Black tar
| Black tar | |
|---|---|
| Original Title | Black tar |
| Composer(s) | Hiroyuki Sawano |
| Vocals | mpi (singing) David Whitaker (rap) |
| Language | English |
| Length | 6:07 |
| Used in | Xenoblade Chronicles X Tetris 99 |
Black tar, sometimes capitalised as Black Tar, is Disc 2, Track 1 on the XenobladeX Original Soundtrack.
The song plays when engaged in combat with a regular enemy: the first half of the song plays in ground combat while the second half plays in Skell combat. The first half also plays in the following story fights, as well as the cutscenes immediately prior:
- The Origin Blatta in the Prologue.
- The Tainted Caro in Chapter 6.
- The Arrow Germivores in Close Comrades.
- The Marnucks in Spy Games.
- The Shallows Grex and Greedy Forfex in Nine Lives.
- The Barking Simius in Chapter 13 (Act 2).
It also plays in battle against the Rexoskell during the Time Attack Mission Gone Berserk, as well as against the following enemies in Squad Missions:
- The Rexoskell during Corporate Espionage.
- The Ictus during Carried Away.
- The Levitath during Odd Symbiosis.
- The Greedy Millesaur during Hunting the Headless.
The second half plays as the battle theme against the Ares during A Hero's Trial.
For a full list of enemies which use the track as a battle theme, see here.
In Tetris 99[edit]
In Tetris 99, if the player uses the Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition themed skin, Black tar plays as the background music in-game. The first half of the song plays when there are between 99 and 51 players remaining, and the second half plays when there are between 50 and 11 remaining.
Lyrics[edit]
Part 1[edit]
(Whitaker)
Not even a distant land
We're stuck on a whole different planet
No peace lookin' at the sky
Trouble's always all around so we stay quick with the guns and cannons
Standing as long as we can until we get all Dolls up
Then call all bets off
We'll blow through your tar
Dealing with lives messed up
On a sea of dark matter
Every minute matters
Living while other lives shatter
Seeing ghosts scatter
As they pour out
We can handle them
It's the tar taking over that came unexpected
Hard to accept it
Getting marked for death
Seeing friends snatched and darkly possessed
The tar inside stealing the body and breath
Till only a shell is left
Witness to Hell in the flesh
A Fight to the death
Screaming Where's the relief?
Maybe no more sleep
All swallowed in grief
Images Start to stalk like a beast
I hear voices but no one talking to me…
(mpi)
It's like I'm washing away
All my peaceful days
Anyway Anyhow
Nothing left of that scene
If you are losing your way
You need some protection
Black tar, it gets you
Where ever you go
They could find you quickly, it's sticky
However you try to tough it out
You just can't beat them
(Whitaker)
They said seek to find the field So we can sharpen skills
But Now we can only feel
All The pain of the danger being real
And we may have to kill
Just to stay alive
Cause They've taken away close mates
And we don't know our own fates
We've been tasked to protect and take on ghosts
But now this black tar is new
And the damage is quick
It moves really fast
Plus it covers everything
This wasn't in the profile
So Now We've got to find a way to win or we die out
Living life on the run
With a hand on a gun
Where's the exits
We can't go back where we came from
We can't go back where we came from
Part 2[edit]
(mpi)
Get armed, Don't look back
Shoot them with your guns
Yes, Get up, Don't give up
Shoot them
All the power you got
(Whitaker)
Hello…? Is this thing on? Am I all alone?
Is anyone there?
I need a bigger gun Help if you can
Please wake me up
Not to sound cliché
But this world sucks!
(mpi)
So close it's a voice I'm hearing
Overwhelms me, Can't stop bleeding
Show me, show me, show me, show me, show me, show me, in the fog
How many times you gotta kill your friends?
How do you feel you gotta shoot their head?
Just like the endless war, war, war
How do I know?
This goddamn stuff is all around
How can I get out?
This nightmare I've got to escape
Just screaming
You hear them over and over
You will get running
So we can find the way to get out
(Whitaker)
We're stuck on a different planet
A lot more than we can manage
But we gotta keep on standing
We're stuck on a different planet
A lot more than we can manage
But we gotta keep on standing
Just want live in peace yet
Black tar's gonna keep us restless
Running just to own our own breaths
Just want live in peace yet
Black tar's gonna keep us restless
Running just to keep our own breaths
People are dripping black tar
It's taken a ship down so far
Don't wanna lose hope
But here we are
Wishing to see the sunrise
But the sun doesn't rise in this sky
Black Tar covers most eyes
Credits[edit]
Lyrics: mpi/David Whitaker
Music: Hiroyuki Sawano
Vocal: mpi
Rap: David Whitaker
Keyboards & Programming: Hiroyuki Sawano
Drums: Yu "masshoi" Yamauchi
Bass: Toshino Tanabe
Guitars: Hiroshi Iimuro
Trivia[edit]
- In the closed captions of the overview trailer for the Definitive Edition as uploaded by Nintendo of America, this track is transcribed as "[grandiose rock music]", "[vocals rapping in background]", and — despite the piece being sung entirely in English — "[Japanese vocals singing in background]".