9 Meanings
Add Yours
Follow
Share
Q&A
Shampoo Lyrics
Sweep up, little sweeper boy
It's you who's got the wig on here
Sweep up, little sweeper boy, sweep up
Yellow is the color of my true love's crossbow
Yellow is the color of the sun
And black is the color of
A strangled rainbow
That's the color of my lung
Black is the color of my true love's arrow
That's the color of a human's blood
You got a shot o-o-o-of shampoo
Though it was made thirty years ago
Yeah, you still got a shot o-o-o-of shampoo
Though you were made twenty years ago
Speak up, little sweeper boy
They are hard of hearing
Anything that anyone has to say
Well, I say
Yellow is the color of my true love's crossbow
Yellow like the color of the sun
And, black is the color of
A strangled rainbow
Just the color of my lung
Black is the color of my true love's arrow
Exactly the color of my blood
But I don't want to die
I-I-I'll never die, tomorrow maybe (however dark tomorrow may be)
Above me a perfect square of sky
You are worth your weight in gold, you are worth your weight in sorrow, baby
Though you will never know why
It's you who's got the wig on here
Sweep up, little sweeper boy, sweep up
Yellow is the color of the sun
And black is the color of
A strangled rainbow
That's the color of my lung
Black is the color of my true love's arrow
That's the color of a human's blood
Though it was made thirty years ago
Yeah, you still got a shot o-o-o-of shampoo
Though you were made twenty years ago
They are hard of hearing
Anything that anyone has to say
Yellow is the color of my true love's crossbow
Yellow like the color of the sun
And, black is the color of
A strangled rainbow
Just the color of my lung
Black is the color of my true love's arrow
Exactly the color of my blood
I-I-I'll never die, tomorrow maybe (however dark tomorrow may be)
Above me a perfect square of sky
You are worth your weight in gold, you are worth your weight in sorrow, baby
Though you will never know why
Song Info
Submitted by
nausikaä On Mar 20, 2007
More Elvis Perkins in Dearland
While You Were Sleeping
It's Only Me
Sleep Sandwich
May day!
Ash Wednesday
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
I have a different version of the song (that I got off Daytrotter)
There is an extra verse that comes in after "my blood" and goes like this:
But I don't want to die, I'll never die, tomorrow maybe Above a near perfect square of sun You are worth your weight in gold you are worth your weight in sorrow baby though you will never know why
*equals I don't really know
I read in a review that the line was "But I don't want to die, however dark tomorrow may be" but I always heard "I'd rather die tomorrow maybe". In the live versions, you can hear it better. And I think "sun" is "sky"...but that's only because it rhymes with "why".
I read in a review that the line was "But I don't want to die, however dark tomorrow may be" but I always heard "I'd rather die tomorrow maybe". In the live versions, you can hear it better. And I think "sun" is "sky"...but that's only because it rhymes with "why".
What was the title of the track?
What was the title of the track?
Upon searching Daytrotter, I discovered only the following tracks:
Upon searching Daytrotter, I discovered only the following tracks:
Good Friday Emile's Vietnam in the Sky All the Night Without Love While You Were Sleeping
Good Friday Emile's Vietnam in the Sky All the Night Without Love While You Were Sleeping
If you have the live version it is slightly different though.
live version is better to me, he sings with more passion
Okay, so in one of his interviews he stated that this song is a metaphysical love song... so with that:
I think the shampoo he is referring too is the movie shampoo by Hal Ashby....since it was made in 1975......30 years ago in 2005......also in the live version he says "You've got a pretty good shot of starring in Shampoo"
The lyric "black is the colour of / a strangled rainbow / that's the colour of my loss" is just about the most awesome line ever.
I'm pretty sure the lyrics go as follows:
yellow is the color of my true love's crossbow yellow is the color of the sun black is the color of a strangled rainbow just the color of my lung black is the color of my true love's arrow just the color of a human's blood
this comes from the liner notes in the album
also, i think the meaning behind this song may have something to do with "shampoo" being a barber/hair salon. the narrator is telling the sweeper boy that he can has a chance to be more than what he is although he is young and "shampoo" has been around for 10 years longer than he has even been alive. it is beautiful lyrically regardless and whatever it means im in love.
is it just me, or is there an entire verse missing on all the internet lyrics...? or is that verse just in one version of the song? regardless, this is a beautiful song. i love the twist on the traditional "black is the color of my true love's hair" lyrics.
The lyrics are- Sweep up, little sweeper boy It's you who's got the wig on here Sweep up, little sweeper boy, sweep up
Yellow is the color of my true love's crossbow Yellow is the color of the sun And black is the color of A strangled rainbow That's the color of my lung Black is the color of my true love's arrow That's the color of a human's blood
You got a shot o-o-o-of shampoo Though it was made thirty years ago Yeah, you still got a shot o-o-o-of shampoo Though you were made twenty years ago
Speak up, little sweeper boy They are hard of hearing Anything that anyone has to say
Well, I say Yellow is the color of my true love's crossbow Yellow like the color of the sun And, black is the color of A strangled rainbow Just the color of my lung Black is the color of my true love's arrow Exactly the color of my blood
But I don't want to die H-h-h-however dark tomorrow may be Above me a perfect square of sky You are worth your weight in gold, you are worth your weight in sorrow, baby Though you will never know why