“400 Lux” is a slow-burning track with a sunny ambience about driving home … Read Full Bio ↴“400 Lux” is a slow-burning track with a sunny ambience about driving home with another during a sunrise and enjoying each other. It’s the second track off of Lorde’s debut LP Pure Heroine. It was debuted on her live tour.
A lux is a unit of measurement for light and illumination, and a sunrise or sunset is about 400 lux on a clear day. The sunny ambience and the lyrics about driving match this tone.
On her 2018 Melodrama Tour, she said the song is a nod to kids in the suburbs.

400 Lux
Lorde Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We're never done with killing time
Can I kill it with you?
'Til the veins run red and blue
We come around here all the time
Got a lot to not do, let me kill it with you

You pick me up and take me home again
Head out the window again

We're hollow like the bottles that we drain
You drape your wrists over the steering wheel
Pulses can drive from here
We might be hollow, but we're brave

(And I like you)
I love these roads where the houses don't change (and I like you)
Where we can talk like there's something to say (and I like you)
I'm glad that we stopped kissing the tar on the highway (and I like you)
We move in the tree streets
I'd like it if you stayed

Now we're wearing long sleeves
And the heating comes on
(You buy me orange juice)
We're getting good at this
Dreams of clean teeth
I can tell that you're tired
But you keep the car on
While you're waiting out front

You pick me up and take me home again
Head out the window again
We're hollow like the bottles that we drain
You drape your wrists over the steering wheel
Pulses can drive from here
We might be hollow, but we're brave

(And I like you)
I love these roads where the houses don't change (and I like you)
Where we can talk like there's something to say (and I like you)
I'm glad that we stopped kissing the tar on the highway (and I like you)
We move in the tree streets
I'd like it if you stayed

We're never done with killing time
Can I kill it with you?
'Til the veins run red and blue
We come around here all the time
Got a lot to not do, let me kill it with you

(And I like you)
I love these roads where the houses don't change (and I like you)
Where we can talk like there's something to say (and I like you)
I'm glad that we stopped kissing the tar on the highway (and I like you)
We move in the tree streets
I'd like it if you stayed

And I like you

And I like you
And I like you

Overall Meaning

Lorde's song "400 Lux" is about the innocence and simplicity of relationships, specifically in adolescence. The song details the idea of killing time, a common theme in teenage years, and spending time with someone you care for. The opening line, "We're never done with killing time," sets up the theme of the song. Lorde is expressing the desire to spend her time with someone special and make memories with them. She wants to "kill it" or pass the time with this person until their "veins run red and blue," a metaphor for a deep connection.

The lyrics also mention the idea of being hollow, which can be interpreted to mean that they are young and inexperienced. They are still learning and growing as individuals but are willing to take risks such as driving dangerously or being spontanaioust. Lorde sings, "We might be hollow, but we're brave." This line suggests that they are willing to take on new experiences and make mistakes without hesitation or fear.

Overall, "400 Lux" is touching on the innocence and excitement of being in a relationship and wanting to spend every moment with that special person.

Line by Line Meaning

We're never done with killing time
We frequently have time to kill and don't get tired of doing it.

Can I kill it with you?
Can we kill the time together?

'Til the veins run red and blue
Until we've been killing time for so long that our veins feel empty and tired.

We come around here all the time
We frequently visit this area.

Got a lot to not do, let me kill it with you
We have a lot of non-productive things to do, so let's do them together.

You pick me up and take me home again
You come and get me and then take me home after we're done hanging out.

Head out the window again
We're driving around with our heads out the window.

We're hollow like the bottles that we drain
We feel empty and hollow after we finish drinking all the bottles.

You drape your wrists over the steering wheel
You relax your wrists over the steering wheel while you're driving.

Pulses can drive from here
Our heartbeats can drive us forward from this moment.

We might be hollow, but we're brave
Even though we may feel empty, we're brave enough to keep going.

(And I like you)
I really like you.

I love these roads where the houses don't change (and I like you)
I love driving on the roads where the houses always stay the same and I love you too.

Where we can talk like there's something to say (and I like you)
We can have meaningful conversations and connect with each other, and I still really like you.

I'm glad that we stopped kissing the tar on the highway (and I like you)
I'm grateful that we're no longer doing dangerous things on the highway and I still like you.

We move in the tree streets
We drive through the streets that are lined with trees.

I'd like it if you stayed
I would really like if you stayed with me.

Now we're wearing long sleeves
It's become colder, so we're wearing long-sleeved shirts.

And the heating comes on
The heater has turned on now that it's cold.

(You buy me orange juice)
You are kind enough to buy me orange juice.

We're getting good at this
We're getting better at spending time together and enjoying each other's company.

Dreams of clean teeth
We have aspirations for clean, healthy teeth in the future.

I can tell that you're tired
I can see that you're starting to feel tired.

But you keep the car on
But you continue to drive the car, even though you're tired.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ELLA MARIJA LA YELICH O'CONNOR, JOEL LITTLE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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