Lyrics for Black And White Town as interpreted by minkydave

Black And White Town Lyrics
Here comes the action
Here it comes at last
Lord give me a reaction
Lord give me a chance

You should follow me down

Satellite towns
Colour in your sound
I've been ten feet underground
Gotta get out of this satellite town

Here comes some action
The sound of nightlife
Gotta get out to get conversation
Gotta get out to get pissed tonight

whether you live alone
or your trying to find your way in this world
You better make sure you don't crack your head on the pavement man
You getta get up and shout
It's been programmed
It's a dangerous place man
It's a dangerous place

You should follow your way down

Satellite towns
There's no colour in your sound
I've been ten feet underground
Oh black and white town

You should follow me down

There's no colour in your sound
In black and white town

You took me underground
In black and white town


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KyleeF
07-16-2009

Rated 0 
To me, I know it's a lot different of an interpretation, but I like to think of it as living in a boring "black and white" town, having nothing to do but get pissed and have conversation.

"It's a dangerous place man" to me means that kids have nothing else to do, but get in fights, and just hit random people going by.. "the sound of nightlife" is wanting to live in a place with a decent nightlife, and knowing you'll get it eventually, when you leave, so you can guarentee it, so you can hear it, but not actually physically be there, or, see it..

Epic video(s) too.

I only interpret it like that because this is what my towns like at the moment.. two more years until i'm moving to England or over the other side of Australia..



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delhoya
03-11-2009

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It's definitely him growing up in his depressing sattelite town and eventually escaping to live in the city. He is trying to convince someone else to get out as well. The line: "you took me underground in a black and white town" is his attack on this person who was trying to drag him down into the doldrums of the sattelite town (or black and white town) before he got out.

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Llij27
01-23-2009

Rated 0 
This was the first Doves song I ever heard and even before I really paid attention to the lyrics I said this reminds me of living in the city (I live/grew up in the city) and the music alone tells the story of the song. Ironically enough this song is talking about cities. I liek when he says " you took me underground in a black and white town" reminds me of people Ive met that show me the different side of the city.

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shmortisborg
12-20-2007

Rated 0 
spot on, luisagiffard, this is Heatwave. But they made it something new, and I love it.

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GrungyBeatle
08-24-2007

Rated 0 
the lyrics are:

Here comes some action
First time in my life
I gotta get up to get compensation
I gotta get up to get this to light

Anyway, I think the song has a soulful feel to it, thats why i gravitate to it.

I totally get the meaning of the song:

he lives in a satellitte town, you know those towns where's there's nothing but industrial jobs and no city lights, etc. This is in the chorus.

Then the verses are about how he wants some city action,, like the color and lights bring life to him. Then someone warns him about the city being "a dangerous place, man"
Also he doesn"t want to be ft underground in a black and white town...

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fairweathermatthew
08-24-2007

Rated 0 
I'm pretty sure its:

'I gotta get up to get compensation
I gotta get up to get this to light'

Rather then:

'Gotta get out to get conversation
Gotta get out to get pissed tonight'

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g03648
03-19-2007

Rated 0 
The 'Satellite town' refers to Wilmslow, a town in cheshire, south of Manchester.

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richeye
12-12-2006

Rated 0 
Surely these lyrics, as posted by minkydave, are wrong? I always thought the second verse began:

'In satellite towns,
There's no colour and no sound...'

And the third verse began:

'Here comes some action,
First time in my life...'

Or have I been wrong all this time?

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louisagiffard
09-09-2006

Rated 0 
Here's some stuff:
This song is inspired by Heatwave by Martha and the Vandellas. You can really pick up the similarities with a bit of parallel listening. I also read in an interview that it's about watching a new and exciting city on a broken television (with black & white and no sound.) The members of Doves lived in satellite towns to Manchester, so it's personal experience

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louisagiffard
08-18-2006

Rated 0 
This song is fantastic. I just got Some Cities yesterday - it's officially the first CD I have ever owned.
I've got a question. What's "satellite towns"?
Elbow mention them too in their song Forget Myself. Is it a Manchester thing or something?

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AdanaC
06-14-2006

Rated 0 
I think it can be about anyone living in any town(big or small) so it can easily relate to anyone. Cities change people and he's trying to escape the change and follow his own path. Also about how teenagers grow up in a town and how they're always trying to make their lives interesting by looking for conversations and for trouble cause they're so bored(black and white). There's no color in the towns you're growing up in you've been there for so long...

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HighTea
02-11-2006

Rated 0 
Ruing a mundane existence in what is a working class town/suburb (I dont think there's a distinction).

I think it's kind of reminiscent of the film Human Traffic, with much less of a focus on drugs and 'the scene', more on the 'slave to the wage' theme. Like that weekly event - or whatever it is - that keeps you going, despite the 9-5 drag. Perhaps trying to work your way out of the life too.

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robomalpa1
12-18-2005

Rated 0 
I think this song has a lot of soul, especially in the chorus. If you don't beleave me, listen again until you find that void. It's this void that doesn't make it into many songs nowadays, we need it back. Quality dude, Quality.

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anna118k
12-18-2005

Rated 0 
I sort of agree with gish05. It sounds like he is talking to somebody though. Seems like he recognizes that somebody else is bored ("colorless") and he's inviting him/her to go with him elsewhere... he's got the chance and now he's gotta act and take advantage of it.

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Fantails
10-09-2005

Rated 0 
I love this song and i agree with gish05.

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drjayphd
09-30-2005

Rated 0 
gish05 for the win. Sounds much more like it's about the suburbs and not actually proper cities.

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gish05
09-17-2005

Rated 0 
Black and White town is a song for someone trying to get out of or simply deal with a boring town where there's not much to do, and as a result it is driving them crazy. Many people can relate to this song. I know I can.

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KrOnicK
07-16-2005

Rated 0 
i like the solo, its simple but it fits this song perfectly

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parabola 17
07-04-2005

Rated 0 
saw them supportin for Oasis last night fuckin amazin' Manchester Music city

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ironlung
03-17-2005

Rated 0 
I listened to this song over the last 24 hours for a total of 6 hours or more on repeat. There is something about it that I haven't got tired of yet. It just gives me a great feeling when listening to it. It makes me think of Manchester, where Doves are from, which I got to visit last year. The "oooh"s, synthesizer sounds, and the vocals also reminds me of Tears for Fears. Great song.

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tsucol
03-08-2005

Rated 0 
I love the "oooh oooh ooh oooooooooh" It's so orgasmic.

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minkydave
02-27-2005

Rated 0 
The black and white town lyrics refer to images of that apperaed on the television in black and white, being watched in the 'satellite towns' around manchester, with the city promising all the colour and sound.

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pantsuit
02-27-2005

Rated 0 
I believe the song (in reference to the video) is exposing the "chav" culture in the U.K. in a patronizingly superior manner.

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graceb005
02-20-2005

Rated 0 
I like this song alot, and the video is so real.

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ditzbag
02-20-2005

Rated 0 
isn't it about how life is so diiferent for the differnt races? "in balck and white town" or hav i got this completly wrong ?
well anyway...it's a gr8 song, so who cares !

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