She Talks To Angels Seeing Things Black Crows

Seeing Things and She Talks To Angels
The Black Crowes

During VH1's The Black Crowes Storytellers, filmed at The Bottom Line in New York City on August 27, 1996, lead singer Chris Robinson explained that this song is not about one person, but rather a "hot dog" (as he put it) of people that they knew from the Atlanta club scene in their early days. "Not all the best parts" explained Chris, "or the best parts for you."

Chris says there was always a girl in the club scene back then with really dark makeup (like Siouxsie And The Banshees), and after thinking about her one day, he scribbled the lyric "she paints her eyes as black as night." He then went on to write an entire biography (completely made up, by the way) about her in the form of the song that then became "She Talks to Angels."

Chris Robinson, who wrote this song with his bandmate/brother Rich, he said: "'She Talks to Angels' is a funny song in that so many people resonate with it. The dark details like drugs and things like that would be a part of growing up and being in this world, but when I wrote that song I had no idea - I hadn't done any of those things. I hadn't lived that - everything was in my imagination."

The Christian band Third Day has a song about the Black Crowes that references this song and others. It's called "Black Bird" and imitates their style. The song says that Third Day really likes The Black Crowes music but that they essentially need Jesus in their lives. There is a lyric in "Black Bird" that says "You say to talk to angels, well I say it's such a lie."

Darius Rucker joined forces with The Black Crowes for a performance of "She Talks To Angels" at the 2023 CMT Music Awards.

The Hootie & The Blowfish frontman (and country star) credits the song for inspiring one of the band's biggest hits, "Let Her Cry." Rucker says Chris Robinson influenced the way he plays music, making the opportunity to perform with them even more special.

She never mentions the word addiction
In certain company
Yes, she'll tell you she's an orphan
After you meet her family

She paints her eyes as black as night now
Pulls those shades down tight
Yeah, she gives a smile when the pain comes
The pain gonna make everything alright

Says she talks to angels
They call her out by her name
Oh yeah, she talks to angels
Says they call her out by her name

She keeps a lock of hair in her pocket
She wears a cross around her neck
Yes, the hair is from a little boy
And the cross from someone she has not met, well, not yet

Says she talks to angels
Says they all know her name
Oh yeah, she talks to angels
Says they call her out by her name

She don't know no lover
None that I ever seen
Yeah, to her that ain't nothing
But to me it means, means everything

She paints her eyes as black as night now
She pulls those shades down tight
Oh yeah, there's a smile when the pain comes
The pain gonna make everything alright, alright yeah

She talks to angels
Says they call her out by her name
Oh yeah, angels
Call her out by her name
Oh-oh, angel
They call her out by her name
Oh, she talks to angels
They call her out, yeah, yeah
Call her out
Don't you know that they call her out by her name
Writer/s: Christopher Mark Robinson, Rich S. Robinson

Seeing Things

Find it hard to shed a tear
Brought it on yourself, my dear
And wrong, yes, I may be,
Don't leave a light on for me
'cause I ain't comin' home
It hurts me baby, to be alone
Yes, it hurts me baby.

One hundred years will never ease
There are days I won't believe
I saw it with my own two eyes
All the pain, I can't hide
And this pain, starts in my heart
And this love, tears us apart now!

Won't find me bent down, on my knees
Oh, yeah,
Ain't bending over backwards, not to please
Oh, no

'Cause I'm seeing things, for the first time
I'm seeing things, for the first time
I'm seeing things, for the first time
In my life
In my life, yeah

And oh how I used to dream
Of better days that never came
And sorry ain't nothing to me
I'm gone, and that's the way it must be

So please, I've done my time
Loving you is such a crime
You won't find me down, on my knees
Oh no no no
Won't find me over backwards, just to please
Oh, yeah

'Cause I'm seeing things, for the first time
I'm seeing things, for the first time
I'm seeing things, for the first time
In my life
In my life, yeah