Black Songtext / Lyric

(written by Will Oldham)



Black, you are my enemy

And I cannot get close to thee

Our life is ruled by enmity

And I can't weaken that

The only way that I can see

Is to hold you close to me

To love you for it's meant to be

I weaken your attack






Everything was lucked and downy

What was good was up from under

Until black, that awful tender

Came and popped my sense of wonder

All at once all eyes turned at him

Leaving me an unwatched body

And it sagged, my body's rib cage

Out from under ogler's study

Black was decomposing quickly

This was found offensive to me

His disrespect for life's proprieties

Made me scared he would destroy me



Black, you are my enemy

And I cannot get close to thee

Our life is ruled by enmity

And I can't weaken that

The only way that I can see

Is to hold you close to me

To love you for it's meant to be

I weaken your attack



So I thought I'd try to cut him

Try to force him 'neath my level

The only way to equal to him

Would be hit him with a shovel

But to really rise above him

That would be the final evil

So instead I asked the sucker

If he'd care to see my rooms

And as a friend and as a comrade

And all the things that these implied

I made him leave what it was that he had

Used to keep us unallied



Black, you are my enemy

And I cannot get close to thee

Our life is ruled by enmity

And I can't weaken that

The only way that I can see

Is to hold you close to me

To love you for it's meant to be

I weaken your attack



Now black and I we are together

Fairly just inseparable

And in the terriblest of weather

Our bonds are incorruptible



Black, you are my enemy

And I cannot get close to thee

Our life is ruled by enmity

And I can't weaken that

The only way that I can see

Is to hold you close to me

To love you for it's meant to be

I weaken your attack