He bit your lip
And on the tip
Of your tongue
Was your view
The heavy belt
With how you felt
In ways
That tilted you

The paper cuts
From the love letter
You never gave him
Could not meet
Your new found meat
A misbehaving lie

Why
Why would you say sorry
Oh, why would you say
Why would you say

You said there
Was a nagging lack of smiles
Went dancing on your back
Tenderness a plenty book
That wasn't what you craved
His whole thin heart desire
Start to make demands
And he adored you
Would be a fool
To make your plans with her

Why would you say sorry
Oh, why would you
Why would you say sorry
Oh, why would you say sorry
Oh, why would you

When it's just one
Of many bullets
You will bite
While waiting
For a ray of light
Waiting
For a ray of light
Waiting
For a ray of light

The paper cuts
From the love letter
You never gave him
Could not meet
Your new found meat
A misbehaving lie

Why
Why would you say sorry
Oh, why would you
Why would you say sorry
Oh, why would you say sorry
Oh, why would you
Why would you say sorry


Lyrics submitted by olliemilton7, edited by cluelessalpaca

Black Plant Lyrics as written by Miles Kane Alex Turner

Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Black Plant song meanings
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10 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment

    The way I see it is that the guy rejected the girl ("He hadn't dealt with how you felt with ways that suited you") and so she tried to make up for it by having a load of one-night stands ("your new found needs for misbehaving") but they're not enough to make up for the fact she won't have him- ("Tenderness aplenty but that wasn't what you craved"), and so it all feels like a waste of time.

    Definitely by far my fave song off the album! The big string part at the end really makes it.

    Appers66on May 14, 2008   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning

    This song is called Black Plant because Alex & Miles compare a man with a plant a plant is black when it's withered so it needs "a ray of light" to be fine a man just needs love Black plant is about a boy and a girl involved in a relationship but they don't feel love... That's what I think... (sorry for my English, I'm from Argentina)

    catapulton November 21, 2009   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation

    Personal comment deleted

    [Edit: this is really personal and I would prefer it wasn't on the internet ]
    papercutg1rlon June 15, 2022   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    no comments on this one? hot damn its good

    fortune500bon April 30, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i'm probably completely wrong but i think this is kind of showing both sides of a relationship. i think the first couple of verses show the girls side and how she wanted something intimate and tender but didn't get what she wanted. then it goes on to the boys side where it shows the girl forced love on him but he didn't want that. he just wanted a fling of some sort. im probly wrong lol

    arcticmonkeyrobynon May 07, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I haven't entirely figured out why I think this song is about two different stories of adultery or cheating, but that's my theory..

    In the first verse, it seems like a girl cheated on her guy (she's been misbehaving), she told him and he is extremely pissed and probably told her to get lost (he hadn't deal with how you felt with ways that suited you). She wants to apologize to him by writing him a love letter, but she knows that letter is probably not going to work because she cheated, and that's that.

    The second verse is a man who is probably not feeling satisfied in his current relationship situation, hence, "tenderness aplenty, but that wasn't what you craved."

    So then temptation greets him like a naughty friend ("desire starts to make demands") and he strays, even thought he narrator warns him, "you'd be a fool to make your plans with her."

    So that's why the chorus says "why would you say sorry?" Can you really apologize after you've cheated and have your significant other understand where you're coming from? It's why the girl never sent the love letter; it wouldn't have made the guy feel any better! It's one of those few things you can honestly control and to do it is just wrong, so an apology after cheating is kind of worthless because you had a choice over what you were doing.

    I think "when it's just one of many bullets you will bite while waiting for a ray of light," means that after the guilt of cheating sets in, and they've apologized, they will sit there (in pain from the guilt) trying to justify their behavior.

    ...And I guess after all of that, I still have no clue why the song is called "Black Plant."

    bueller84on June 14, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I guess the name of the song is related to "waiting for a ray of light"...plants need light, right?

    probably I'm wrong...

    regina91on June 21, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i think this song is about a girl who is unsatisfied in a relationship, doesnt say anythin tho, keeps it in.

    "Got paper-cuts from the love letters you never gave him"

    • im not sure but way i see it this means that the fact that she isnt writing love letters & feeling the love that people have when going thru that phase of a relationship is the thing that's causing the "papercut" (pain) .

    she's starting to desire for more things, more than this seemingly tender relationship, something more risque.

    the "why would you say sorry" to me is the boy constantly apologising cos he thinks he's doing something wrong but the girl knows that he doesnt do anything wrong and thinking "why does he apologise"- it probs makes her feel worse.

    it cud be the girl apologising however as wotever he dus is not enuff and she cant love him back- and the boys not understanding why shes apologising, he's oblivious to how she rele feels- she douesnt love him!.

    i dont alf go on do i, my take on it :) dead well written this song is! xxx

    thelostriotson July 08, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i'm going with thelostriots, some girl who is unsatisfied with her relationship.

    great song

    MuisicallyJennyon January 10, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think Regina91 is right about the Black Plant needing light. I think the singer himself is asking 'Why would you say sorry?' because he is the other man and she has 'misbehaved' with him and she still is not realizing that she's not in love with her other man. Just my interpretation. I love this song and the whole cd!

    siamcaton April 02, 2009   Link

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