Black Crow Blues
Townes Van Zandt Lyrics


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Babe, don't lie l[G]onesome after I'm [Am]gone


Don't mourn your y[G]oung life a[Am]way


Just l[Dm]ower me down with a [G]prayer and a [Am]song

[G]Just ?fore the breaking of [Am]day


[G]Just ?fore the breaking of [Am]day





END

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Townes Van Zandt's Black Crow Blues convey a sense of leaving, loss, and acceptance. The song's message is for the singer's lover not to be lonely after he's gone. He doesn't want her to mourn her youth, but instead, to commemorate him with a prayer and a song just before daybreak. The lyrics imply that death, which is likely what the song refers to, is something that can be accepted without sadness or despair.


The refrain, "Just 'fore the breaking of day," is repeated twice, creating a sense of finality and inevitability. This repetition is also a metaphor for the finality of death, and for the idea that things must come to an end. The singer's message is not one of sorrow or anger, but one of acceptance, that emphasizes the importance of making peace with one's mortality.


Overall, Black Crow Blues is a timeless song that speaks to the inevitability of mortality and the importance of acceptance. Townes Van Zandt's words evoke a sense of loneliness and finality, but also of simplicity and peace.


Line by Line Meaning

Babe, don't lie lonesome after I'm gone
My love, do not feel lonely or desolate after I depart from this world.


Don't mourn your young life away
Do not grieve too much over my departure and let it hinder the course of your young life.


Just lower me down with a prayer and a song
Simply lay me to rest with a prayer and a melodious song.


Just 'fore the breaking of day
It would be best to lower me in my final resting place just before the break of day.


Just 'fore the breaking of day
It would be best to lower me in my final resting place just before the break of day.




Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: VAN ZANDT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@GameOverScy7he

I just started listening to Townes Van Zandt and I have to say this is my favorite song so far.

@bivvystridents3752

This song fucking hits hard.

@bernardoflaherty938

Thanks to josh ritter i listen to this man

@WeltSchmerz1349

Did someone else come here from the cover version by Begotten (Depressive Black Metal from Canada)?

@SecretGerms

sure did

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