Kerosene
Crystal Castles (III) Lyrics


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Light of God dimming weak
Nothing’s wrong go back to sleep
Lost the will at infancy
Drown them in charity
Lend them comfort for sorrow
Enthusiasm they borrow
I can clean impurity
Wash away with kerosene

Can’t offend my modesty
Thank you for defiling me
Language pure as binary
Instruct with dishonesty
In nature there’s no tragedy
Bandage them in tapestry
Trade comfort for identity
Drown me in kerosene
Kerosene

I’ll protect you from
All the things I’ve seen
And I’ll clean your wounds




Rinse them with saline
Kerosene

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Crystal Castles' song Kerosene carry a dark and cynical tone, revealing the idea of losing faith in humanity and the desire to wash away the impurities of society with kerosene. The first verse suggests the loss of hope and will to change things that we feel when faced with the constant struggles of life. It is as if we are being told to go back to sleep, to remain ignorant of the harsh realities of the world. The line "drown them in charity, lend them comfort for sorrow" may be seen as a commentary on the superficiality of modern society, where we try to drown our sorrows by temporarily spackling over our problems with charity and empathy.


The chorus is the heart of the song, with the repeated phrase "wash away with kerosene" used as a symbol for cleansing society of its impurity. The second verse speaks to the lack of honesty in society, with language being described as "pure as binary" (referring to the computer language) but used to instruct dishonestly. The line "in nature there's no tragedy" may be seen as a critique of the negativity and despair that society creates, when in reality the natural world does not have the same struggles.


Overall, the song seems to be a commentary on the cruelty and darkness of society, and one's desire to wash it away with the powerful symbol of kerosene.


Line by Line Meaning

Light of God dimming weak
The faith he/she had in God is fading away.


Nothing’s wrong go back to sleep
Whatever troubles he/she has, he/she's pretending that everything is fine and trying to forget them.


Lost the will at infancy
He/she has never had the will to live fully and abundantly


Drown them in charity
He/she feels overwhelmed by others' attempts to help


Lend them comfort for sorrow
Others try to console him/her, but it doesn't help.


Enthusiasm they borrow
Others try to inspire him/her, but he/she can't find the energy to feel motivated


I can clean impurity
He/she believes he/she can wash away his/her sins.


Wash away with kerosene
Kerosene will purify him/her, possibly through self-harm.


Can’t offend my modesty
He/she is afraid of being judged for the things he/she has done.


Thank you for defiling me
He/she believes he/she has done things so inappropriate that it has changed him/her forever.


Language pure as binary
His/her words are precise, but lack emotion and have become mechanical.


Instruct with dishonesty
He/she is made to teach things in which he/she doesn't believe


In nature there’s no tragedy
Death and destruction are natural and are not viewed as tragedies.


Bandage them in tapestry
He/she tries to cover their problems with something beautiful.


Trade comfort for identity
He/she prefers to suffer and be true to himself/herself rather than pretend to be happy and conform to societal normals.


Drown me in kerosene
He/she wants to be purified and to start over.


I’ll protect you from all the things I’ve seen
He/she will keep others from seeing or knowing the deep, dark secrets and pain.


And I’ll clean your wounds, rinse them with saline
He/she will try to help others, but not necessarily in a healthy way.


Kerosene
A symbol of purification and renewal.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALICE GLASS, ETHAN KATH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@pinkfemine

Lyrics: Light of God dimming weak
Nothing's wrong, go back to sleep
Lost the will at infancy
Drown them in charity
Lend them comfort for sorrow
Enthusiasm they borrow
I can clean impurity
Wash away with kerosene
Can't offend my modesty
Thank you for defiling me
Language pure as binary
Instruct with dishonesty
In nature there's no tragedy
Bandage them in tapestry
Trade comfort for identity
Drown me in kerosene
Ke-Kerosene
I'll protect you from
All the things I've seen
And I'll clean your wounds
Rinse them with saline
I'll protect you from
All the things I've seen
And I'll clean your wounds
Rinse them with saline
Kero-Kerosene
And I'll clean your wounds
Rinse them with saline
I'll protect you from
All the things I've seen



All comments from YouTube:

@toxiunknown

This song is 10 years old?!!! I couldn't believe it. It sounds so modern and ahead of it's time.

@kaykystt190

This music simultaneously awakens the past and the future, victory and defeat, sadness and joy, pain and pleasure, all at once.

@user-zt9oj4ze8w

The feel of power and be just one more victim.

@Tedts._

Best song to use in a car

@ParnellAlexis

The meaning of "Kerosene" by Crystal Castles is a commentary on how society tries to cleanse or absolve itself of responsibility for its actions. The song's narrator is speaking to someone who is struggling and trying to help them find a way out. The narrator offers to help them by cleaning their wounds and rinsing them with saline. The suggestion of kerosene as a cleansing agent can be seen as a metaphor for something that cleanses away the impurities of one's life. The song is a commentary on how society tends to overlook suffering and try to push it away with a false sense of charity, when instead of offering a real solution, with real healing, we should recognize the trauma and pain of those we serve and make a concerted effort to support and aid them.

@Animator22538

Imagine your driving in highway and you hear this song 💀

@Luka2000_

After 11 years this songs is still very popular. The creator really was ahead of his time

@NJmyworld

Oh yes

@lucabiasiato1999

...

@beiavfx

when your uber is an audi rs6 and this is playing 💀

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