Black, you are my enemy
And I cannot get close to thee.
A life is ruled by enmity,

And I can't weaken that.
The only way that I can see
Is to hold you close to me

And love you, for it's meant to be;
I weaken your attack.


Everything was looped and downy.
What was good was up from under,
Until black, that awful tender,

Came and bought my sense of wonder.
All at once all eyes turned at him,
Leaving me an unwatched body,

And it sagged my body's ribcage
Out from under oglers' study.
Black was decomposing quickly;

This was found offensive to me.
This disrespect for life's proprieties
Made me scared he would destroy me.


Black, you are my enemy
And I cannot get close to thee.

A life is ruled by enmity,
And I can't weaken that.
The only way that I can see

Is to hold you close to me:
To love you, for it's meant to be;
I weaken your attack.


So I thought I'd try to cut him,
Try to force him 'neath my level.

The only way to equal to him
Would be hit him with a shovel.
But to really rise above him...

That would be the final evil.
So, instead, I asked the sucker
If he cared to see my rooms,

And as a friend, and as a comrade,
And all the things that these imply
Made him leave what it was that he had

Used to keep us unallied.

Black, you are my enemy

And I cannot get close to thee.
A life is ruled by enmity,
And I can't weaken that.

The only way that I can see
Is to hold you close to me:
To love you for it's meant to be;

I weaken your attack.

Now black and I, we are together:

Fairly just inseparable,
And in the terriblest of weather
Our bond is incorruptible.


Black, you are my enemy
And I cannot get close to thee.

Our life is ruled by enmity,
And I can't weaken that.
The only way that I can see

Is to hold you close to me:
To love you, for it's meant to be;
I weaken your attack.