Black and Blue Again
"Black and Blue Again" is the fifth track on Paper Monsters.
Lyrics
I don't know where it is, I sure been there before
The thoughts in my head, I just can't describe
They're just too insane and they're all outside
All my apologies have been used up
All my words are not enough
I'm asking you on my knees
To look inside me, I'm black and blue again
I'm black and blue again
Do you remember we were such good friends
And now we're back in the ring and fighting again
The taste that's in my mouth you see
It's not very nice, screaming at you
There's tears in your eyes
All my apologies have been used up
All my words are not enough
I'm asking you on my knees
To look inside me, I'm black and blue again
I'm black and blue again
I'm not very nice
You said I'm not very nice
I'm not very nice
You said I'm not very nice
I'm not very nice
You see I'm not very nice
All my apologies have been used up
All my words are not enough
I'm asking you on my knees
To look inside me, I'm black and blue again
I'm black and blue again
Black and blue again
Black and blue again
I'm not very nice
You know I'm not very nice
You said I'm not very nice
Dave's Take
According to Dave, this was the most emotionally intense song to write. "I wrote all those words in a cab. I had just had a big fight with my wife. To me it's like a boxing match and I wrote these words like I was fighting, and there's a lot in there — we're back in the ring fighting again, fighting with myself, struggling to be in a relationship rather than dictate how a relationship should be. That song was hard because I really wanted to be honest. I wanted to tell it exactly as it was. I realised at the time I really wasn't very nice, hence the song title 'Black and Blue Again', just beating myself up — I do a much better job of that than anybody else."1
My Take
This is another very country/bluesy-sounding song that has Dave playing harmonica again as well as singing, and the overall instrumentation here is superb. I especially love the bass guitar line in this and the orchestral climax that occurs in the bridge. This song is obviously about a fight between two people, and you'd think with the words "black and blue," it would be referring to a physical fight, but it most definitely does not. Having an argument with someone you love is probably one of the most painful experiences, emotionally, and that experience is brought out in these words. It is scary to think that the people who know and love us the most are also capable of hurting us the most, but that's the way it is with relationships. Sometimes, actions or words that deeply affect us emotionally seem to take hold in our mind and we have a hard time letting them go. And they can continually haunt us, replaying in our minds over and over again. In Dave's case, it seemed to be being told that he was "not very nice." Also, I am intrigued to know what the "room with the two-way door" is referring to. The only two-way doors that I can think of are the swinging ones in bars and doggy-doors, which conjures up some humorous images.