In 2013, while still a teenager, Marshall released the first King Krule album, 6 Feet Beneath the Moon, on XL in the U.K. and True Panther in the U.S. Marshall then collaborated with his brother Jack for the relatively fluid, more electronic A New Place 2 Drown. Released in 2015 and credited to Archy Marshall, its physical edition was packaged with a 208-page book of poetry, photography, and art. King Krule fully reactivated in 2017 with a handful of varied singles -- the dreamlike ballad "Czech One," the mid-tempo rocker "Dum Surfer," and the rumbling "Half Man Half Shark," all featuring saxophone from Ignacio Salvadores -- that led up to The Ooz, an hour-long follow-up written during a three-year period.
Logos
King Krule Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The sink had sunk, it overflows
The door is shut, my eyes are closed
I hear her moan or what I suppose
The thing about her, I must let go
Why I sing about her, she'll never know
The bookie's shut, all bets are blown
The license bust, the shops are closed
Through open ground, back to broken homes
I thought about her, her smell through clothes
Her spoken smoke, mixed with my cologne
We were soup together, but now it's cold
We were glue together, but it weren't to hold
That solvent dissolved
Her solvents dissolved
That solvent dissolved
The ups and downs, deep velvet folds
The landslides in, depression poles
Once thought was shed, but always holds
Reflection taunts my empty soul
The sky will weep on my way home
The bus won't let me on, I'll have to stroll
And in my head, tormented prole
As lies were fed, he swallowed whole
The soup was grey, intense charcoal
He molded clay at intervals
The lights would change, the same logo
I passed your house, it looked so cold
In dreams together, white noise arose
She draws me in and swallows whole
The lyrics of King Krule's "LOGOS" delve into themes of addiction and the inevitable loss that comes with substance abuse. The song seems to begin with a reference to smoking, with the singer lamenting the fact that the woman he's singing about has "smoked me whole" and blown "out Os". The addition of "os" echoes the circular shape of cigarette smoke, implying an ongoing cycle of addiction. The "sink had sunk, it overflows" could refer to overflowing ashtrays or simply to the chaos that comes with addiction. The door is shut, and his eyes are closed, indicating a sense of isolation and perhaps even shame.
Despite recognizing the negative impact of the woman's addictive behavior, the singer finds it difficult to let go of his attachment to her. He acknowledges that he needs to move on from this relationship ("The thing about her, I must let go"), but also struggles to do so ("Why I sing about her, she'll never know"). The use of the phrase "We were soup together, but now it's cold / We were glue together, but it weren't to hold" emphasizes the transience of the relationship and the inevitability of its end.
As the song progresses, it shifts to a broader commentary on addiction and mental health. The "solvent dissolved" could refer to the dissolution of the singer's sense of self or perhaps to the chemical solvents used in drug production. The "ups and downs, deep velvet folds / The landslides in, depression poles" suggest the cyclical nature of mental health and the unpredictable changes that come with it. The "reflection" that "taunts" the singer's "empty soul" hints at the ways in which addiction can take over a person's life and lead to feelings of hopelessness.
The song ends on a note of despair, with the singer describing a dream where "white noise arose". The final line—"She draws me in and swallows whole"—suggests that the cycle of addiction will continue, with the singer still drawn inexorably towards the woman despite recognizing the damage caused by their relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
She smoked me whole and blows out Os
She consumed me entirely and exhales smoke rings
The sink had sunk, it overflows
The sink is clogged and water spills over
The door is shut, my eyes are closed
The door is closed and the singer chooses not to look
I hear her moan or what I suppose
The artist hears a noise that might be her moaning
The thing about her, I must let go
The artist knows he must move on from her
Why I sing about her, she'll never know
The singer acknowledges that she will never know why he sings about her
The bookie's shut, all bets are blown
The bookmaker is closed and all bets are forfeit
The license bust, the shops are closed
The license to operate is revoked and the shops are closed
I caught my mum, she stumbles home
The artist sees his mother stumbling back home
Through open ground, back to broken homes
She walks through open land, returning to her broken home
I thought about her, her smell through clothes
The singer remembers her scent through her clothes
Her spoken smoke, mixed with my cologne
Her exhaled smoke mixed with the artist's cologne
We were soup together, but now it's cold
They were once close, but that time is over now
We were glue together, but it weren't to hold
They tried to stick together, but it didn't work out
That solvent dissolved
The solution broke down
Her solvents dissolved
Her own solvents broke down
That solvent dissolved
The solution broke down
The ups and downs, deep velvet folds
Life has its highs and lows, like velvet texture
The landslides in, depression poles
Troubles come crashing in, bringing depression
Once thought was shed, but always holds
Though once dismissed, thoughts can persist
Reflection taunts my empty soul
The artist's empty soul is tormented by reflection
The sky will weep on my way home
It will rain on the artist's way home
The bus won't let me on, I'll have to stroll
The singer will have to walk instead of taking the bus
And in my head, tormented prole
In the artist's mind, he is a tormented proletarian
As lies were fed, he swallowed whole
He believed lies without question
The soup was grey, intense charcoal
The soup was a murky, intense grey color
He molded clay at intervals
The singer occasionally molded clay
The lights would change, the same logo
The lights changed, but the same logo remained
I passed your house, it looked so cold
The artist passed by her house, which looked unwelcoming
In dreams together, white noise arose
They shared dreams with unsettling white noise
She draws me in and swallows whole
She lures him in completely
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Archie Ivan Marshall
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mykolasbarauskas5086
She smoked me whole and blows out Os
The sink had sunk, it overflows
The door is shut, my eyes are closed
I hear her moan or what I suppose
The thing about her, I must let go
Why I sing about her, she'll never know
The bookies shut, all bets are blown
The license bust, the shops are closed
I caught my mum, she stumbles home
Through open ground, back to broken homes
I thought about her, her smell through clothes
Her spoken smoke, mixed with my cologne
We were soup together, but now it's cold
We were glue together, but it weren't to hold
Her solvents dissolved
Her solvents dissolved
Her solvents dissolved
The ups and downs, deep velvet folds
The landslides in, depression poles
Once thought was shed, but always holds
Reflection taunts my empty soul
The sky will weep on my way home
The bus won't let me on, I'll have to stroll
And in my head, tormented prole
As lies were fed, he swallowed whole
The soup was grey, intense charcoal
He molded clay at intervals
The lights would change, the same logo
I passed your house, it looked so cold
In dreams together, white noise arose
She draws me in and swallows whole
@paulisthelegend
Archy’s brother is so talented. The visuals match perfectly
@amandariverarosado5779
paulisthelegend does he have insta?
@paulisthelegend
@Amanda Rivera Rosado j.g.marshall
@elijah7939
paulisthelegend yes!!! Artists that are able to match visuals perfectly to the sound are so admirable
@kylefreeland7783
I had a rather strange experience with "Logos" in the form of a dream. I was walking down an isle of a grocery store when everything was moving slow motion backwards. The song came over the innercom and everyone around was mouthing the words to song that I really only heard once, somehow I knew all the lyrics. I woke, fasinated at how it played on my mind I listened again again again. It might be one of Archy's best songs. The OOZ is going to be a classic. The song itself, is a dream
@hanger9083
Its amazing hearing you say this, because this song always felt like one of these weird dreams that just fade away as you're waking up.
@ryanbavender5583
You fucked up my fantasy team last year haha. Go Rockies
@ryanbavender5583
I always fall asleep to music. And the music is always in my dreams some how
@Stinkywinkle17
u should write films dude that sounds incredible
@tessamohammed
something similar happened with me and Slush Puppy in a dream!! hearing it slow motion in a car from an ice cream truck. I've been obsessed with it ever since