"'Studio 99' are a collective of highly talented and often famous session players and singers. It is not unusual for performers recorded on these albums to appear on major hits as backing musicians, singers or producers. To bring you these high quality, low price tribute albums, the names of the famous and infamous are withheld. We thank all of those who have given their time and talent to these albums and trust you will enjoy their interpretation of the world's best sellers."
- from Led Zeppelin tribute album
Paint It Black
Studio 99 Lyrics
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No colours anymore, I want them to turn black
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
I see a line of cars and they′re all painted black
With flowers and my love, both never to come back
I see people turn their heads and quickly look away
Like a newborn baby, it just happens everyday
I see my red door and must have it painted black
Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts
It′s not easy facing up when your whole world is black
No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue
I could not foresee this thing happening to you
If I look hard enough into the setting sun
My love will laugh with me before the morning comes
I see a red door and I want it painted black
No colours anymore, I want them to turn black
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
I wanna see it painted, painted black
Black as night, black as coal
I wanna see the sun blotted out from the sky
I wanna see it painted, painted, painted, painted black
Yeah
The lyrics to Studio 99's song "Paint It Black" are about a person who is struggling with the darkness in their life and is trying to find a way to cope with it. The first verse talks about how they see a red door and want it painted black, symbolizing their desire to eliminate all colors and brightness from their surroundings. The second verse describes the singer seeing people go about their daily lives, but they are unable to engage with them because of their own darkness. They also talk about the cars all being painted black and the fact that the flowers and love they once had are gone.
The chorus repeats the idea of wanting everything painted black, including the sunlight. The final verse talks about the singer looking into the setting sun, hoping to find some sort of comfort or resolution. They want to find a way to paint their world black so they can fade away from the pain, but they also long for love and happiness before the morning comes.
Overall, the song seems to be a meditation on depression, loss, and the struggle to find meaning in a dark world. The lyrics express a sense of hopelessness and desperation, but there is also a hint of longing for something more.
Line by Line Meaning
I see a red door and I want it painted black
I'm feeling depressed and want everything in my life to be dark and somber, even something as innocent as a red door.
No colours anymore, I want them to turn black
I don't want anything bright or cheerful in my life, I want everything to match my dark mood.
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
Even when I see something beautiful, like girls dressed in summer clothes, it brings me no joy and only reminds me of what I'm missing.
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
I can't even look at happy things without feeling worse, so I have to turn away in order to not feel so down.
I see a line of cars and they′re all painted black
Even the cars, which should be colorful and lively, seem dark and dreary to me.
With flowers and my love, both never to come back
I've lost my love and anything that would bring me joy, like flowers, will never be able to bring them back.
I see people turn their heads and quickly look away
I feel like an outcast and like everyone is uncomfortable being around me, so they quickly look away.
Like a newborn baby, it just happens everyday
Everyone turning away from me is just something that happens, like the cycles of life, except it really hurts me.
I look inside myself and see my heart is black
I can't hide from my own emotions, and my sadness and depression are all-encompassing, making everything seem dark and dismal.
I see my red door and must have it painted black
I'm so fixated on everything being dark and dreary that I can't even leave something as simple as a red door without changing it.
Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts
I'm struggling with some unpleasant reality, and if everything can be as bleak as I feel, then maybe I could just disappear and avoid dealing with the truth.
It′s not easy facing up when your whole world is black
My sadness and depression are so all-encompassing that it's difficult for me to move past them and see anything positive in my life.
No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue
The beauty and wonder that I would normally find in the world has faded away completely and even the ocean looks bleak and grey.
I could not foresee this thing happening to you
Whatever has caused my depression, I never saw it coming and it's taken me by surprise, leaving me feeling lost and alone.
If I look hard enough into the setting sun
I'm searching for something, anything, that can bring me a little bit of hope and light in my life, even if it's just temporary.
My love will laugh with me before the morning comes
I'm holding onto the memory of a happier time, when I was able to share joy and laughter with someone I loved, even though it's now lost.
I wanna see it painted, painted black
I'm so obsessed with everything being dark and bleak that I want everything painted black, as if that will numb the pain I'm feeling.
Black as night, black as coal
My need for everything to be dark and bleak is so all-encompassing that I want things to be blacker than black.
I wanna see the sun blotted out from the sky
I'm so consumed by my sadness that even the sun, which should be a symbol of hope and light, seems unbearable to me.
I wanna see it painted, painted, painted, painted black
I'm so desperate for everything to be dark and bleak that I don't just want things painted once, I want them painted over and over again until there's nothing left but blackness.
Yeah
A simple affirmation that my desire for everything to be dark and bleak is consuming me and won't be going away anytime soon.
Writer(s): Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Michael Phillip Jagger
Contributed by Alice B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.