For a long time, I didn’t give The Black Keys lyrics much thought. I was all about the music. For some reason the lyrics seemed less important.
Then I found the excellent Lucid Dreams blog. Scott, who runs the site and is clearly a fan of The Black Keys, posts a band’s lyrics with an image. The image and words contrast and concentrate your thinking. It caused me to start looking at the lyrics of The Black Keys again.
Dan Auerbach, who writes all The Black Keys lyrics, has noted in many interviews that he is growing in confidence with his lyrics. One might even argue his recent solo album is the best example of his lyrics. In all his lyrics there’s a continual focus of loss, heartbreak, distance, girls, lurking, and being on the fringe and not fitting in. All good blues themes.
Interestingly enough I don’t think there’s one overtly political song lyric in The Black Keys’ catalogue.
As an aside, it’s quite interesting that people often quote this part of the lyric from ‘When The Lights Go Out’ on Twitter. It’s such an evocative phrase:
you know what the sun’s all about
when the lights go out
My favourite Black Keys lyrics would have to be ‘The Lengths’. Lucid Dreams has other lyrics that other’s might also consider as some of the better lyrics including ‘When The Lights Go Out’, Memories Of Night’, ‘Midnight In Her Eyes’, and ‘Elevator’ .
What are your favourite lyrics?
The Lengths
tell me where you’re goin or
what is going wrong
I felt you leavin before
you’d even gone
and hold me now
or never ever hold me again
no more talk
can take me away from this pain I’m in
see the moonlight shinin on
your window pane
see it leave you as
faithful as it came
please yourself so you
don’t have to be afraid
make amends
or carry on another way
tell me what you were thinkin
to treat somebody so
the care he took the
lengths to which he’d go
coals are hot to walk
across without your shoes
but in the end
know that you got nothin to lose
Related posts:
- The Black Keys Leavin Trunk vs Keep It Hid Song Lyrics
- Blakroc Lyrics
- Professional Fan Made Video Of The Black Keys’ Everlasting Light Song
- The Black Keys iTunes Essentials
- No Trust: The Reoccurrence of the “Crazy Bitch” in The Black Keys’ Lyrics
Want to discuss The Black Keys with other fans? Check out The Black Keys Fan Lounge Forum here
THEIR LYRICS ARE AMAZING!
I’m really loving “All You Ever Wanted” right now, and “Things Ain’t Like They Used To Be.”
I am a huge Black Keys fan…however, I am not familiar with the song “Memories of Night”. I would love to get my hands on it…is it from an EP or just not released in the U.S.?
My favorite lyrics would have to be “Breaks”, “The Lengths”, and “Flash of Silver”.
@erin Memories of Night is not a Black keys song (as far as I know).
It’s not referenced as such on the post on Lucid Dreams
[...] July, 2009 by jadeluber In the post The Best Black Keys Song Lyrics it was noted pretty much all of Dan Auerbach’s lyrics are about life, love, or heartbreak. [...]
[...] of Dan’s lyrics revolve around this lurking dark side which we’ve previously covered on The Black Keys Fan [...]