400 Lux by Lorde Lyrics Meaning – Unraveling the Suburban Symphony
Lyrics
Can I kill it with you?
‘Til the veins run red and blue
We come around here all the time
Got a lot to not do, let me kill it with you
You pick me up and take me home again
Head out the window again
We’re hollow like the bottles that we drain
You drape your wrists over the steering wheel
Pulses can drive from here
We might be hollow, but we’re brave
(And I like you)
I love these roads where the houses don’t change (and I like you)
Where we can talk like there’s something to say (and I like you)
I’m glad that we stopped kissing the tar on the highway (and I like you)
We move in the tree streets
I’d like it if you stayed
Now we’re wearing long sleeves
And the heating comes on
(You buy me orange juice)
We’re getting good at this
Dreams of clean teeth
I can tell that you’re tired
But you keep the car on
While you’re waiting out front
You pick me up and take me home again
Head out the window again
We’re hollow like the bottles that we drain
You drape your wrists over the steering wheel
Pulses can drive from here
We might be hollow, but we’re brave
(And I like you)
I love these roads where the houses don’t change (and I like you)
Where we can talk like there’s something to say (and I like you)
I’m glad that we stopped kissing the tar on the highway (and I like you)
We move in the tree streets
I’d like it if you stayed
We’re never done with killing time
Can I kill it with you?
‘Til the veins run red and blue
We come around here all the time
Got a lot to not do, let me kill it with you
(And I like you)
I love these roads where the houses don’t change (and I like you)
Where we can talk like there’s something to say (and I like you)
I’m glad that we stopped kissing the tar on the highway (and I like you)
We move in the tree streets
I’d like it if you stayed
And I like you
And I like you
And I like you
The song ‘400 Lux’ by Lorde is a subtle ode to suburban ennui and the complexities of adolescence. With its hypnotic beats and Lorde’s emblematic lyrical prowess, the track off her debut album ‘Pure Heroine’ encapsulates the listlessness and yearning for companionship that often accompanies the teenage years.
Beneath its deceptively simple surface, ‘400 Lux’ offers a nuanced look into the ordinary lives of young individuals seeking connection amid the mundanity of daily life. It’s a portrait painted with the intimacy of shared moments, casting a warm glow over the seemingly unremarkable.
Time Killing as a Teenage Ritual
The opening lines ‘We’re never done with killing time / Can I kill it with you?’ reveals a fundamental aspect of youthful existence – the abundant stretches of unscheduled time and the desire to share it with someone significant. Lorde’s casual proposal to ‘kill time’ speaks to a universally relatable sentiment, where the act of doing nothing becomes a cherished communal ritual.
Throughout ‘400 Lux’, the repetitive nature of this act serves as a metaphor for the recurring cycles of teenage life, where time is both an enemy and an ally, always plentiful yet perpetually escaping.
The Intimacy of the Car Ride
Cars and driving are recurring themes in Lorde’s narrative, symbolizing both a literal and metaphorical journey. In the context of ‘400 Lux’, the car becomes a vessel of intimacy, a private world where conversations can flow more freely and where being ‘hollow like the bottles that we drain’ isn’t a negation of character, but a shared state to be embraced.
The act of draping wrists over the steering wheel and the humming background of a running engine, signify comfort in silence and proximity, and the physicality of the setting heightens the emotional connection between Lorde and her companion.
Orange Juice and Long Sleeves – The Nuances of Domestic Bliss
There’s a peculiar domesticity in the lyrics ‘Now we’re wearing long sleeves / And the heating comes on / (You buy me orange juice)’. It provides glimpses into the small acts of care that cement relationships, elevating mundane moments like sipping orange juice or the start of the heating season into instances of shared affection.
In ‘400 Lux’, these are the threads that stitch together the fabric of a growing bond, they are the quiet declarations of comfort and familiarity that stand out starkly against the backdrop of an otherwise unvarying suburban existence.
The Hidden Meaning Behind ‘We’re Hollow, But We’re Brave’
Perhaps the most poignant revelation comes in the chorus, where Lorde and her companion are described as ‘hollow’ yet ‘brave’. Hollowed by the monotony of their environment and the longing for more, they exhibit a unique bravery – the decision to face the void together and to find solace within it.
This line challenges the notion of bravado typically associated with youth, and instead finds courage in vulnerability, in the ability to acknowledge their emptiness and still choose to be present for one another within it.
Memorable Lines: Celebrating the Humdrum
Lines like ‘I love these roads where the houses don’t change’ encapsulate the song’s essence of finding comfort in the familiar. They speak to our paradoxical relationship with routine; where sameness can be both stifling and soothing.
‘I’m glad that we stopped kissing the tar on the highway’ is another resonant line that hints towards moving past a reckless phase, perhaps towards a deeper connection with each other and with the journey they are on, away from the literal and metaphorical edge.
