Analysis of That Black Bat Licorice by Jack White

and this,

I mean, she's my baby

But she makes me get avuncular

And when my monkey is jumping

I got no time for making up to her

analysis

background information

Literary Devices:

• Repetition

• A castrum doloris is a building that holds coffins before funerals.
• May be referring to a hearse, a typically black car that carries coffins

What?

Behave yourself

Behave yourself

You need to behave yourself, boy

• Jack White has been associated with many bands, including, but not limited to, The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather, and The Upholsterers.

Central Message: Living under total control is no way to live.

Primary Literary Devices:

• Allusion
• Simile

These devices are used throughout the song to compare today's society to various subjects and establish how Jack White feels about it.

• Jack White is always working, and this has led to some lines of the song sharing his ideas directly. The line, "I fantasize about the hospital, the army, asylum, confinement, in prison, any place where there's a cot to clear my vision," is an example of this.

Yeah, she's built for speed

like a black castrum doloris

• "That Black Bat Licorice" was written in 2014. There were no significant political events at this time that impacted the song; Jack White simply wrote what was on his mind as part of a new album.

LYRICS

Literary Devices:

• Allusion
• Simile

• A voice can be heard repeatedly telling Jack White to "behave himself"
• This could be saying that we are constantly being controlled

analysis

background information

analysis

Literary Devices:

• Allusion
• Simile
• Irony

Good for the needy, like Nietzsche, Freud, and Horace

But I'm skinflint, broke, making no money, making jokes

But baby, I won't joke with you

Whatever you feed me

I feed you right back

But it will do no good

• Nietzche, Freud, and Horace were philosophers who did nothing to help the needy
• A skinflint is someone who dislikes spending money.
• By saying that he is making no money and making jokes, Jack White is implying that the poor are never taken seriously.

That Black Bat Licorice

Jack white

• "My feet are burning" may be referring to the idiom, "to hotfoot it," which means to run away.
• A hypocaust was a system of underfloor heating used by the Romans that utilized hot air.
• The Romans changed their name, but they are still around today in a different way

When I need to know, I play dumb like Columbo

And get my feelings hurt and move to New York like I'm Dumbo

Don't you want to lose the part of the brain that has opinions?

To not even know what you are doing, or care about yourself or your species in the billions

Yeah, I have to spit it out

Oh, whatever's in my mouth

I have to spit it out (behave your self)

Just like that Black Bat Licorice

That Black Bat Licorice

That Black Bat Licorice, I never liked it, I never will

Now state the same damn thing with the violin

My feet are burning like a Roman hypocaust

But the Romans are gone, they changed their name because they lost

Literary Devices:

• Allusion
• Simile
• Idiom

LYRICS

analysis

LYRICS

Literary Devices:

• Allusion
• Simile
• Personification

She writes letters like a Jack Chick comic

Just a bunch of propaganda, make my fingers histrionic; like this, and this,

My feet are burning like a Roman hypocaust

But the Romans are gone, they changed their name because they lost

She writes letters like a Jack Chick comic

Just a bunch of propaganda, make my fingers histrionic; like this,

What?

Behave yourself

Behave yourself

You need to behave yourself, boy

Yeah, she's built for speed like a black castrum doloris

Good for the needy, like Nietzsche, Freud and Horace

But I'm skinflint, broke, making no money, making jokes

But baby, I won't joke with you

• Jack Chick is a comic book artist who writes comics that promote religious beliefs through the use of propaganda.
• The word histrionic means "overly theatrical or melodramatic in character or style." Since his fingers can't overact by themselves, this is an example of personification.

I spit it out

Whatever's in my mouth

Just like that Black Bat Licorice

Yeah, that Black Bat Licorice

That Black Bat Licorice

That Black Bat Licorice

Yeah

I wanna cut out my tongue and let you hold onto it for me

Cause without my skill to amplify my sounds it might get boring

I've got the wit of the staircase with atomic clock precision

And the phases of the moon directing all of my decisions like this

I fantasize about the hospital

The army, asylum, confinement, in prison

Any place where there's a cot to clear my vision

• Avuncular means "of or relating to an uncle." In some situations, exclaming "Uncle!" is a sign of submission.
• The third line is alluding to the nursery rhyme, "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed."

I mean, she's my baby

But she makes me get avuncular

And when my monkey is jumping

I got no time for making up to her

http://genius.com/Jack-white-that-black-bat-licorice-lyrics

http://www.biography.com/people/jack-white-20631851#recent-projects

Literary Devices:

• Allusion

analysis

SourceS

analysis

Literary Devices:

• Allusion

• To "hold your tongue" is to refrain from speaking.
• As a singer, Jack White's main purpose is to make words interesting. When a higher power is controlling his words and opinions, he can no longer do this.

Literary Devices:

• Symbolism
• Repetition
• Idiom
• Allusion

I spit it out

Whatever's in my mouth

Just like that Black Bat Licorice

Yeah, that Black Bat Licorice

That Black Bat Licorice

That Black Bat Licorice

Yeah

I've got the wit of the staircase with atomic clock precision

And the phases of the moon directing all of my decisions like this

• Columbo was a TV detective who pretended to not know much so that criminals would be more open with him.
• Dumbo is a shy and sensitive elephant from the movie of the same name.
• Jack White pretends to not know anything in order to get information, and he is usually not happy with what he hears.

Conclusion

• It's important to not let anyone control everything about your life.

• Speak your mind about issues instead of simply accepting them.

• The world would be drastically different if nobody rebelled against tyrannical rule.

• "That Black Bat Licorice" reminds us that our lives are ours to live, and we can make our own decisions.

I wanna cut out my tongue and let you hold onto it for me

Cause without my skill to amplify my sounds it might get boring

• "The wit of the staircase" is alluding to the French idiom, l'esprit de l'escalier.
• An atomic clock is extremely accurate. This line could mean that Jack White always knows the perfect response to everything or that he never knows what to say until it's too late.
• The phases of the moon are relatively consistent, meaning that Jack White is always being controlled in most aspects of his life.

• This is alluding to a brand of licorice.
• "Spit it out" is an idiom that means to say something.
• Black licorice is bitter compared to most candy. It's used as a symbol in this song for the negative things that we're forced to ingest daily.
• Jack White speaks his mind about issues instead of remaining silent

Literary Devices:

• Idiom

When I need to know, I play dumb like Columbo

And get my feelings hurt and move to New York like I'm Dumbo

Literary Devices:

• Allusion

analysis