Lyrics for Paint It Black as interpreted by hermelinus

Paint It Black Lyrics
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 newborn baby it just happens every day

I look inside myself and see my heart is black
I see my red door and it has been 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 seagull turn a deeper blue
I could not foresee this thing happening to you

If I look hard enough into the setting sun
My love will laugh with me before the morning 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

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!

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LividMonkey
11-10-2009

Rated 0 
I always thought the song was about the loss of a loved one. This is exemplified by the line "With flowers and my love both never to come back." I thought the red door was symbolic of the doors of a church. So, the line "I see my red door and it has been painted black" is about losing his faith. What I'm confused about is "I see people turn their heads and quickly look away." I thought this had something to do with Vietnam and how people treated the soldiers back then. If that was the case, then this is not about a wife or girlfriend. It could be about a father. It could be from a female's point of view. It could even be about a friend. I think that line has given the impression of Vietnam, however, and is why it is in so many Vietnam War movies.

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peytonlovesthewho
10-30-2009

Rated 0 
it is a political statement

saying that colours arent enough to make this world good

nice clothes arent going to make things better

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peytonlovesthewho
10-30-2009

Rated 0 
it is a political statement

saying that colours arent enough to make this world good

nice clothes arent going to make things better

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catiegrace
10-10-2009

Rated 0 
the guy is a rapist.

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benecjt
10-02-2009

Rated +1 
This is about a guy who lost his love, most likely from death. He sees a line of black cars, which most likely refer to a funeral procession. He is in despair and depression and sees the whole world as black, which matches his feelings. He does not want to be consoled, he does not want color in his life. He wants everything black to match how he feels.

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NANNY
06-15-2009

Rated +1 
I honestly think this song could be about a pedophile trying to resist his inner urges. Metaphors are going on in this song.

"I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes"

Should be the most obvious one.

"I see people turn their heads and quickly look away
Like a newborn baby it just happens every day"

Is another obvious one.

"I look inside myself and see my heart is black
I see my red door and it has been painted black"

His heart is black, so obviously there's some evil within him. And red door painted black could be interpreted as his once untouched home has now been marked with a child predator sign.

And he's also longing for the world to be the same as him so he doesn't have to feel ashamed.

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1 Reply
RDCO
06-14-2009

Rated 0 
Well, do you know asian culture?
Do you know what a red door means there?

Or a line of cblack cars? (Well, this one is more obvious)

My point here, for those who know the meanings, is that this is also about REVENGE!

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musesmannequin1732
02-22-2009

Rated 0 
Is it just me, or is the 5th stanza supposed to say "I see my red door and must have it painted black"?

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1 Reply
setanta1
01-25-2009

Rated 0 
Vietnam war? Nope the only thing that even remotely links the song to communism is the colour red. Thats it. Even then the use of the colour in the song doesnt imply communism.
Red, a vibrant colour, the colour of blood, the colour of passion, of love.

It is pretty clear from the song that he has lost a loved one. And pretty finally at that. The use of black implies death and depression.

So what have we got.... Death of a loved one.
A row of cars all black - funeral cortege.
He couldnt foresee this event happening - not murder.
Wants to blot out red with black - he doesnt want to see happiness, life, passion around him whilst his loved one is dead. It mocks him, how can life continue when such a person is gone?
A broken man who cant stop crying.
Seagull symbolising his soul/heart..?..... nevermore will his unwell/broken (green) heart become tranquil and content (blue)


"If I look hard enough into the setting sun
My love will laugh with me before the morning comes"

... a suggestion that his own suicide is possible tonight. Setting sun, The end of light, life. The coming of the dark and death. And in death a reunion.



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khiasmos
01-05-2009

Rated 0 
Let's not forget that this is during the pychedelic sixties - changing colors, green to blue, wow man - and this song is a counterpoint to a lot of the exuberance of that period. Seagulls, and all other sorts of fowl, were common in pschedelic iconography. Does it represent a particular person, the one who is missing, or make reference to an event in his life? In any case, the song announces the end of the hippy iconography with all of its colors and (often chintzy) metaphors.

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2 Replies
setanta1
12-30-2008

Rated 0 
Gimodon
".... Also the "like a new born baby" thing means he cries everyday like a newborn baby does "

tip top reasoning for this line. It also explains why people turn their heads and quickly look away out of embarrassment re a grown man crying.

Yup a man loses a wife/girlfriend/lover and is now plumbing the depths of despair.
Red is the colour of passion, of blood, life perhaps?! These he wants drowned out in death black.

He cant stand looking at other girls, either because it reminds him of his loss or because of guilt - betrayal of the loved one that he even deigns to glance at them.

As for:
"No more will my green seagull turn a deeper blue"

any ideas??
Seagull = freedom??
Blue = tranquility??
Green = ???

Or a green seagull turning a deeper blue....
Transistion from land to sea? Whats that represent??!!


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spicyeli43
12-23-2008

Rated 0 
depression after the death of a loved one. having dark / distorted feelings about life and surroundings. symbolizing the color black of his rage and misery. sees everything as "black" or saddening or making him angry or think dark thoughts.

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Gimodon
12-10-2008

Rated 0 
Its about depression I think. Also the "like a new born baby" thing means he cries everyday like a newborn baby does

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khiasmos
10-25-2008

Rated 0 
This doesn't have anything to do (I suppose at least ...) with the song but it is interesting to compare its lyrics with "confessions of an English Opium-eater" by Thomas De Quincy (1821). About his first dream - the end of the book - "...the deaths of those whom I love ..is more affectiong in summer....I find impossible to banish the thoughts of death when I'm walking alone in the endless days of summer." Then at the end of the dream, "thick darkness had come upon me."

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lannyxox
10-22-2008

Rated 0 
if you know anything about the bible...I believe it was the old testament..
I can't remember the whole story , but the town had to paint with blood on their doors for an evening to prevent the angel of death from killing their first born child.
I think this is what he may mean by "red door"...he may want the angel to just take him and not bother try to survive anymore

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mmh41593
09-30-2008

Rated 0 
Its about Vietnam. Red door referring to Communist Vietnam. Line of cars could be funeral precession. Then depression.

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NunyaBiz
07-29-2008

Rated 0 
It's a pretty easy meaning, if you don't think too hard.

It's easy to get when he says the following:

'I see a line of cars and they're all painted black
With flowers and my love both never to come back'

Line of black cars = MIGHT be a funeral
Flowers and love both not coming back = It is a funeral; when a person is in viewing, they usually have flowers in their hand. Also, at the actual funeral, loved ones throw flowers on top of the casket before it's lowered in the ground. As the girl is dead, the flowers will soon be, too.

'I see people turn their heads and quickly look away
Like a newborn baby it just happens every day '

People just realize deaths happen everyday but still feel sorry for him.

'I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes'

The girls in their summer clothes, all happy, remind him of his lost love.

Well. That's what I got, anyway.

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amymonkey
07-03-2008

Rated 0 
A lot of Episcopalian churches have red doors. Episcopalians are the American version of the Church of England, or Anglican church.

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friskitty
06-02-2008

Rated 0 
I don't have time to read all 7 pages so if some one posted this already, I apologize. But I think this song is about depression, for what ever reason I don't know. The few posts that I read I heard people speculating about the "red door, painted black" In China, red doors are for good luck. By painting it black you take the good luck away. Some times you are in a big enough funk that you just want to stay depressed.

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Klaudia89
05-26-2008

Rated 0 
I haven't read all the comments, but in my opinion this song is showing what feels the man after his love loss. He sees everything in black colours, nothing seems to make him happy. He cannot look at the beauty because it's bringing him down. What used to make him happy doesn't make him happy anymore, he is isolating from the world.

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Stangg
05-22-2008

Rated 0 
Anyone here think he is talking about suicide with...

"If I look hard enough into the setting sun
My love will laugh with me before the morning comes"

Kind of a hey, I will be laughing with her in a little bit kind of message. As in I will be going where she is going.

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letmeknow
05-22-2008

Rated 0 
i take a sixties class at school and we discussed this song for a whole lesson lol
we came to the conclusion that its basically about someone whos girlfriend has died and he thinks hes somehow responsible and he is really depressed and wants to commit suicide
'If I look hard enough into the setting sun
My love will laugh with me before the morning comes'

we were also stuck for ages on the line 'No more will my green sea turn a deeper blue' but finally said that when the sea is cloudy its green and when its blue its all clear, a metaphor for life?

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Hobbling
05-20-2008

Rated 0 
The greatest song of all time.

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MagentaMSI
03-30-2008

Rated 0 
He definitely refers to a funeral procession. Black line of cars, flowers.
He sees the girls in their cheery outfits, and is reminded and has to look away. He want everything to be black and as despressing as he feels.

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alltimehigh105
03-26-2008

Rated 0 
proof of vietnam
the sun
duuuuh

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!

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