The Kills is an alternative rock duo formed by American vocalist Alison "VV… Read Full Bio ↴The Kills is an alternative rock duo formed by American vocalist Alison "VV" Mosshart and British guitarist Jamie "Hotel" Hince that rose to public recognition at the dawn of the hype surrounding the genre's explosion of the early 2000s. Mosshart had been in the Florida punk band Discount and Hince in British rock band Scarfo. When these groups disbanded, the duo, who first met when Mosshart heard Hince practicing in the hotel room above hers, struck up a songwriting partnership. For months, the pair air mailed work tapes across the Atlantic; after this proved to test the patience of both artists, as it took days or weeks to get each others tapes, Mosshart upped sticks from her Florida home to fly to London.

Wanting to cut themselves off from their pasts, Mosshart and Hince considered their new project to be Year Zero in their careers, so they renamed themselves "VV" and "Hotel" respectively and began writing sparse, minimalist songs together with the aid of a drum machine. In 2001 they showcased their new songs on a well received demo tape. In true punk rock fashion, however, the pair shunned approaches from major record labels. Recording as VV and Hotel, they contributed the song "Restaurant Blouse" to the compilation If the Twenty-First Century Did Not Exist, It Would Be Necessary to Invent It. Shortly after this they recorded their debut release, the Black Rooster EP, which saw release on British indie label Domino Records and was picked up for distribution by Dim Mak Records in the United States.

Following international touring, they entered Toe Rag studios to record their debut album Keep on Your Mean Side, mostly on 8-track, in just 2 weeks.
Popular indie band, the xx, name The Kills as the major influence for having a male/female lead singer combo: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Music/04/05/xx.interview/index.html?iref=allsearch
Their second album, No Wow, was released by Domino records on February 21, 2005. Featuring an artier, less guitar rock sound, the record embraced New Wave and post punk influences and sounded even more stripped down than Keep on Your Mean Side. The first single, The Good Ones, was released on February 7, 2005 and reached number 23 in the UK singles charts.

VV sang the song Meds on Placebo's 2006 eponymous album.

Their third album Midnight Boom was released March 10, 2008. It was followed by 5 different singles since its release.

The Kills
The Kills Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Living the nightmare
To pay the price
Swear on the bible
To be expelled from paradise
You never win
The ice you walk keeps getting thin
And you never get back never get back again
Just like a loaded gun

Too late to save your soul
No one to tell what’s right
This fall is forever baby
You try so hard to kill the light
You’ve lost your fucking mind
Don’t tell me that tomorrow never comes
‘cause i know it
Your hope is your prison
When mercy cries
(when mercy cries)
(when mercy cries)
Got no regrets
You ain’t got no compromise
We are born sin
At least you die with the fire within
But you never get back
Never get back again
Just like a loaded gun
Too late to save your soul
No one to tell what’s right
This fall is forever baby
You try so hard to kill the light
You’ve lost your fucking mind
Don’t tell me that tomorrow never comes
For a killer on the run
(ha ha ha)
Shut the fuck up
You try so hard
To kill your light
Just like a loaded gun
Too late to save your soul
No one to tell what’s right
This fall is forever baby
You try so hard to kill the light
You’ve lost your fucking mind
Don’t tell me that tomorrow never comes
For a killer on the run
Too late to save your soul
No one to tell what’s right
This fall is forever baby
You try so hard to kill your light
You’ve lost your fucking mind

Don’t tell me that tomorrow never comes
For a killer on the run

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of The Kills' song "The Kills" depict the struggle of living a life filled with darkness and the consequences that come with it. The song opens with the line "Living the nightmare, to pay the price," revealing that the singer is trapped in a destructive cycle, constantly facing the repercussions of their actions. They swear on the Bible, implying that they have made promises or oaths, but these only lead to their expulsion from paradise, emphasizing the theme of downfall. The lyrics also express the feeling of hopelessness and the inability to escape their fate, with lines like "You never win, the ice you walk keeps getting thin" and "But you never get back, never get back again."

The song captures the essence of being trapped in darkness, as if carrying the weight of a loaded gun, with no way to save their soul. There is an absence of guidance or moral compass, as no one is there to tell them what's right. The repeated line "This fall is forever" emphasizes the perpetual state of their downfall, while they desperately try to extinguish the light within them. The lyrics further highlight the character's descent into madness, as they've "lost their fucking mind."

Overall, "The Kills" portrays a sense of hopelessness and eternal struggle in a life filled with darkness and the consequences it brings. It raises questions about the nature of sin, the pursuit of redemption, and the cyclical nature of destructive behavior.

Line by Line Meaning

Living the nightmare
Existing in a perpetual and horrifying state

To pay the price
Facing the consequences

Swear on the bible
Making a solemn oath

To be expelled from paradise
Being removed from a state of joy and bliss

You never win
Unable to achieve victory

The ice you walk keeps getting thin
The situation is becoming increasingly risky

And you never get back never get back again
Once lost, there is no chance of regaining what is lost

Just like a loaded gun
Dangerous and ready to cause harm

Too late to save your soul
Beyond redemption

No one to tell what’s right
Lacking guidance on what is morally correct

This fall is forever baby
The descent is permanent and unending