Emergency Blimp by King Krule Lyrics Meaning – An Exploration into the Void
Lyrics
No help still
He said it hurts when he stares at lights
I guess my brain was full, indecision’s on the lefthand side
But the doctor said it’s cool, just take these in the dead of night
Within the deepest sleep you’ll fall
My head hit bed but my mind’s still alive
These pills just make me, these pills just make me drool
I say these pills just make me, these pills just make me
These pills just make me, these pills just make me drool
I told him he weren’t doing things right
So he put me on some more, no change as a year flew by
I gave that fraud a call, he sniggered when I told my plight
He told me I was, he told me I was wrong
He told me I was, he told me I was
He told me I was, he told me I was
And now she’s sat alone, the deep of night
She’s sitting in a pool
Makes incisions on the righthand side
Her blood is in me
Her blood is an assault
Yeah, her blood is in me
Yeah, her blood is in me
Yeah, her blood is in me
Yeah, her blood is in the song
Yeah, her blood is in me
Yeah, her blood is in me
Yeah, her blood is in me
Yeah, her blood is in the walls
Yeah, no help still
Yeah, no help still
No help still
No help still
In the bleak nocturne of modern life’s malaise, Archy Marshall, better known as King Krule, weaves a narrative of haunting desperation and medicinal numbness in ‘Emergency Blimp.’ This introspective track from his 2017 album ‘The Ooz’ floats through the murky intersection of mental health struggles and the impersonal touch of medical intervention.
Amid the song’s echoing guitar twangs and Marshall’s signature baritone, the lyrics capture a raw dissection of personal anguish, the fruitless search for relief, and a soul’s outcry against a seemingly indifferent system. Let’s delve into the crevices of this plaintive piece, exploring the underlying currents beneath the poignant lyrics.
The Labyrinth of Light Sensitivity and Its Metaphorical Weight
Marshall’s opening line, a confession of pain triggered by the simple act of ‘staring at lights,’ sets a tone of vulnerability. This line isn’t merely about discomfort; it speaks to the larger issue of being overwhelmed by a world that is too bright, too demanding. It echoes a sentiment many feel but struggle to articulate—the sensory overload of modern existence and the resulting yearn for darkness and relief.
Moreover, the mention of ‘indecision’s on the lefthand side’ conjures up the dualities within the human psyche—the constant battle between logic and emotion, action and paralysis. The artist’s mention of ‘indecision’ exudes a universal struggle, embodying the paralysis of choice and the yearning for clear direction in life’s overwhelming possibilities.
A Pill for Every Ill: The Mockery of Modern Medicine
‘Just take these in the dead of night,’ the doctor advises, suggesting a medical industry that peddles pills as the panacea for all. Herein lies a critique of a system focused on band-aid solutions, a culture quick to silence symptoms and slow to understand causes. Marshall’s repeated line, ‘These pills just make me drool,’ is a graphic revolt against medication that dulls sense and sensibility to the point of infantilization.
The artist portrays a character in the throes of dependency, offered up false promises of peace by a doctor who is later labeled a ‘fraud.’ King Krule underlines the cyclical nature of such treatments—how they often lead to a gamut of side effects, further consultations, and an inevitable increase in dosage without genuine recourse or understanding.
The Haunting Chorus: A Descent into the Echo Chamber
The lyrical repetition in ‘Emergency Blimp’ serves as more than just a poetic device. Like a blimp that circles overhead, perpetually in view but out of reach, the recurrence of phrases in the song mirrors the inescapable cycle of the protagonist’s predicament. Each utterance of ‘No help still’ is a pulse in the throbbing head of the narrative, reverberating a sense of abandonment.
The chorus serves as a distress signal that is perpetuated but not answered, emblematic not only of mental health issues but also signifying the larger emotional detachment of society. Listeners are left to ponder: Who will heed this echoing cry for help when everyone is locked in their own pattern of survival?
Unraveling the Song’s Hidden Meaning: Blood as a Recurring Symbol
The blood imagery towards the end of the song suggests a deep connection and sharing of both literal and metaphorical substance. ‘Her blood is in me; Yeah, her blood is in the song’ could signify an intimate bond—a shared struggle or lineage. This visceral imagery elicits the feeling of an inner struggle being externalized, writ large across the canvas of one’s life and work.
Blood in the walls calls to mind the idea of a haunted space, perhaps representing the body or mind in which the struggle is taking place. The phrase ‘Her blood is an assault’ unravels the internal violence of such experiences, painting a picture of someone being attacked from within by their own lineage or the intermingling of life forces.
The Cry for Help Ignored: Reflections on Memorable Lines
King Krule’s choice to bookend the song with ‘No help still’ is one of resignation—a proclamation that despite pleading and opening oneself to the possibility of aid, none arrives. It speaks volumes about the despair that mental health patients often face—a system that listens but doesn’t hear, that medicates but doesn’t heal.
This refrain becomes the heart of ‘Emergency Blimp,’ revealing the main character’s solitude in the face of a medical system and society that fail to address the root causes of pain. It is a lamentation that is all too common, and yet it is rendered with such personal intensity that it is impossible not to feel its weight.
