A sad love song, the lyrics narrate feelings of love at first sight and contentment. According to Kirsty, "Black Coffee" recalls how she met Bertarelli during a time when they did a lot of sailing near Sardinia and did not want to be elsewhere. Some of the lyrics suggest disharmony and bitterness during the relationship, chronicling more domestic scenarios such as chain smoking and drinking black coffee. The song also has a gender bender theme, encouraging women to make "the first move" instead of men.