Paint It Black
The Rolling Stones Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

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

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 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

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

Overall Meaning

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, Abkco Music Inc.
Written by: Keith Richards, Michael Jagger

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

Greg Halder


on 2000 Light Years From Home

Totally underrated track and album..

More Versions