Saltkin by Purity Ring Lyrics Meaning – Unlocking the Mystique of Inner Struggle & Transformation
Lyrics
Form a salt, sprinkle it around me
There’s a cult, there’s a cult inside of me
Form a salt, sprinkle it around me
Sleep is a welcome gadget
In our head bound hood
The crawling animals will seek
All things warm all things moist
I will relentlessly shame myself
In rest in wake in front of
My truly born beloved
For here I lie in wait
Hush little heart
Steal my sweating lips
Wield my starving hips
There’s a cult, there’s a cult inside of me
Form a salt sprinkle it around me
Into a bright bound sea surrounded fury
Our bodies will return
Into a bright bound sea surrounded fury
Our bodies will return
Into a bright bound sea surrounded fury
Our bodies will return
The creeper’s blood is seeping
From this undead wooden headboard
Varnish my forehead red in evenings
Drip down over my jowls
Bid them writhe and sprout their
Heavy feathers lift my drooping head
There’s a cult, there’s a cult inside of me
Form a salt, sprinkle it around me
Into a bright bound sea surrounded fury
Our bodies will return
Into a bright bound sea surrounded fury
Our bodies will return
Into a bright bound sea surrounded fury
Our bodies will return
There’s a cult, there’s a cult inside of me
Form a salt, sprinkle it around me
There’s a cult, there’s a cult inside of me
Form a salt, sprinkle it around me
Purity Ring weaves an intricate sonic tapestry with ‘Saltkin,’ a track that skims the surface of dream-pop but dives deep into the abyss of the psyche. The Canadian duo, known for their ethereal beats and haunting lyrics, invites listeners into a surreal world, encouraging a traverse through the nuances of inner tumult and the pursuit of self-discovery.
Yet, beneath the pulsating rhythms and Megan James’s ethereal vocals lie layers of meaning that call for decryption. The obscurity of their poetic expression is a vault that guards profound contemplation beneath. Exploring ‘Saltkin’ is akin to examining a precious gem—each facet reflects a different hue, a different spark, a different interpretation.
Deep Dive into ‘The Cult Inside of Me’
The recurring mantra ‘There’s a cult, there’s a cult inside of me’ speaks to the perpetual internal conflict that we all navigate. This cult is not literal but metaphorical—a symbol for the uncontrollable, often inexplicable forces that reside within us. The cult can signify our subconscious desires, our darkest fears, or the echoes of our inner voice that we struggle to understand or accept.
By ‘form a salt, sprinkle it around me,’ there is an invocation of rituals of purification and protection, a plea to contain and control the chaos within. Salt, throughout history, has been used to ward off evil, to preserve the pure. In ‘Saltkin,’ Purity Ring suggests a self-sanctification process, turning to age-old methods to cope with modern psychological turmoil.
Surrendering to Sleep’s Solace
The lines ‘Sleep is a welcome gadget, In our head bound hood’ unravel the temporary reprieve that sleep offers from the relentless scrutiny of self. It’s a mechanism to escape, to reset—albeit temporarily—the ‘crawling animals,’ or invasive thoughts, fears, and insecurities that ‘seek all things warm, all things moist,’ signifying the parts of us that are still alive, still sensitive.
Yet sleep is not a solution; it is a stalling. The protagonist confronts shame ‘in rest, in wake’ before their ‘truly born beloved’—perhaps representing the self they wish to be, the self that is buried under the cult’s influence, the untainted potential awaiting to be truly acknowledged and embraced.
Metaphysical Musings on Mortality
The seemingly cryptic refrain ‘Into a bright bound sea surrounded fury, Our bodies will return’ can be a resounding acknowledgment of life’s cyclical, ephemeral nature. It toys with the imagery of an afterlife or a natural reintegration with the elemental world, offering a stark contrast to the internal tribulations explored earlier.
This line’s repetition and placement in the song perhaps serve to remind us that, regardless of the internal wrestlings, there lies an inevitable truth outside one’s internal world that bears its own fury and radiance—an ultimate return to something much greater than the self.
The Hidden Meaning: A Dance with Duality
Beyond the blur of the metaphors lies an intimate choreography with duality. The song oscillates between comfort and chaos—yearning for peace but embracing tumult, acknowledging the cultivation of a stronghold while seeking its undoing. It suggests the innate human struggle to balance opposing forces and the sheer effort it takes to achieve harmony within oneself.
To truly grasp ‘Saltkin,’ one must entertain the possibility that the ‘cult’ is not simply a shadow to be expelled, but a partner to be embraced. It is a representation of all that is innately human—the good and bad, the controlled and wild, the sacred and profane—coming to terms with this duality is a step towards authenticity and purity, ironically, through acceptance of the impure.
Memorable Lines: A Carousel of Emotive Imagery
It’s impossible to ignore the visual potency in ‘The creeper’s blood is seeping, From this undead wooden headboard.’ These lines paint a haunting picture of inner turmoil manifesting as a physical presence, affecting even the inanimate surroundings. The personification of the wooden headboard as ‘undead’ captures a sense of lingering past, half-resolved issues imbued with a life of their own.
‘Varnish my forehead red in evenings, Drip down over my jowls’— these lyrics drip with vulnerability and transformation. There’s a ritualistic feel to the anointing of the self with the ‘creeper’s blood’, signifying perhaps the initiation into accepting and dealing with the ‘cult inside,’ and with it, a recognition of the trials every dusk brings and the personal evolution each dawn promises.
