Old Black Dawning

Song Meaning

The lyrics introduce a peculiar scene on "planet Mabel," where an entity struggles to stand despite its efforts. A recurring, ominous phrase, "Old black dawning is coming on," signals an approaching, inevitable shift. This opening establishes a tone of quirky struggle against an encroaching, dark future. Mabel's ambition is vast, attempting to "find the truth" and "colonize space," yet she's hampered by having "only had a few." This creates a poignant tension between immense aspiration and limited means. Despite her ultimate inability, the narrator notes "it was a good race," suggesting a validation of the effort itself, even in the face of an unyielding fate. The most striking element is the oxymoronic "Old black dawning." A dawning typically implies light and new beginnings, but here it's "black," suggesting an inverted start—a new day that brings darkness, or an end disguised as a beginning. This repeated phrase underscores an inescapable, almost perverse transformation. The narrator's shift to being "happy to Go down to old Tucson" after "had your fun" hints at a detached acceptance of cycles, contrasting with Mabel's struggle. The lyrics effectively blend cosmic ambition with earthly limitations, as Mabel's grand endeavors are met with an ambiguous, encroaching "black dawning." The later mention of the "Tower of Babel" story reinforces this theme of monumental human effort potentially leading to a confusing or fated outcome. This narrative choice leaves the listener contemplating the nature of progress, futility, and the kind of "new beginning" that arrives cloaked in darkness.