Ten Cent Pistol
The Black Keys Lyrics

The Black Keys’ song “Ten Cent Pistol” talks about revenge that a woman takes after her name is ruined. The song describes a man who used to run around late at night, holding hands with his lover, and mocking everything that happened before. The song implies that the couple is committing infidelity. However, the singer then introduces a woman, who confronts the couple with a gun she bought for a dime, which she uses to shoot at the couple. The lyric - “Well she hit them with her ten cent pistol because they ruined her name” indicates that the woman's reputation was tainted by the infidelity of the man, resulting in her seeking payback. The song reflects on themes of betrayal, jealousy and revenge, and how these emotions can lead to catastrophic consequences. The line “The laws of man, they don't apply, when blood gets in a woman's eye” also draws attention to how differently women are treated in society based on their emotions, emphasizing the unequal power dynamics.

The song's title and its central metaphor, the “ten cent pistol”, are a reference to a cheap and easily accessible weapon. The woman’s willingness to use violence to regain her lost dignity ties into the themes of the song's lyrics. The chorus emphasizes the woman’s act of vengeance, stating that after she shot the cheating couple, they “had never been the same.” The song ends with the couple screaming in terror, but the damage had been done, and they could not salvage their relationship.