"The Black Rainbow"

Album Art by Bill Scoville.

**"The Black Rainbow"** is a song by the American rock band Coheed and Cambria. It is the eleventh track on their 2010 album *Year of the Black Rainbow*.

## Lyrics

**[Verse 1]**

You were all that we needed to believe in our doubt

The hurt we allowed

We had sworn to believe them

And scattered across our memories, found

You were all that we needed to believe in our doubt

The worst, I'm afraid, the hurt we allowed

We defied the lines and crossed

Into a great unknown, to read all the words we left out

**[Pre-Chorus]**

In all, we all are truly afraid

In all, we are of the one thing we can't be

In all, we all are truly afraid

Wishing that one day, we could be strong

**[Chorus]**

It's over... it's over, it's all coming apart

*(While you were sleeping, we were stealing your heart)*

It's over... it's over, it's all coming apart

*("Now I'll never let this go," I sang)*

It's over... it's over, it's all coming apart

*(While you were sleeping, we were stealing your heart)*

It's over... it's over, all coming apart

*("Now I'll never let this go," I sang)*

It's over... it's over, coming apart

*(While you were sleeping, we were stealing your heart)*

It's over... it's over, coming apart, coming apart

*("Now I'll never let this go," I sang)*

It's over... it's over, coming apart, you know

You know, you know, you know, you know

It's over... it's over, coming apart, it's over

*("Now I'll never let this go," I sang)*

It's over... it's over, it's over

*("Now I'll never let this go," I sang)*

It's over... it's over, now that it's coming apart

## Story Context

This song shares its name with Chapter 7. In this chapter, Ryan has defeated Marth and overnight, The Black Rainbow appears in the sky. This is considered by some to be a sign of favor from God, but by others to be an omen. The lines in the first (and only) verse probably show us insight into what happens on Bandelesh, where the Prise live. Since Ryan began his Mage War, the Prise were uncertain if they should intervene. The Rainbow's appearance in the sky (of which they held dominion) gives them the push they needed to believe Ryan was harming the Fence.

The pre-chorus is probably an insight into the various humans thoughts. Humans are scared, stupid creatures. They are weak. The Rainbow may scare them, but if they view it as a sign of favor, and believe in Ryan, they don't need to be any of those things.

Of course, the repeated chorus is probably Leonard and Pearl Hohenberger's point of view. Whatever the Rainbow represents, it is a sign that what's done is done. Their lives have already begun to come apart at this point in the story because Joseph has died and Pearl is despondent. Of course, we also have the line "While you were sleeping, we were stealing your heart" sung in the background. This is probably a reference to the latter end of the book when Leonard powers down Coheed and Cambria to put the virus in them and program the memory repression Inferno will have to use to hide the couple and Josephine away.

## Trivia

* Sanchez played the Synthesizers & Keyboard with Wes Styles.
* The line "While you were sleeping" is the title of Chapter 15.
* A reprisal of "One" is at the end of this track.

## References

1. ↑ Coheed and Cambria. Booklet. *Year of the Black Rainbow*, Columbia Records, 2010.
2. ↑ https://genius.com/Coheed-and-cambria-the-black-rainbow-lyrics