The White Stripes

The White Stripes are a Grammy Award-winning American rock music duo from Detroit, composed of songwriter Jack White on guitar, piano, lead vocals, and Meg White on drums, percussion and vocals.

Song lyrics

All songs written and composed by Jack White, except where noted.

The White Stripes (1999)

"Sugar Never Tasted So Good"

Until her eyes crossed over
Until her mind crossed over
Until her soul fell next to me

"Wasting My Time"

And if I'm wasting my time
Then nothing could be better
Than hanging on the line
And waiting for an honest word forever

"Broken Bricks"

Written by Jack White and Stephen Gillis.

Just a rusty-coloured rain that drives a man insane

"Do"

And then my idols walk next to me
I look up at them, they fade away
It's a destruction of a mystery
The more i listen to what they say
So does that mean that there's no more doin'
And there's no more thinkin'
And there's no more feeling
'Cause there's no right opinion
So can you tell me what I'm supposed to do?

De Stijl (2000)

"Apple Blossom"

Come and tell me what you're thinking
'Cause just when the boat is sinking
A little light is blinking
And I will come and rescue you

"I'm Bound to Pack It Up"

I guess I'm just another runaway

"Sister, Do You Know My Name?"

And I don't wanna break the rules
'Cause I've broken them all before
But every time I see you
I wonder why
I don't break a couple rules so that you'll notice me

"Truth Doesn't Make a Noise"

You try to tell her what to do
And all she does is stare at you
Her stare is louder than your voice
Because truth doesn't make a noise

"A Boy's Best Friend"

My mind's already out of here

White Blood Cells (2001)

"Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground"

Soft hair and a velvet tongue
I wanna give you what you give to me
And every breath that is in your lungs
Is a tiny little gift to me

"Hotel Yorba"

It might sound silly
For me to think childish thoughts like these
But i'm so tired of acting tough
And I'm gonna do what I please
Let's get married
In a big cathedral by a priest
'Cause if I'm the man that you love the most
You could say "I do" at least

"I'm Finding It Harder to Be a Gentleman"

I never said that I wouldn't
Throw my jacket in the mud for you
But my father gave it to me so maybe I should carry you
Then you said "You almost dropped me" so then I did
And I got mud on my shoes

" Fell in Love with a Girl"

Fell in love with a girl
Fell in love once and almost completely
She's in love with the world
But sometimes these feelings can be so misleading
My left brain knows that all love is fleeting

"The Union Forever"

See also: Citizen Kane

It can't be love for there is no true love
Well, I'm sorry but I'm not interested in gold mines, oil wells, shipping, or real estate
What would I liked to have been? Everything you hate
There is a man—a certain man
And for the poor you may be sure that he'll do all he can
Who is this one? Who's favourite son?
Just by his action has the traction magnets on the run
Who likes to smoke, enjoys a joke,
And wouldn't get a bit upset if he were really broke
With wealth and fame, he's still the same
I'll bet you five you're not alive if you don't know his name

"Offend in Every Way"

I'm coming through the door, but they're expecting more
Of an interesting man, sometimes I think I can;
But how much can I fake? I'll speak until I break;
With every word I say, offend in every way

"I Think I Smell a Rat"

See also: Patrick Henry (who said "I smelt a rat")

All you little kids seem to think you know just where it's at
Oh, I think I smell a rat

"Now Mary"

What a season
To be beautiful
Without a reason

"I Can Learn"

No harm will come of this
One little midnight kiss

Elephant (2003)

"Seven Nation Army"

Don't wanna hear about it
Every single one's got a story to tell
Everyone knows about it
from the Queen of England to the Hounds of Hell
All the words are gonna bleed from me
And I will think no more

"Black Math"

Listen, master, can I ask you a question?
Is it the fingers or the brain that you're teaching this lesson?

"In the Cold, Cold Night"

I saw you standing in the corner
On the edge of a burning light
You make me feel a little older
Like a full grown woman might
But when you're gone I grow colder
Come to me again in the cold, cold night
I need the fuel to make my fire bright

"I Want to Be the Boy to Warm Your Mother's Heart"

I'm afraid to even open my eyes

"Ball and Biscuit"

It's quite possible that I'm your third man, girl
But it's a fact that I'm the seventh son

"The Hardest Button to Button"

I had opinions that didn't matter
I had a brain that felt like pancake batter

"Hypnotize"

I wanna hold your little hand if I can be so bold
And be your right-hand man 'til your hands get old
And then when all the feeling's gone
Just decide if you want to keep holding on
I want to hold your little hand if I can be so bold
If I can be so bold
If I can be so bold

"The Air Near My Fingers"

Life is so boring
It's really got me snoring
Well, don't you remember?
You told me in December
That a boy is not a man until he makes a stand
Will, I'm not a genius,
But maybe you'll remember this:
I never said I ever wanted to be a man

"Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine"

Well strip the bark right off a tree and just hand it this way
Don't even need a drink of water to make the headache go away
Give me a sugar pill and watch me just rattle down the street
Acetaminophen—you see the medicine—oh, girl
You have no faith in medicine

"Well It's True That We Love One Another"

I've got your phone number written in the back of my bible
Love really bores me

Get Behind Me Satan (2005)

"The Nurse"

The nurse should not be the one who puts salt in your wounds
But it's always with trust that the poison is fed with a spoon

"Forever for Her (Is Over for Me)"

I blew it
And if I knew what to do, then I'd do it
But the point that I have, I'll get to it
That forever for her is over for me
"Forever"—just the word that she said that means never
To be with another together
And with the weight of a feather it tore into me

"White Moon"

My friends are all dying
And death can't be lying
It's the truth and it don't make a noise

"As Ugly as I Seem"

I am as ugly as I seem
Worse than all your dreams
Can you believe some things are not
Appealing as a spot
On the ceiling of my childhood bedroom?
You wanna take away from me
Things that are mine and it's not your right
It's odd that you wouldn't expect a fight
Can it be that I don't want what you want?

"I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lonely Yet)"

I go down to the river
Filled with regret
I go down and I wonder
If there was any reason left
I left just before my lungs could get wet
I'm lonely, but I ain't that lonely yet

Icky Thump (2007)

"Icky Thump"

Icky thump with the lump in my throat
Grabbed my coat and I was freaking, I was ready to go
Yeah, I swear, beside the hair she had one white eye
One blank stare, lookin' up, lyin' there
Well, Americans, what?
Nothing better to do?
Why don't you kick yourself out?
You're an immigrant, too!

"Prickly Thorn, but Sweetly Worn"

One sound can hold back a thousand hands when the pipe plays a tune forlorn

"St. Andrew (This Battle Is in the Air)"

I travel backwards in ecstasy

"Little Cream Soda"

Now my mind is filled with rubber tires and forest fires and whether I'm a liar and lots of other situations where I don't know what to do, at which time God screams to me, "There's nothing left for me to tell you"

"Effect and Cause"

Well, in every complicated situation there's a human relation
Making sense of it all takes a whole lot of concentration
Well, you can blame the baby for her pregnant ma
And if there's one of these unavoidable laws
It's just that you can't just take the effect and make it the cause

Band quotes

Downtown Detroit has more vacant buildings over 10 storeys than any city in the world. Tons of skyscrapers with nothing in them. [The flag] is the idea of rooting for the underdog, because Detroit has such a bad reputation.
- Meg White, on why they included a Detroit flag in their stage set
- Cameron, Keith (March 28, 2003), "The sweetheart deal". The Guardian. Retrieved December 15, 2014.

That would break up the thing of vocals, guitar and drums. Somebody else there would bring this fourth component. If you're going to have four components, you might as well have 20, y'know?
- Jack White, on why they never considered having a bass player
- Cameron, Keith (March 28, 2003), "The sweetheart deal". The Guardian. Retrieved December 15, 2014.

About

The White Stripes were part of a wave of retro-minded young bands who gave rock music a much-needed jolt in the first few years of the 21st century, but they're less nostalgic bashers than a brilliant conceptual creation: a divorced Detroit couple who masqueraded as brother and sister, named themselves after their band (or vice versa), wore alternating white-and-red outfits, and rewired the blues for the new generation.
- Rolling Stone magazine
- No byline (2004). "Biography" The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (accessed March 26, 2007)

I like them, but I don't see how they're in any way a manifestation of the blues.
- John Mayer, in a 2004 Esquire column.
- Silverman, Steven (2004). "John Mayer Rocks the High School Prom" Rolling Stone magazine (accessed March 26, 2007)

External links

Encyclopedic article on The White Stripes on Wikipedia

Official website


Band		The White Stripes
Members		Jack White · Meg White
Studio albums		The White Stripes (1999) · De Stijl (2000) · White Blood Cells (2001) · Elephant (2003) · Get Behind Me Satan (2005) · Icky Thump (2007)