Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
Black cat John Brown, your time will come
Big yellow eyes, full moon is rising
Black cat John Brown, your time will come
Windows and fences, you'll take no risk
You catch the world, big open eyes
You catch some berries from trees that reach the sky
You'll get older, you can't catch time
You'll have a good life and then you'll die
Black cat John Brown, your time will come
Big yellow eyes, full moon is rising
Black cat John Brown, your time will come
Windows and fences, you'll take no risk
Big yellow eyes, full moon is rising
Black cat John Brown, your time will come
Windows and fences, you'll take no risk
You catch the world, big open eyes
You catch some berries from trees that reach the sky
You'll get older, you can't catch time
You'll have a good life and then you'll die
Black cat John Brown, your time will come
Big yellow eyes, full moon is rising
Black cat John Brown, your time will come
Windows and fences, you'll take no risk
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Step
Ministry
Ministry
Techno Ted
Audioslave
Audioslave
Techno Ted may be a person who caused Chris incredible emotional pain & trepidation as well as moments of peace & happiness but now is removed and awaiting his fate. Darling may be a different person who is also free of him and can live her life free of Ted's tyranny. "In between all the laughing, and daydreams ... lies: a desert of truth" Lies are like a desert or the omission of Truth: Where there were Lies then Truth was absent. The song, "Techno Ted", may be a cathartic celebration of the downfall of this person.
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
The full moon represents the height of a circlular rythm but is also connected to witchcraft rituals
My Interpretation: John Brown, who is a violent insurgent against slavery (the status-quo at the time) is a "black cat": an unpleasant omen for the ruling white class of changing times and eventually the civil war. Since Brown was himself white but fighting for the rights of the black slaves, the adjective "black" gains another meaning. Further associations are "the black panthers" (panther = cat) and "black sheep". His "big yellow eyes" represent his hope for a brighter future - which is asserted with the words "full moon is rising" (=his time is coming). The image of the big yellow eyes is mirrored in the image of the full moon, signifying that his hopes are not illusory. Now for the next lines I assume one has to have intricate knowledge of Brown's biography. Cats usually jump through windows and over fences but they can also be obstacles that require risk taking. "You catch the world, big open eyes" suggests that 1) he understands the world correctly by being open and receiving (in opposition to being judgemental) and 2) gaining followers for his cause and eventually drawing the "whole world" (here the USA) into his cause (leading to civil war). Catching some "berries from trees that reach the sky" signifies that he accomplishes something extraordinary, truely grand, dignified and/or honorable - which probably refers to his impact in the struggle for human equality. The next line, however, sets a limit to this greatness: he is a cat (human) that gets older (=weaker, less impactful) and eventually dies. He had a positive impact ("a good life") but couldn't "fix" inequality and slavery in his lifetime (which cannot be expected of a single person).
love the sound of this no idea what could be about..
According to Wikipedia "Singer Ralph Mulders wrote "Black Cat John Brown" inspired by a black cat that frequented his house." So maybe it's just about a random black cat :D Though the question of the oddly specific name remains. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Cat_John_Brown