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Black Wings Lyrics
Well take an eye for an eye
A tooth for a tooth
Just like they say in the Bible
Well never leave a trace
Or forget a face
Of any man at the table
Any man at the table
When the moon is a cold chisel dagger
And it's sharp enough to draw blood from a stone
He rides through your dreams on a coach and horses
And the fence posts in the moonlight
Look like bones
Well they stopped trying to hold him
With mortar, stone and chain
He broke out of every prison
Well the boots mount the staircase
The door is flung back open
He's not there for he has risen
He's not there for he has risen
Some say he once killed a man with a guitar string
He's been seen at the table with kings
Well he once saved a baby from drowndin'
There are those that say beneath his coat there are wings
Well some say they fear him
Well some say they fear him
Others admire him
Because his steel's his promise
But one look in his eye
And everyone denies
Ever having met him
Ever having met him
He can turn himself into a stranger
Well they broke a lot of canes on his hide
He was born away in a cornfield
A fever beats in his head just like a drum inside
Some say they fear him
Others admire him
Because he steals his promise
One look in his eye
Everyone denies
Ever having met him
Ever having met him
Ever having met him
Ever having met him
Ever having met him
Ever having met him
Ever having met him
A tooth for a tooth
Just like they say in the Bible
Well never leave a trace
Or forget a face
Of any man at the table
Any man at the table
When the moon is a cold chisel dagger
And it's sharp enough to draw blood from a stone
He rides through your dreams on a coach and horses
And the fence posts in the moonlight
Look like bones
With mortar, stone and chain
He broke out of every prison
Well the boots mount the staircase
The door is flung back open
He's not there for he has risen
He's not there for he has risen
He's been seen at the table with kings
Well he once saved a baby from drowndin'
There are those that say beneath his coat there are wings
Well some say they fear him
Others admire him
Because his steel's his promise
But one look in his eye
And everyone denies
Ever having met him
Ever having met him
Well they broke a lot of canes on his hide
He was born away in a cornfield
A fever beats in his head just like a drum inside
Some say they fear him
Others admire him
Because he steals his promise
One look in his eye
Everyone denies
Ever having met him
Ever having met him
Ever having met him
Ever having met him
Ever having met him
Ever having met him
Ever having met him
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This song is mixed cultural metaphors for death around the world. This is also the first that I ever heard from Tom and was hooked afterwards.
@davbro2906 how did death save a baby from drowning? Does it imply the baby was being drowned or that the release of death was ‘saving’ it from the torture of drowning?
@davbro2906 how did death save a baby from drowning? Does it imply the baby was being drowned or that the release of death was ‘saving’ it from the torture of drowning?
You know what this song is about?
It's about Batman.
I think this song is about William Tell.
I think this song is about William Tell.
Not so much what this song is about, but more what's about this song. It really reminds me of the movie No Country For Old Men, more particularly the creepy assassin.
This song always reminds me of Randall Flagg. lol
black wings is the ultimate avenger. everyone who has ever crossed him has been screwed over, but he'll save an innocent baby from drowning
Pure and simple, this is about death and it's inevitability and the all pervasive dread that it inspires. People try to avoid death, try to act like it's never touched their lives, try to beat it back but it always wins in the end. When a person's number is up, it's up.
@thirstymuse wow so well said. I love how literal Tom comes across, despite all the profound underlying meanings hidden within. Thanks for giving me a new appreciation for this song!
@thirstymuse wow so well said. I love how literal Tom comes across, despite all the profound underlying meanings hidden within. Thanks for giving me a new appreciation for this song!
Anyone have any idea what the phrase "steals his promise" means? I've never heard it before...
The lyrics are written;"Because steel's his promise". Not trying to split hairs-maybe a typo,but it is an od phrase that I have never heard before either.
The lyrics are written;"Because steel's his promise". Not trying to split hairs-maybe a typo,but it is an od phrase that I have never heard before either.
OK, "steel" makes way more sense than "steal." I guess the idea is that when he makes a promise, it's as firm as steel and some people admire him for that.
OK, "steel" makes way more sense than "steal." I guess the idea is that when he makes a promise, it's as firm as steel and some people admire him for that.
@TheSoberPirate to steel one's promise is to fulfill the promise with the power of the sword,
@TheSoberPirate to steel one's promise is to fulfill the promise with the power of the sword,
This is the story of Jesus, as retold by Tom Waits. It is the Gospel of Tom Waits. There are some very solid clues, specifically: (1) "He has risen," which is the Easter mantra [technically "he is risen"]; (2) the acceptance and eventual denial of Jesus by Peter, which is described at the end of the song; and (3) the beginning of the last stanza, which states that he was born "away in a cornfield" when "manger" is the word that would have rhymed with "stranger."
@brando39: I agree with the Biblical clues, though I take a little different slant. But one of the great things about the best songwriters is that they can sometimes write something so mysterious that many different ideas can flow from the same lyrics, depending on the listener. I think your explication is a good one.
@brando39: I agree with the Biblical clues, though I take a little different slant. But one of the great things about the best songwriters is that they can sometimes write something so mysterious that many different ideas can flow from the same lyrics, depending on the listener. I think your explication is a good one.
First time i head this song I thought it was about Batman.
I once heard it was about Noriega, dictator of Panama.