Black Eyed Dog

I think the viewpoints that the black eyed dog could be death or depression are accurate and I don't mean to dispute that, but I do think that the song is a song of struggle, perhaps against an inner darkness or unresolved conflict that Drake felt was best expressed as a "black eyed dog."

The verses about the dog wanting more seem to indicate that something is being asked of the singer that he doesn't want to give or feel that he can no longer give, perhaps the black eyed dog is representative of the battle against depression and Drake is giving up as he can no longer feed the animal that has fed off of him for so long.

I almost want to take the song further and imagine that the black eyed dog seemed menacing or threatening to Drake but, in fact, was offering him peace in death, taking him home as a dog that was a friend would do. In some ways Drake and the black eyed dog are friends as they seem to know one another, the dog wanting more and Drake simply not having anything left to give. Perhaps their is a bizarre sort of friendship there in that they know each other so well.

Such a dark, beautiful song.

The Black Eyed Dog is depression. This analogy has been used by others in the past. Here, the dog is familiar to Drake as the singer has experienced recurrent episodes of depression in the past and is dreading its inevitable return. Drake had a depressive mentality and in this song seems to be experiencing angst over the thought of aging, death, and loss.

I think it's more about the helplessness and despair that comes with his depression and the treatment.

I feel that the black dog is meant to represent what Deepak Chopra refers to as the 'shadow energy' or the part of the soul which has remenants of pain and suffering experience which have not yet been dealt with. As a result these shadow energies produce negative beor through the individual. As an astute subject of depression i'd assume that Drake had many shadow energies resting upon his sholders.. The specific difficulty he mentions in the song is his inability to cope with change and growth "I'm growing old and I wanna go home"

please stop references as ''black dog'' (that's a song from zeppelin) here we are talking about a black EYED dog

the black dog sounds like the grim reaper!

this song is about death, possibly suicide. very beautiful.

Isn't the black eyed dog actually depression rather than suicide? We he sings "the black eyed dog he called at my door" is he refereing to the onset of depression? However i think "A black eyed dog he called for more" is possibly about suicide.

Its a very moving song.

On the second Tanworth in Arden album, there is a great solo guitar version of Black Eyed Dog.

The most common animal people see on their death beds or in death hallucinations is a grey or black dog.