The song began with Wyman playing organ at a recording session, in parody of the group's former co-manager Eric Easton, who had been an organist. Charlie Watts accompanied the organ by playing a vaguely Middle Eastern drum part; Watts' drum pattern became the basis for the final song. Brian Jones contributed the song's signature sitar riff (having taught himself to play after a visit with George Harrison) and acoustic guitar, and Jagger contributed the lyrics, seemingly about a man mourning his dead girlfriend. The lead electric guitar and the background vocals are provided by Richards. The piano is played by Jack Nitzsche, unfortunately not in any way related to Friedrich Nietzsche, the famous German philosopher.
The bass was also overdubbed by Bill Wyman playing on the bass pedals of a Hammond B3 organ.
Richards has stated in an interview that the song was not intended to have a comma in its title, and that this was added by the record label.
Paint It Black
The Rolling Stones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No colors 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 awayLike a new born baby, it just happens every day
I look inside myself and see my heart is black
I see my red door, I 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 settin' sun
My love will laugh with me before the mornin' comes
I see a red door and I want it painted black
No colors 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
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
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
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
Hmm, hmm, hmm
The Rolling Stones' hit "Paint It Black" released in 1966, deals with depression, loss, and the overwhelming need to shut out the world. The lyrics paint a picture of a person who experiences the world in shades of black, reflecting his inner turmoil. The song begins with the singer expressing a desire to have a red door painted black, while narrating that he sees the world in black and has no desire for colors. In his depression, he even wishes to blot out the sun from the sky.
The verse, 'I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes, I have to turn my head until my darkness goes,' is a reference to the endless human interactions that are overwhelming and exhausting to the singer, who wishes to turn away and escape into the darkness. The following lines, 'With flowers and my love, both never to come back,' suggest that the girls represent a memory of a lost love that he can't face. He talks about his heart being black, feeling hopeless, and wanting to fade away.
Throughout the song, he shows a sense of longing to escape his reality, and to find some kind of release from his agony. Only in the setting sun does he find brief respite where he is with his love and able to experience a fleeting moment of happiness before the morning comes again.
Line by Line Meaning
I see a red door and I want it painted black
I desire to paint a red door black
No colors anymore, I want them to turn black
I want everything to be black
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I observe women walking in their seasonal outfits
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
I avoid looking at them until my gloomy outlook subsides
I see a line of cars and they're all painted black
I see a procession of black automobiles
With flowers and my love, both never to come back
I reminisce about lost love with accompanying funeral bouquets
I see people turn their heads and quickly look away
Observers avert their gazes from the presented image
Like a new born baby, it just happens every day
This casual tragedy is an everyday occurrence
I look inside myself and see my heart is black
I realize my inner emotions are bleak
I see my red door, I must have it painted black
The door represents a need to erase the past by making it black
Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts
Perhaps the blackness will allow me to escape reality and its demands
It's not easy facing up, when your whole world is black
It is challenging to confront things when everything is bleak
No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue
The singer's ocean of possibilities is darkening
I could not foresee this thing happening to you
The singer is unexpected or incapable of anticipating an event regarding you
If I look hard enough into the settin' sun
If I concentrate enough on the setting sun
My love will laugh with me before the mornin' comes
My love will share joy with me by the morning
I wanna see it painted, painted black
I want it to be painted fully black
Black as night, black as coal
I want it to be as black as the darkest things
I wanna see the sun blotted out from the sky
I want the sun to be obscured from the sky
Yeah
An exclamation of agreement or enthusiasm
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, O/B/O DistroKid, Abkco Music Inc.
Written by: Keith Richards, Michael Jagger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kanadesato5905
I’m french, I have to make a présentation for my cinema class around this music.
I’ll have to sing it and act a scenario I wrote myself on the music.
This is about a musician that have his personnality and loves his art, but he got haters, that want him to stop wear read and want him to wear black instead.
At first he doesn’t care that much, but it hurt him that so many peoples want him to change so bad.
So he does. He paint his shirts in black, and the next concert he appears in black, acting like he’s never been better, but he’s not really fine.
And at the end he sits alone and regret his past himself.
I’ll cover myself in true black paint (gouache) tomorrow, wish me good luck ! ⭐️🩸⚫️
@Wisstihrwas
I was first a metalhead/ rocker wearing boots, all in black until i was 17. Then i changed completely, cutting my hear wearing new aera caps, participating in battlerap events.
Now im 32 enjoying them both for what they are. Both music styles are part of the same full circle. Ying and Yang if you wanna use that analogy.
Both cultures emerged from a life of hardship, poorness and living on the streets (in opposite to like classic music being played in ballrooms of monarchs). Rap took more the Ying way of handling or lets say comverting that struggle into something to be proud of. That certain attitude that sepperates you from the rest, which you trained yourself in in order to come out of all this as a winner/ a fighter/ a survivor etc. This is the theme of so many famous rap songs from Grandmaster Fleshs 'dont push me, cauz im close to the edge, im trying not to lose my head and'..forgot the actual name of the song, to Ice Cubes 'Gangsta Rap made me do it' or of course 'Attitude' from NWA.
Now Rock on the other hand takes the exact contrary as its standpoint. It goes fully into Yang energy. Yes, we all live a life of hardship and poorness, yes maybe we die tomorrow. But it is what it is. Gotta understand this for what it is. Song like 'sympathy for the devil' from the stones or 'paradise' by the german punk rock band Tote Hosen sum up this quite nicely. In the last song the singer goes like 'i dont wanna go to parasdise when they way there is that harsh. If you all just blindly follow and endure this all, you can go by yourself'. Amazing song lyrically. Because it sums up the whole struggle of existence in westerner ethos so nicely.
But in the end these style are like one. The both wanna transcibt or basic experience of being on this planet. And both want you to in the end feel a little better about it ❤ Thats what its all about, aint it?
@surplusbus9269
People usually fail to understand just how early the Rolling Stones were.
This song came out in the 60's! Can you imagine how it felt to hear a song like this in a decade when people were still listening to Elvis?
@pagion3169
You mean the time where racism is so bad that people got killed?
@arazgar5684
It was a sing that was enjoyed by American soldiers in Vietnam
@arazgar5684
Song
@bluesteel8376
People still listen to Elvis.
@nikkingman
@@bluesteel8376 your mom listens to Elvis
@SalMiniYo
The first 7 seconds of this song are so haunting and immediately draw you into the song. Brian Jones was a genius instrumentalist. In 50 years people will still be listening to The Rolling Stones and appreciating their genius.
@cath_kitty5246
Definitely! He learnt to play the sitar specially for this song. That Indian instrument gives to the song its peculiar and unique sound.
@elenikorkodelaki2695
@@cath_kitty5246 Always remember BRIAN JONES the founder of the Rolling Stones 🙏👏👏👏
@abrammazariegos5985
"Haunting" isn't a good phrase to explain that intro that shit is just plain "amazing" or "enchanting" would be the best word