Ultraviolence

"Sometimes when I write about my feelings, about what sounds like a person, I'm actually writing about the way I felt when I was completely inebriated, which was really good--until it wasn't working for me anymore." - Lana Del Rey in Nylon Interview from November 2013.

Ultraviolence is not a song about domestic violence -- but rather a song that explores the dark relationship that has with oneself. "Jim" in the song can be understood as a reference to "Jim Beam" as well as Jim Morrison, whom Lana Del Rey has referenced in previous work of hers, most notably the song Gods and Monsters where Lana includes him in the lines:

No one’s gonna take my soul away I'm living like Jim Morrison Headed towards a fucked up holiday Hotel sprees sprees And I’m singing "Fuck yeah give it to me, this is Heaven, what I truly want." It's innocence lost. Innocence lost

Ultraviolence is a song that explores the dark-side of the self and uses the famous word from Anthony Burgess' famous book and reinterprets the iconic word to make a statement that the ultimate form of violence is violence against oneself.

Picture of Lana Del Rey drinking Jim Beam in "Kinda Outta Luck" Music Video: pinterest.com/pin/187180928232826037/

I think this song's really clearly about domestic violence in an abusive relationship; there's physical violence, emotional invalidation, power imbalance, etc. but she still adores the abuser ("He hit me and it felt like a kiss"). I doubt "Jim" is an actual person.It could just be the personification of Lana's relationship with substance abuse - which is destructive, "but felt like true love". I mean, "Comprende mis white lines" and "He used to call me DN/That stood for deadly nightshade" are about cocaine and poisonous hallucinogenic plants. (But like other people said, I totally think he could be Jim Morrison, Jim Jones, Jim Beam, or like the 70's version of the word "dude".)

It reminds me Jim Jones a lot.

Jim Jones was a cult leader who founded some sort of alternative religion, and he managed to make people do whatever he wanted them to do. When he was being investigated for some murders he commited with the help of his congregation, he finally decided to convince all of his followers to commit suicide by drinking cynadine mixed with cool aid.

All in all 910 people died that day...

Of course I'm not saying it's about Jim Jones, but there are similar themes in this song and with the real thing that happened, for example, Lana mentions something about being filled with poison, loving someone so much so she lets him actually hurt her, she compares him to a cult leader, Heaven in Earth, moving to a place where they don't know who Jim is, etc...

Just saying.

The line "he hit me and it felt like a kiss" is from He Hit Me, and song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King that was made famous when The Crystals recorded it in 1962. The song is about the singer Little Eva, whose boyfriend beat her regularly. She genuinely believed that his abuse came from a place of love. Anyway, it's a very haunting song. I recommend you all listen to it to get a better understanding of this song. Grizzly Bear recorded a version of He Hit Me several years ago and it is even more haunting and bizarre than the original. I love it.

It must be really hard having to deal with the evil one on such a personal level. I got a serious impression that this is about much more than drugs or an abusive man.

This song seems to be about drinking and how it affects her. "I could've died right there. Cause he was right beside me. Jim raised me up. He hurt me but it felt like true love....." She's referring to the bottle, the Jim Beam. "He hit me and it felt like a kiss" that feeling after taking the drink you needed all day. But being an alcoholic isn't a good thing. "Jim" is who she shares a life with in this song.

To me, this song represents the deep relation in the addictive nature between both drugs and abusive relationships. When she sings "He hit me and it felt like a kiss", I believe it's an allusion to this man (most likely a lover or boyfriend) shooting her up ("hitting that vein"). Lana has sung before of this type of drug use in her song Hollywood "One day I'll Drive in a gold Mercades Benz singin opera on Bel Air road. Hair to my ass, we'll be flyin in the wind, shootin heroin and speedballs." I believe in this song she sings of the internal battle in one's own heart that comes along with addiction and also that can be represented in abusive relationships, to truly feel the thing you love most is killing you, but that life would not be worth living without it.

I think it has to do with "Sometimes when I write about my feelings, about what sounds like a person, I'm actually writing about the way I felt when I was completely inebriated, which was really good--until it wasn't working for me anymore." ., but not like that..

'' Jim brought me back Reminded me of when we were kids '' - she means he brought her back to the inebriated state. The memories come back to her ( '' I can her sirens, sirens '' ) It was so addictive, that she wants to go back there - '' Give me all of that ultraviolence ''

'' He used to call me DN That stood for deadly nightshade 'Cause I was filled with poison But blessed with beauty and rage '' The deadly nightshade is a plant that can be letal, and so is she, because she is inebriated . (these are just memories)

I don't know, it's just an opinion

The whole song is about love, and the difficult situations that lead you to drug abuse (alcohol maybe) and overdose.

"He used to call me DN That stood for deadly nightshade 'Cause I was filled with poison"

"He used to call me poison Like I was poison ivy"

She sings from the skin of a girl who is having serious problems with drugs, that's why she recognizes that she “was filled with poison". Also, the idea that her boyfriend calls her "DN" and "poison" shows that they are having a difficult moment in their relationship. Perhaps, that situation led her to drug abuse and finally to an overdose.

"He hit me and it felt like a kiss Jim brought me back

Clearly, she was struggling with an overdose and her boyfriend hit her many times to bring her back to life or to wake her up, probably by CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) procedure. Like Snow White she was finally resuscitated by a an act of love.

"Reminded me of when we were kids"

When you have an accident for instance, images of your entire life come to your mind.

I can hear sirens, sirens He hit me and it felt like a kiss I can hear violins, violins Give me all of that ultraviolence

Sirens could be connected to ambulances, violins sound could be related to sad music (funeral).

I could've died right then 'Cause he was right beside me Jim raised me up He hurt me but it felt like true love

Again, she is talking about the moment her boyfriend saved her. To bring her back to life was an act of true love, although he had to use violence to do it.

We can go back to New York Loving you was really hard We can go back 'til it's dark Where they don't know who we are Heaven is on earth I will do anything for you, babe Blessed is this union Crying tears of gold, like lemonade

She tries to express unconditional love and regret, and offers her boyfriend to go back to where they both started to love each other. Both of them are crying at that moment. By singing “Heaven is on earth” she thanks God to have a chance to try to love again.

The most extreme act of violence is rape. The singer is losing herself in being raped. She likes the pain and needs to get hurt just to feel she is alive. She starts to like being raped, probably she suffers from mental illnes (depression and suicide are one of Lanas guiding themes).