The Beautiful Girls are an Australian band from the New South Wales coast c… Read Full Bio ↴The Beautiful Girls are an Australian band from the New South Wales coast composed of Mat McHugh on vocals and guitar, Paulie B on bass and Bruce Braybrooke on drums.

TBG have released five full length albums: Learn Yourself, We're Already Gone, Ziggurats, Spooks and Dancehall Days; as well as one EP, Morning Sun, TBG have an eclectic style of their own, with smatterings of rock, acoustic, reggae, pop and folk all through their music. Many people find elements of artists such as Ben Harper, Jack Johnson and The Police, but their most recent album Spooks has, among others, Bob Marley influences.

TBG have been nominated for Best Music Video: I Thought About You, at the Inside Film Awards 2007; Best Blues & Roots Album at the ARIA Music Awards of 2005
And for the J Award 2005

They have also made it into the Triple J Hottest 100 four times: twice in 2003 at #41 ("Blackbird") and #62 ("Music") and twice again in 2005 at #68 ("...And We'll Dance on the Ashes of What's Left") and #81 ("Let's Take the Long Way Home").

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Black Bird
The Beautiful Girls Lyrics

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Gonna be a fire come.
Gonna burn a wicked man's feet.
Hate and greed gonna bring down Babylon.
That blackbird, that blackbird he said.
That blackbird, that blackbird he said.

The wind blows broken melodies,
Into the feathers of a blackbird sitting on a branch beside of me.

He said you will never know, the troubles I have seen ,son.
And you should never go, the places I have been.
Lord don't you try to come with me.
Lord don't you try to come with me.

The superstitious cast their stones at me.
Let them stare into the blackness,
Self importance owns the evil it breeds.
And as the river flows,
The stories that it's told, go
Into the well below,
For a blackbird to swallow.

Lord don't you cry I heard them weep,
Lord don't you cry I heard them weep.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Beautiful Girls' song "Black Bird" contain a powerful message about the inevitability of justice and the consequences of hatred and greed. The song opens with the warning that "Gonna be a fire come," and that it will "burn a wicked man's feet." This fiery imagery suggests that those who engage in negative behaviors will one day be held accountable for their actions. The mention of Babylon, which is often used in literature and music as a metaphor for a corrupt and tyrannical government, further emphasizes this theme of retribution for wrong-doings.

The lyrics then describe a conversation between the singer and a blackbird sitting on a nearby branch. The bird warns the singer that he should never attempt to follow in his footsteps, as he has experienced hardships and been to dangerous places. This advice serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of making bad choices and the importance of learning from others' mistakes.

The lyrics also touch upon the themes of judgment and self-righteousness. The singer describes how the "superstitious" cast stones at him, suggesting that their actions stem from their own sense of superiority and desire to declare their own righteousness. The song ends with the notion that the stories and hardships that people experience will eventually be "swallowed" by the blackbird, further underscoring the idea that everything has a consequence and a purpose.

Line by Line Meaning

Gonna be a fire come.
There is going to be a fire soon.

Gonna burn a wicked man's feet.
The fire is going to burn the feet of an evil person.

Hate and greed gonna bring down Babylon.
Babylon will be destroyed by hate and greed.

That blackbird, that blackbird he said.
The blackbird said something important.

The wind blows broken melodies,
The wind carries sad tunes.

Into the feathers of a blackbird sitting on a branch beside of me.
The bird next to me has sad melodies in its feathers.

He said you will never know, the troubles I have seen, son.
The bird said that I will never understand its struggles.

And you should never go, the places I have been.
I should never experience what the bird has gone through.

Lord don't you try to come with me.
The bird does not want me to join it.

The superstitious cast their stones at me.
People who believe in superstitions throw rocks at the bird.

Let them stare into the blackness,
Let them stare into emptiness.