclaimed and vividly avant-garde albums. These combined his iconic voice with an unsettling avant-garde approach which owed more to modernist and post-modernist classical composition than to his pop singer past. This change in approach has been compared to "Andy Williams reinventing himself as Stockhausen".

Walker has been a continuing influence on other artists, in particular The Last Shadow Puppets, Marc Almond, Goldfrapp, Douglas Pearce of the band Death in June, Billy MacKenzie of The Associates, David Sylvian, Julian Cope, Antony Hegarty, Thom Yorke, Steven Wilson, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Trey Spruance, Perry Blake, Radiohead, Noah Lennox, Mikael Åkerfeldt, and the Divine Comedy/Neil Hannon.

Walker continued to release solo material until his death, and was signed to 4AD Records. As a record producer or guest performer he worked with a number of artists including Pulp, Ute Lemper, Bat For Lashes and Sunn O))).

Black Rose
Scott Walker Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Way down in Virginia, 'mongst the tall-grown sugar cane
Lived a simple-headed man and a diamond neck ta him
And a rose of a different name

Well, the first time I felt lightnin'
I was standin' in the pourin' rain
With a tremblin' hand and a bottle of jam
And a rose of a different name

Well, the devil made me do it the first time
The second time, I done it on my own
Lord, put a handle o this simple-headed man
Help me leave this black rose alone

Well, the devil made that woman
Lord, he threw the pattern away
She were built for speed with the tool you need
To make a new fool every day

Well, way down deep an' dirty
On the dark-haired side o' shame
You'll find this clean-cut man, doin' it again
With a rose of a different name

Well, the devil made me do it the first time
The second time, I done it on my own
Lord, put a handle o this simple-headed man
Help me leave this black rose alone

Well, the devil made me do it the first time
The second time, I done it on my own

Lord, put a handle o this simple-headed man
Help me leave this black rose alone

Overall Meaning

The song "Black Rose" by Scott Walker is a story of a man who falls in love with a mysterious woman, represented by the metaphor of a black rose. The song describes the man's struggle with his own desires and his realization that the woman is bad for him. The lyrics use vivid imagery and metaphors, creating a dark and haunting mood.

The song opens with a description of the location, Virginia, and sets the scene with the tall-grown sugar cane. The man is described as "simple-headed," which gives the listener an idea of his naivety and vulnerability. The diamond necklace represents the woman's sophistication and allure. The "rose of a different name" is used metaphorically to symbolize the woman's uniqueness and danger.

The chorus of the song repeats the same lines, "Well, the devil made me do it the first time, the second time I done it on my own." This suggests that the man has a weak will and is easily swayed by temptation. He realizes that the woman is not good for him, but he cannot resist her. The song ends with the same chorus, but this time, the man pleads for help from the Lord to leave the black rose alone.

"Black Rose" was written by musician Tony Joe White and originally recorded as a duet between Tony Joe White and singer J. J. Cale in 1983. Scott Walker covered the song on his album "Tilt" in 1995. The song has been covered by various artists, including Waylon Jennings, J.D. Souther, and Eric Clapton.

Line by Line Meaning

Way down in Virginia, 'mongst the tall-grown sugar cane
In the state of Virginia, among the towering sugar cane plants

Lived a simple-headed man and a diamond neck ta him
There resided an uncomplicated man with a precious diamond necklace

And a rose of a different name
And he had a rose of a distinct name

Well, the first time I felt lightnin'
The initial occasion I sensed electrifying emotions

I was standin' in the pourin' rain
I was standing in a heavy downpour

With a tremblin' hand and a bottle of jam
Holding a shaky hand and a jar of jam

And a rose of a different name
And a rose with a different title

Well, the devil made me do it the first time
Initially, I was influenced by the devil to act

The second time, I done it on my own
Next time, I did it out of my free will

Lord, put a handle o this simple-headed man
Dear Lord, provide guidance to this inexperienced man

Help me leave this black rose alone
Assist me in steering clear of this dangerous woman

Well, the devil made that woman
That woman was wholly created by the devil

Lord, he threw the pattern away
Her design was so unique that the devil discarded the mold

She were built for speed with the tool you need
She was built for speed with all the necessary assets

To make a new fool every day
To deceive a new person every day

Well, way down deep an' dirty
Very far down, beneath the scum and filth

On the dark-haired side o' shame
On the shameful side of the dark-haired person's character

You'll find this clean-cut man, doin' it again
You will discover this neat man, repeating the same mistake

With a rose of a different name
With a rose that has a changed name