The Beat of Black Wings Lyrics
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Johnny Angel
Johnny Angel
[Verse 1]
I met a young soldier
He said his name was Killer Kyle
He was shakin' all over
Like a night-frightened child
This is his story
It's a tough one for me to sing
Hard as the squawk and the flap
And the beat of, the beat of black wings
[Refrain]
Johnny Angel
Johnny Angel
Johnny Angel
[Verse 2]
"They gave me a gun," he said
"They gave me a mission
For the power and the glory
Propaganda, piss on 'em
There's a war zone inside me
I can feel things exploding
I can't even hear the fucking music playing
For the beat of
The beat of black wings."
Johnny Angel
Johnny Angel
Johnny Angel
[Verse 3]
He said, "I never had nothin'
Nothin' I could believe in
My girl killed our unborn child
Without even grievin'!
I put my hands on her belly
To feel the kid kickin', damn!
She'd been to some clinic
Oh, the beat of black wings."
[Refrain]
Johnny Angel
Johnny Angel
Johnny Angel
[Verse 4]
"They want you, they need you
They train you to kill
To be a pin on some map
Some vicarious thrill
The old hate the young
That's the whole heartless thing
The old pick the wars
We die in 'em
To the beat of, the beat of black wings."
Johnny Angel
Johnny Angel
Johnny Angel
[Verse 5]
There's a man drawing pictures
On the sidewalk with chalk
Just as fast as he draws 'em
Rain come down and wash 'em off
"Keep the drinks comin' girl
'Til I can't feel anything
I'm just a chalk mark in a rainstorm
I'm just the beat of black wings."
[Outro]
Johnny Angel
Johnny Angel
Johnny Angel
About
Janet Jackson’s “The Beat of Black Wings” is a cover of Joni Mitchell’s song of the same name. The song, recorded during sessions for The Velvet Rope, tells the story of a Vietnam vet suffering from PTSD. It was originally intended for a Joni Mitchell tribute album which was shelved and the song remains unreleased, though it leaked to the internet in 2006.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
In a 1997 profile with Billboard, Janet recounted the process of securing the Joni Mitchell sample on “Got ‘Til It’s Gone”. She added:
Jackson’s communication with Mitchell subsequently led to an invitation for her to record a song for a tribute album to the singer-songwriter titled A Case of Joni. “Joni called and asked me to be on her tribute album. She said, ‘I read in an interview that you were a fan. So I want to know if you want to do this song.’” “I chose to cover ‘Beat of Black Wings’ (from 1988’s Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm) on the tribute album because Joni was amazing on that song, and it really touched me,” said Jackson. She also called it “a great, great honor,” adding that “her lyrics are an education.”
Years earlier, Janet mentioned the song in a 1993 cover story with Rolling Stone:
It is a long ride back to the beach house. The traffic’s brutal as we creep along across the city streets, crawl up the freeways. Talked out, Janet slips in a Joni Mitchell tape, Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm. “Listen to this,” she implores. “This is another song that turned me around.” Mitchell sings “The Beat of Black Wings,” a song about a soldier whose soul has been wiped out by the brutality of war. “Songs like this,” says Janet, “made me take music seriously.”
