Archive was formed by Londoners Darius Keeler and Danny Griffiths in 1994 and began as an electronica project. At the beginning, they mixed Bristol-style, Massive Attack, Portishead with Rap. The first album of the band, Londinium released in 1996 (with Roya Arab and Rosko John as guest vocalists). The second album, Take my Head, (which the band hates) was released in 1999 (with a new guest vocalist Suzanne Wooder), it is much more melodic than Londinium. The first song of the album, You Make Me Feel, illustrates this change in the Archive's music. After being dropped by their label and more changes in the lineup, the band seemed to hit its stride on the third album You All Look The Same To Me (2002), featuring singer Craig Walker (formerly of Power of Dreams), which took a decided turn toward more progressive music (with some Progressive Rock influences, notably Pink Floyd whose indelible influence is audible on tracks such as 'Finding it so Hard' and 'Again'), while still maintaining electronic elements. The band saw growing popularity and critical acclaim, especially in France, Greece, Germany and Poland. After recording two more artistically—but not too commercially—successful albums, Michel Vaillant (2003) and Noise (2004), Walker left the band for reasons the band and he will not talk about. The project continued on as a Collective, with new vocalists, Pollard Berrier and Dave Pen. In May 2006 they released the album Lights with Pollard Berrier on lead vocals, who is also a member/guest member of the innovative group, "Bauchklang" - a completely vocal beat-box (Vocal Groove) group based in Vienna, Austria. Archive released a live album, entitled,Live at Paris Zenith, in May, 2007 - which was recorded on January 20th, 2007 at the sold out Zentih Arena in Paris. Rolling Stone called it, "The best live album ever made." Archive continues to tour and is working on a number of forthcoming releases in the near future.
Archive are a Collective, not a band.
Kid Corner
Archive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Use both hands
I don't see a problem with that
Kids with guns
It's your time
I don't see a problem with that
Come into the kid corner
Come into the kid corner
Let them sleep
Better off in their dreams
Living insanity
Land of opportunity
Come into the kid corner
Come into the kid corner
Come around
Tie them down
Hear the sound
Let them drown
Or they'll find a way to shoot you down
Running fast
Off the track
Hit the grass
Heart attack
Gonna find a way to shoot you down
Running fast
Off the track
Hit the grass
Heart attack
Gonna find a way to shoot you down
Kid corner
Come into the kid corner
Come in
It's God's will
It's her time
You know I like the look and feel
Sophisticated absolute
You know I like the look and feel
Come around
Tie them down
Hear the sound
Let them drown
Or they'll find a way to shoot you down
Running fast
Off the track
Hit the grass
Heart attack
Gonna find a way to shoot you down
Welcome to the kid corner
Come into the kid corner
Come into the kid corner
Come into the kid corner
Come into the kid corner
The lyrics of Archive's song "Kid Corner" paint a haunting picture of a world where violence and death are pervasive, especially amongst the young. The first stanza mentions "youth shooters" and "kids with guns", indicating that violence and guns are commonplace among children. The singer, however, sees no problem with this, suggesting that the cycle of violence is so deeply ingrained in society that it has become normalized. This is reinforced by the repeated invitation to "come into the kid corner", suggesting that there is no escaping this reality.
The next stanza speaks of "living insanity" and a "land of opportunity", indicating that the world depicted in the song is not just violent but also chaotic and unpredictable. The lines "close their eyes/let them sleep/better off in their dreams", further suggest that the violence is so overwhelming that even sleep cannot provide an escape.
The latter part of the song contains a repetitive chorus that speaks of tying children down, drowning them and finding ways to shoot them down. This, coupled with the repeated invitation to come into the "kid corner", creates a sense of helplessness and hopelessness, as if there is no escape from the cycle of violence and death.
Line by Line Meaning
Youth shooters
Talking about young people who are involved in shootings
Use both hands
Suggesting that these young people are proficient in using firearms
I don't see a problem with that
An ironic and unsettling comment, implying that the singer is accepting of this dangerous behavior
Kids with guns
Reiterating the alarming reality of young people being involved with firearms
It's your time
Addressing the young people, perhaps challenging them to take control of their lives
I don't see a problem with that
Again, the singer is accepting of youth involvement with firearms in a disturbing way
Come into the kid corner
Inviting the listener to enter a space where young people dominate
Close their eyes
Suggesting that it's better for these young people to ignore the chaotic world around them, even if it means ignoring real problems
Let them sleep
Further suggesting that young people are better off being blissfully ignorant, even if it's not actually good for them
Better off in their dreams
An unsettling sentiment, as it implies that young people should perhaps remain passive or ignorant in the face of dangerous situations
Living insanity
Referring to the chaotic and dangerous world that these young people are living in
Land of opportunity
The song suggests that the environment in which young people are being raised is creating dangerous opportunities for them
Come around
Another invitation to enter a space where young people dominate
Tie them down
A haunting suggestion that the singer wants to control the behavior of these young people in a restrictive and violent way
Hear the sound
Perhaps referring to the sound of gunshots or other violent behavior
Let them drown
An ominous comment, suggesting that the artist is not interested in helping these young people avoid danger
Or they'll find a way to shoot you down
A warning that suggests that these young people are dangerous and unpredictable
Running fast
Referring to a frantic and dangerous pace of life, where danger seems to lurk around every corner
Off the track
Suggesting that things are not going according to plan, adding to the feeling of chaos
Hit the grass
Perhaps metaphorically referring to a loss of control and a need to seek refuge
Heart attack
An ominous reference to a sudden and violent end
Gonna find a way to shoot you down
A chilling reminder that these young people pose a threat to those around them
It's God's will
A strange and unsettling comment, as if claiming that there is some inevitability to the behavior of young people with guns
It's her time
Perhaps referring to a specific person, but also suggesting that there is some kind of inevitability to violent behavior
You know I like the look and feel
A sinister and disturbing comment, emphasizing that the singer is strangely drawn to dangerous and deadly behavior
Sophisticated absolute
Not entirely clear but perhaps referring to the idea of youthful rebellion and resistance
Welcome to the kid corner
A final invitation to enter a space where young people are in control but where danger may also lurk
Come into the kid corner
Reiterating the invitation to enter this dangerous space
Come into the kid corner
A final reiteration of the invitation, with its ominous overtones
Come into the kid corner
A final invitation that emphasizes the song's haunting and unsettling themes
Contributed by Reagan O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ps5622
Darius always makes me laugh in live, he seems so much into the song!
Great song by the way!
@hptriogal
Anybody else also hearing 'welcome to the cucumber'? I know it's 'kid corner' but I've been hearing 'cucumber' since the first time I played this song.
@stephanesartori3562
hptriogal I looked at the comments just to see if anyone wrote that :D
@alexrob4028
hptriogal Come into the Cucumber' ! (that's what I heard, and that was great)
@JohnSmith-cw5md
way to ruin a song for me, goddamnit...
@hudibaba
now its stuck in my brain
@KirillGoldobin
I didn't. But now I do. Thx bruh.
@ferrywever1208
THIS IS PURE, THIS IS REAL STUFF, THANK YOU!!!!!!!
@Hkgamehunters
Archive never fails with mood. I'm trying to figure out what theme this album's going to convey but I guess we'll just have to wait for the real deal to really know :). This song really got me hyped, looking forward to what this album has to offer-
@diegotool
Excellent! As always!