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Bull Black Nova Lyrics
It's in my hair, it's on my clothes
It's in the river, over the road
It's shining down, my angry star
Hanging off the hood of my car
Not going far, I'm not going far
It's coming down, they're coming up the shoulders
What have they found? I wonder if they know
I'm in a bull black Chevy Nova, silhouetted by the setting sun
This can't be undone, this can't be undone
If I am the one with blood on the sofa
Blood in the sink, blood in the trunk
High at the wheel of a bull black Nova
And I'm sorry as a setting sun
This can't be undone, can't be outrun
It's in my hair, there's blood in the sink
I can't calm down, I can't think
I keep calling, there's blood in the trunk
I can't calm down, pick up, pick up
It's in the river, over the road
It's shining down, my angry star
Hanging off the hood of my car
Not going far, I'm not going far
What have they found? I wonder if they know
I'm in a bull black Chevy Nova, silhouetted by the setting sun
This can't be undone, this can't be undone
Blood in the sink, blood in the trunk
High at the wheel of a bull black Nova
And I'm sorry as a setting sun
This can't be undone, can't be outrun
I can't calm down, I can't think
I keep calling, there's blood in the trunk
I can't calm down, pick up, pick up
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I'm so glad Wilco has done a song like this. As much as I loved Sky Blue Sky, there wasn't a ton of tension on that album. It was a pretty uplifting record, song-to-song. I love the uncomfortable intensity of this song. About a guy who is totally at the end of the line, realizes that the blood he's spilled is about to catch up to him in the worst way possible. He's lost control and has no hope of regaining it. The music and Jeff's vocal delivery combine perfectly to make the tension almost unbearable, even to the listener. I mean, I feel nervous just listening to this.
The tense feel of this song reminds me of the songs "A Mind Of Her Own" and "Never Leave A Job Half Done" by Pedro the Lion, a pair of songs in which the protagonist of the album's story kills his wife (the former) and then tries to "hide the evidence" (the latter). The difference is that character holds a "ends justifies the means" mentality, where the character in "Bull Black Nova" is obviously feeling convicted about what he's done.
The more I listen to this song, the more I love it.
This is an awesome song and the transition from this to the next two songs - You and I and You Never Know reveals Wilco's amazing range. I think that in the second to last verse the second "This can't be undone" is changed slightly to "This can't be outrun".
good call dude. nice ear
good call dude. nice ear
Thanks! Quick update :-)
Thanks! Quick update :-)
I saw in some of the pre-release publicity that Jeff Tweedy wrote this song from the perspective of a man who had just killed his wife during an emotional outburst. I think the song speaks to guilt and the "OMG, WTF have I done" awareness that comes after doing something so unspeakable.
I saw in some of the pre-release publicity that Jeff Tweedy wrote this song from the perspective of a man who had just killed his wife during an emotional outburst. I think the song speaks to guilt and the "OMG, WTF have I done" awareness that comes after doing something so unspeakable.
where did you read this?
where did you read this?
From Spin magazine: http://www.spin.com/articles/jeff-tweedy-wilcos-new-album-tour
From Spin magazine: http://www.spin.com/articles/jeff-tweedy-wilcos-new-album-tour
Sorry, it's "girlfriend", not "wife". Here's the quote:
Sorry, it's "girlfriend", not "wife". Here's the quote:
'Lyrically, the songwriter is exploring new ideas, too: "There are definitely more songs on this record that aren't directly from my experience. There's a song written from the point of view of a guy that just killed his girlfriend," Tweedy says of "Bull Black Nova," a track with a classic-rock feel. And on "You and I," a duet with "1234" songstress Feist, the pair play lovers singing about making a relationship work.'...
'Lyrically, the songwriter is exploring new ideas, too: "There are definitely more songs on this record that aren't directly from my experience. There's a song written from the point of view of a guy that just killed his girlfriend," Tweedy says of "Bull Black Nova," a track with a classic-rock feel. And on "You and I," a duet with "1234" songstress Feist, the pair play lovers singing about making a relationship work.'
Tweedy's commented that this is written from the point of view of a man who's just killed his girlfriend. Take from that what you will.
great song.. not 100% about my interpretation.. only been able to give it a couple of listens
I LOVE WILCO! (the Album)
Hit and run. The beat of the song "feels" like the uncontrollable heartbeat of guilt... "this can't be undone". Great song.
This will end up being Wilco's all time best song. How can you not be freaked out at the end of this thing? The music and Jeff are absolutely unbelievable here. I've never heard anything like it. I got chills the first time. It's like when you wake up from a nightmare, you just sit there and say "WOW!".
Similar subject matter as "Via Chicago".... right now this is the most interesting song, on a great album, I have not been so excited about a new record since "In Rainbows" ..... is it just me or did Jeff do Wilco(the song) on Cobert Report back in the fall?
this song's got some goddamn funk
I heard this song live at the Wiltern last week and it was incredible. The rhythm was just pounding like a loud, menacing muscle car gunning its engine down the highway. Probably some of the least cryptic Wilco lyrics out there--a man kills his girlfriend, goes on the lam, and starts to crack from the guilt.
ayup, killed her, metaphorically though, as in sabotage, pesky destructive old habits, that threaten to destroy him too, been there, both sides
makes me think of down by the river,
JT is a great songwriter, great voice, and has got himself a great band too