I'm fairly certain this song deals with a young lady overcoming a heroin addiction. The lyrics seem pretty direct about that. "She never mentions the word 'addiction'...", "There's a smile when the pain comes, the pain's gonna make everything all right." The question is: Is this young lady seeing the angels after she shoots up, or are they trying to warn her to stop ruining her life? The line "lock of hair from a little boy" probably refers to a child she had but probably doesn't have custody of any more under the circumstances. This song has a lot to tell you if you think about it...

Remember this coming out in high school. Never realized how dark it was until I got my own addiction. Clean 4 years today

I’ll never forget this album. Came out when i was a senior at university. A lot happened that year 90-91. Some good, fiery, and some bad, a lot of heartache. This album perfectly encapsulates that time in my life.

Love this band. They give me vibes of Rolling Stones with a southern spin. Freaking awesome!

For a real treat check out the Crowes live album with Jimmy Page, they did nothing but Zep songs and its beyond good. i saw it live in Detroit and was in awe.

Love Black Crowes

Great song. Great vocals. 🎼🎶🎸🎵

🥰😔Been there, done that... this was and still is a song that inspires me.😊 "She keeps a lock of hair in her pocket and wears a cross around her neck"... For context: The hair was from a little boy (child was taken from her), and the cross is from "someone she has not met... not yet" (Jesus😉), It's about addiction, but more than anything it's about the human struggle. Anyway, beautiful song, and beautiful reaction Biz, as always... you rock!😎❤❤❤

Love this song 🖤

Saw these Georgia boys in Alpharetta, GA. Love them, and love this song.

Love this group. Chris Robinson has soul.

It is a story of addiction inspired by inescapable depression, and the resulting darkness she sinks into. ... very very sad reality for far too many !!! Some I once grew up with RIP. Very powerful song about a touchy subject that deserves a light shone on it.

Beautiful song. ☮️❤️😎

Ottawa Ontario. The black crows open for Robert plant. It was a great concert

Great reaction! My favorite concert of all time was seeing them open for Tom Petty in 2005. ❤

I think you would like some of the videos from the tour they did with Led Zeppelin 's Jimmy Page on stage with them.Lots of outstanding Zeppelin covers

Love this song 🎵 ❤️

Man I love this band...from day one! ✌❤

Love this song it is a heart felt song

Fantastic band, dig in

The Crowes are awesome at covering The Stones, Dylan and many great artists live. Their cover of the Velvet Underground's song Oh Sweet Nuthin' is one great example.

❤love this song❤ my fav of theirs.

Great song my man.

Call her out by her name!

The Black Crowes have lots of great songs. I hope you will explore them more.

Saw them live. What a great show!

" Seein Things "

Great tune... very soulful... love the acoustic guitar opening.

Yes black crows she talks to angels

At some point in her youth, my mother had a vision or vivid hallucination where she met and was spoken to by an angel, and she went to her grave believing that angels watch over us all. My faith was never that strong, so I've walked the line between skepticism and complete disbelief for most of my life. When I was a younger man & my mother was still alive, this was just a song that I occasionally heard on the radio; not a bad song, but not one that was especially meaningful to me on a personal level. Now that I'm in my 40's and my mother is gone, it hits me right in the gut. She never struggled with an addiction to any kind of hard drug, at least not as far as I know, but she came from a violent, unhappy home, and struggled with a great deal of spiritual pain because of it. I don't know if I really believe in angels, but I can understand why a person at the end of their hope would feel the need for one.

One my favorite bands

Love this song. 🙂

Biz, imagine this!! This Crowes debut album ( freakin masterpiece) came out of nowhere during a time when Metallica and Guns n Roses were the 2 biggest bands in the world. And Glam rock ( some call Hair metal) was still on top, but was starting its decent. And in the not so distant future, the grunge bands in Seattle were just starting to heat up and getting some airplay. So you got Glam and Thrash metal and Hard rock, with some Grunge all going on and the Crowes come out with this "Southern rock/Blues" album, and just STUNNED(in a good way) a lot of us rockers. We were like WTF, who in the hell are these guys?? It was an amazing time for all rock music ( each week you had a new favorite song). Also Biz, you were almost there with the meaning. Your 1st guess about addiction was right. The 2 brothers Chris and Rich( singer and guitar) wrote the song when they were still playing clubs in Atlanta. They kept seeing this girl at the club who always seemed a bit sad. But they didnt know her, she was just the source of inspiration ( they just used their imagination to what they thought this girl could be like). Also Biz, if you want the Crowes to take ya to "church" and you really wanna hear what Chris can do with his vocals.... check out "Seeing Things". Its from the same album that Talk to Angels is on ( plus the other 4 hit singles on this album. I dont use the word "masterpiece " a lot, but thats what this album is).

Top tier song from them. Honestly, that whole album, Shake Your Money Maker, is fire and would make for a good album reaction.

I think the hair is from her son and the addiction could be self harm (cutting). Sometimes pain drives people into spirituality (angels). That's how I read it anyway.

This song's subject matter is pretty dark, but sometimes it's good to have a thought provoking song. I think Chris Robinson is a great performer and a soulful vocalist. Even though they are a 90's era band, they always sounded more 70's to me. Yes more....

The cross is from someone she has not met, not yet, is Jesus.

This song reminds me of my daughter.

The vocal performance of this song is excellent, it gives you a throwback to some Rolling Stones feel. Great review and insights Biz.

I love and hate this song. When released, my sister was in the pits of hell of addiction. I couldn’t listen to it, it was her. Now, I appreciate this masterpiece for what it is. The Black Crows is a must rabbit hole. “Hard to Handle”

Crowes one of the last great Rock Bands IMO. Amazing debut album and the whole story…Listen to Jealous Again.

Seeing things is their best in my opinion

They are a great band. You need to do the song Remedy next.

Waiting to see them open for Aerosmith next year. Love the Black Crowes

❤❤

Addiction

Great tune. Takes me back to the early nineties every time I hear it. PS. Buffy was on the side of light.

❤😊

Pretty much sums up addiction all in one song.

Well I mean there's only one suggestion that would make sense... Hard to handle off the same first album. Peace!

seems like they skipped quite a bit of this song for the video. it's a great song and it's a shame it was cut up. was it because it's a disturbing subject?

Try Thorn in my Pride next.

I think you would love Mr Jones and Me by the Counting Crows. The Official Video ❤😊

I always felt it to be about a girl addicted to drugs so bad she's constantly toeing the line between life and death, from the point of the man that loves her, perhaps from afar. Also, a lot of people get the wrong idea about the lock of hair - it's an old fashioned tradition that mothers kept a lock of hair from their child's first haircut, as a momento. I did with mine, I guess people don't do it anymore. 🤷🏻‍♀️ So if she's carrying a lock of hair of a little boy, perhaps she has a child she's separated from, or perhaps he died. And the cross is from Jesus, who she's not met yet, but the way she's going, she might soon. It's a tragic situation any way you look at it. Legendary song, from an equally legendary album.

Hauntingly sad song😢

I think you interpret the lyrics perfectly, as usual. ❤️🎶🥰

The only two good things in her life that mean anything ,the cross and the lock of hair

The hair is from a little boy I believe she lost at some time or another the maybe stands for Jesus someone she has not met -not yet..........the little boy was her son........... there's a smile when the pain comes........ just my interpretation, Addiction 🎶

The hair is from a little boy...i would guess hers , maybe he died or she cant see him due to drugs anymore, the cross is around her neck is someone shes not met....yet , so maybe this is about spiritual help kicking the drugs. I loved this song when it came out and still do. No auto tune, no looping, no bull shit just great talent doing what they do :)

The hair is from her kid that she doesn’t have custody of anymore because of her addiction

My brother just stick to listening to the song and forgo your lyrics reading at the end ok lol..

All women keep a lock of hair from their kids like a first hair cut ,for memories

Have you the band Fuel Bad day ?

Sometimes we need dark.

The lock of hair refers to a lock of hair taken from someone she's loved and lost. It says "little boy", so I assume her son died. The cross refers to Jesus "someone she hasn't met...not yet"...."she smiles when the pain comes may refer to how a lot of people do things like cutting as the act sends a chemical to the brain that is pleasant if you're deeply depressed (which she clearly is). It refers to addiction, so I think that's clearly an issue...but I also think it's mental illness (the two are not mutually exclusive; often people try to self-medicate with whatever they can get their hands on). I don't know if she really talks to angels or it's a result of drugs and/or psychosis. This isn't a scary song to me. It's about a deeply disturbed girl. Very sad

Wherever those lyrics are from seem a little bit off

Lock of hair from a little boy, her child….the cross from someone she has not met, not yet….Jesus Christ

This band has me all confused. I love their hits but i dont care for their albums.

You kinda missed the point on this one Biz