The band has released three albums, 2006's "Broken Boy Soldiers", 2008's Consolers of the Lonely and 2019's Help Us Stranger.
Dean Fertita from The Waxwings did live keyboards for the band in 2006; he also played in Brendan Benson's band and is now touring with Queens Of The Stone Age, and is a member of White and Lawrence's band The Dead Weather.
The band had to change their name in Australia, since there already was a band named The Raconteurs there. The band is referred to as The Saboteurs in Australia.
Many Shades of Black
The Raconteurs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take whatever is left, and take it with you out the door
See if I cry
See if I shed a single sorry tear
Can't say that it's been that great
No in fact it's been a wasted worried year
[Chorus]
And everyone agrees
That you and I are wrong
And it's been that way to long
Take it as it comes
And be thankful when it's done
There's so many ways to act
And there's many shades of black
There's so many shades of black
Let it out, let it all out
Say what's on your mind
You can kick and scream and shout and say things that are so unkind
Yeah-see if I care, see if I stand firm or if I fall
Cause in the back of my mind, and on the tip of my tongue
Is the answer to it all
[Chorus]
Yeah there's many shades of black
[Chorus]
Cause there's many shades of black
There's so many shades of black
Yeah there's any shades of black
There's so many shades of black
Yeah there's many shades of black
There's so many shades of black
And there's many shades of black
There's so many shades of black
Go ahead...
The lyrics of the song "Many Shades of Black" by The Raconteurs explore a relationship that has lost its spark and has become dysfunctional. The singer is seemingly addressing his partner, telling them to leave and take whatever is left with them. He challenges them to see if he will shed a single tear or care about their departure. The singer expresses that the relationship has not been great and has been a source of worry and frustration for a year. He seems to be implying that the relationship has been dead for a while, and it is time to move on.
In the chorus, the singer acknowledges that everyone sees that the relationship is wrong and has been that way for too long. He advises them to take it as it comes and be thankful when it is over. The singer adds that there are many ways to act and many shades of black. This phrase can be interpreted as there are many ways one can experience pain, hurt, and disappointment.
The lyrics of "Many Shades of Black" suggest that despite the pain caused by the end of the relationship, it is time to move on. The song encourages us to recognize that different people experience relationships in many different ways, despite the presence of a common experience such as heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
Go ahead, go ahead and smash it on the floor
Feel free to destroy whatever we had and leave nothing behind.
Take whatever is left, and take it with you out the door
Take whatever you can salvage and leave, I won't hold you back.
See if I cry
I won't shed a tear over you leaving.
See if I shed a single sorry tear
I won't feel any remorse over the end of our relationship.
Can't say that it's been that great
Our relationship hasn't been wonderful.
No in fact it's been a wasted worried year
Our relationship has been a waste of time and full of anxiety and stress.
Everybody sees
Everyone is aware of our relationship troubles.
And everyone agrees
Everyone acknowledges that we are not well-suited for each other.
That you and I are wrong
We are not the right match for each other.
And it's been that way to long
Our relationship has been struggling for too long.
Take it as it comes
Deal with the situation as it presents itself.
And be thankful when it's done
Be grateful once our relationship comes to an end.
There's so many ways to act
There are many ways to handle the end of our relationship.
And there's many shades of black
There are many different possible outcomes.
Let it out, let it all out
Express yourself fully.
Say what's on your mind
Speak your truth.
You can kick and scream and shout and say things that are so unkind
You may act out and say hurtful things.
Yeah-see if I care, see if I stand firm or if I fall
I won't let your behavior affect me.
Cause in the back of my mind, and on the tip of my tongue
I know the truth about our relationship.
Is the answer to it all
The solution to our struggles is clear to me.
Yeah there's many shades of black
There are many possible ways for our relationship to end.
And it's been that way to long
Our relationship troubles have lasted for too long.
There's so many shades of black
There are many different possible outcomes for our relationship.
And there's many shades of black
There are many different possible outcomes for our relationship.
Yeah there's any shades of black
There are numerous potential ways for our relationship to conclude.
There's so many shades of black
There are various possible conclusions for our relationship.
Yeah there's many shades of black
There are multiple potential outcomes for our relationship.
There's so many shades of black
There are countless possible outcomes for our relationship.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Brendan Benson, John Anthony White
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind