King

Marillion

How long can you stand
Tightening up
Avoiding the fight
Avoiding the truth
Tighten the smile
Tighten the lie
Will you get what you want
To be cursed with your dreams
I hope for your sake
Something gets in the way

How long can you stand
Living under the lens
The kiss of success
The ensuing, all consuming, mess

Message of love
They arrive everyday
People you touch
Wasting away
People you don't know
Give you no choice

And your sick to your stomach
At the sound of your voice
And the shape of your face
And the sound of your name
They send you pictures of yourself
It's someone you don't know
And they call you a genius
Cause you're easier to sell
But the fire in your belly
That gave you the songs
Is suddenly gone
And you feel like a fake
Is that what you want?

I hope for your sake
You've got what it takes
You've got what it takes
To be spoilt to death.


Lyrics submitted by Idan

King song meanings
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4 Comments

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  • +1
    General CommentI believe this song has a reference to Kurt Cobain, and others like him, seeing as it came out not long after his death...brilliant song...
    BitterBoshon August 03, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General CommentI take this to be about Elvis, and as the previous post says - ...and others like him. The title lends a clue, and the passage in the middle "People you touch... People you don't know..." Seems to protray a long career where your old fans fade away and new ones have an expectation that you can't escape. A longer career than Kurt Cobain had. In the context of Elvis, the line "They send you pictures of yourself, It's someone you don't know" - takes on a double-meaning - Elvis impersonators, and becoming such a caricature that you don't even see yourself anymore.
    detractuson August 16, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Commentyes.. i think its something like that. In the accoustic version of this song on the "Unplugged at the Walls" album, they dedicate this song to the famous German football player/manager Jürgen Klinsmann. I dont know why they do that.
    MMM88on December 27, 2006   Link
  • 0
    My InterpretationWhilst I think all the previous comments attributing this to Kurt Cobain or Elvis are probably pretty accurate in terms of their fame, overall I think this song is about the effect that fame has on your life and how you need to be pretty tough to handle the destruction it ultimately brings about.

    I think to a certain extent it also hints at how we can all feel we're blundering through life, never the person people think we should be. I think it's more about fame, but it's still something we plebs can identify with.
    PaulZeroon May 15, 2017   Link

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