I think, personally, that this song (and the whole album) is either about how the 'Black Sheep Boy' is an aspect of all of us, how we all have some of him within our psyche, or that he is a type of person.
This really comes through, to me anyway, in this song. I think Will is describing all the aspects of him here; how the Black Sheep Boy can be a drug abuser ('A black sheep boy revolves over canyons and waterfalls. A black sheep boy dissolves in syringe or in a shower stall'), a romantic ('He says there's plenty of time to make you mine tonight, there's plenty of time to make you mine') with a love of life, or unwillingness to let it go ('He says there's plenty of ways to know you're not dying, all right. Hell, there's plenty of light still left in your eye').
He's a performer ('A black sheep boy grows horns, breathing smoke through his microphone. The airwaves stretch and they groan, bleeding, birthing his black diapason.'). He's universal, unspecific to the clothes your wear ('He says there's plenty of things to wear when you come to me, every color of sleeve to be rolled.') - clothing being indicative of the part of society in which you try to place yourself - and unspecific to language or national boundaries ('There are millions of rolling eyes that still cling to me. Every language of king is concerned.'). Perhaps rejecting religion, as he 'bawls' or shouts through the 'old holy song' written by a 'liar' who laughed as he composed it('So why did you bawl from the spell of some old holy song, that some liar laughed as he composed - ')
The Black Sheep Boy is there through the fun ('A black sheep boy dissolves in hot cream, in sweet moans') and the trauma ('in each dead bed and empty home'), he's within everything ('in each seething bacterium.'), but a destructive influence ('killing softly and serial'), and maybe physically or socially impressive; he has a presence ('he lifts his head, handsome, horned, magisterial'). He could be unexpected or surprising ('He's the smell of the moonlight wisteria')- got kinda stuck here I must admit, having not really smelled moonlight wisteria myself - and he's that feeling of the first time for anything and everything... (He's the thrill of the abecedarian.')
We all have to rely on him sometimes to get us through, whether he's within us or is an actual type of person ('See the muddy hoofprints where he carried you?').
But he's divisive, he causes upset or conflict; he's controversial (And there's plenty of ways to claim his crimes tonight, and there's plenty of things to do on his dime. And there's plenty of ways to wear his hide tonight. You've got yours and I've got mine'). He'll infuriate, frustrate and exhaust you but he's addictive; a magnetic, creative influence('So why did you flee? Don't you know you can't leave his control, only call all his wild works your own?').
And he knows you'll be back, despite the inevitable conflicts, despite what other people think of him - 'hated and damned' - to 'take them all on' and struggle with him. The Black Sheep Boy eventually becomes a Black Sheep Man, ready to make you his lamb, to shape the new breed of Black Sheep... ('So come back and well take them all on. So come back to your life on the lam. So come back to your old black sheep man. He says I am waiting on hoof and on hand. I am waiting, all hated and damned. I am waiting - I snort and I stamp. I am waiting, you know that I am, calmly waiting to make you my lamb.')
This all kind of fits with the whole rock-star thing, but I think all rock-stars are Black Sheep first and foremost anyway.
And that's what I think, anyway.
Sorry I kind of went on a bit, thanks to anyone who read it.
I think, personally, that this song (and the whole album) is either about how the 'Black Sheep Boy' is an aspect of all of us, how we all have some of him within our psyche, or that he is a type of person.
This really comes through, to me anyway, in this song. I think Will is describing all the aspects of him here; how the Black Sheep Boy can be a drug abuser ('A black sheep boy revolves over canyons and waterfalls. A black sheep boy dissolves in syringe or in a shower stall'), a romantic ('He says there's plenty of time to make you mine tonight, there's plenty of time to make you mine') with a love of life, or unwillingness to let it go ('He says there's plenty of ways to know you're not dying, all right. Hell, there's plenty of light still left in your eye').
He's a performer ('A black sheep boy grows horns, breathing smoke through his microphone. The airwaves stretch and they groan, bleeding, birthing his black diapason.'). He's universal, unspecific to the clothes your wear ('He says there's plenty of things to wear when you come to me, every color of sleeve to be rolled.') - clothing being indicative of the part of society in which you try to place yourself - and unspecific to language or national boundaries ('There are millions of rolling eyes that still cling to me. Every language of king is concerned.'). Perhaps rejecting religion, as he 'bawls' or shouts through the 'old holy song' written by a 'liar' who laughed as he composed it('So why did you bawl from the spell of some old holy song, that some liar laughed as he composed - ')
The Black Sheep Boy is there through the fun ('A black sheep boy dissolves in hot cream, in sweet moans') and the trauma ('in each dead bed and empty home'), he's within everything ('in each seething bacterium.'), but a destructive influence ('killing softly and serial'), and maybe physically or socially impressive; he has a presence ('he lifts his head, handsome, horned, magisterial'). He could be unexpected or surprising ('He's the smell of the moonlight wisteria')- got kinda stuck here I must admit, having not really smelled moonlight wisteria myself - and he's that feeling of the first time for anything and everything... (He's the thrill of the abecedarian.')
We all have to rely on him sometimes to get us through, whether he's within us or is an actual type of person ('See the muddy hoofprints where he carried you?').
But he's divisive, he causes upset or conflict; he's controversial (And there's plenty of ways to claim his crimes tonight, and there's plenty of things to do on his dime. And there's plenty of ways to wear his hide tonight. You've got yours and I've got mine'). He'll infuriate, frustrate and exhaust you but he's addictive; a magnetic, creative influence('So why did you flee? Don't you know you can't leave his control, only call all his wild works your own?').
And he knows you'll be back, despite the inevitable conflicts, despite what other people think of him - 'hated and damned' - to 'take them all on' and struggle with him. The Black Sheep Boy eventually becomes a Black Sheep Man, ready to make you his lamb, to shape the new breed of Black Sheep... ('So come back and well take them all on. So come back to your life on the lam. So come back to your old black sheep man. He says I am waiting on hoof and on hand. I am waiting, all hated and damned. I am waiting - I snort and I stamp. I am waiting, you know that I am, calmly waiting to make you my lamb.')
This all kind of fits with the whole rock-star thing, but I think all rock-stars are Black Sheep first and foremost anyway.
And that's what I think, anyway. Sorry I kind of went on a bit, thanks to anyone who read it.