“The Bandit” by Kings of Leon
In this Kings of Leon track, we find ourselves dealing with what appears to be highly ambiguous and deep lyrics. Here, the narrator spends the chunk of the lyrics talking about a certain group of people. These people appear to be desperate and to a certain degree frustrated. However, their current state isn’t preventing them from pursuing their primary goal, which is to catch “the bandit”. It is not exactly clear who this bandit is or what he/she had done to them. But judging from the way the group is recklessly determined to “catch the bandit”, we can safely say he/she did them great wrong. Apparently he/she stole something precious from them which has left them in a state of misery. And it is the fact that he/she stole from them which is why they have tagged him/her a “bandit” and are in hot pursuit of him/her.
At the end of the day, the group hopes to not only catch this bandit but also retrieve whatever he/she stole from them.
From the lyrics, it is very clear this bandit stole their joy from them. And the only way they can get that back is by catching this thief.
But what isn’t perfectly clear in the song’s narrative is where the narrator actually stands. Is he a member of the desperate group? Is he just an observer or a witness? Or is he the bandit himself?
Release Date of “The Bandit”
The band released “The Bandit” as a single on the 7th of January, 2021. It is officially the lead single from their highly anticipated eighth studio project of 2021. Said project goes by the title “When You See Yourself”. The song is officially the second track on the album’s track list.
The band released this tune alongside another single titled “100,000”. Both songs hold the distinction of being Kings of Leon’s first offerings for the year 2021. The songs are also the band’s first new material since 2016.
Writing Credits
All the following four members of Kings of Leon are acknowledged as the song’s official writers:
- Nathan
- Caleb
- Jared
- Matthew
When You See Yourself
Below are the official tracks from the band’s “When You See Yourself” album:
I believe that in fact he talks about people who are lost and always look for mistakes in others. Always accusing someone as guilty, as a criminal. And they believe that in doing so they will find their happiness again. But they are wrong, they are lost. Hopeless, in decay, abandoned, empty. And they’re always looking for a new bandit. This reflects many of our current days with people attacking each other on the internet, “With their heads in the cloud screaming”. In this case, I see the narrator as a conscious person who exergens and at a certain moment describes what these people say: catch the bandit.
I dig this
Yeah, very good summary. Great song too. I was just interested in the meaning and I think I’m in agreement with the meaning. Cheers!
this is KOL’s muted laughter at our two-party political system. pretty timely. beautiful melody, great tune.
My thoughts exactly
Significance of the red door??
I think it bunch of mumbo jumbo.
It seemed to me that the song tells us about Time. It took away our youth and joy. We are trying to catch it but still stay abandoned by all the things it took away with it.
“Bandit”: I don’t second guess anyone’s/band’s meaning behind their songs. What I can say, if I go in search of a song’s meaning I expect the writer to point to its meaning. And
If they don’t say why: they’re a bunch of gutless wonders. And the song it sounded a lot better before I came across these mumbling lyrics that so far make no sense.