The Killing Lights Lyrics

Lyric discussion by hyperview 

Cover art for The Killing Lights lyrics by AFI

Personally, I think it's a little chunk of Straight-Edge commentary, about the whole scene of being in the City and hitting clubs, doing drugs/ drinking, and randomly hooking up. "The killing lights" are a euphemism for the club, what with the strobe lights and such, and "5 am on the bathroom floor, from the night before, do you find me dreadful?" is a pretty obvious implication about a hangover, or some Afterglow. "Such a shame, such a sad disgrace, such a pretty face, but she's not regretful" is about a beautiful girl who's throwing her life away, but she doesn't care, because it's fun. "Am I beautiful? Am I usable?" seems to imply the various hooking-up done on a night out- this beautiful girl giving herself away for nothing. "Three AM on a City Street"- after the clubs close, "Where the air is sweet, and I've had my mouthful"- in the fresh air, she's done for the night, "but it seems that outside the screen", or once she is too old, or whatever, to party anymore, "such a pretty face often will look dreadul". The "Cut you up" bit, i think is either a reference to a hangover, and the immediate downside to partying too hard, or (I like this one better) he's talking about an Autopsy, cutting up the body of a Clubber who OD'd or otherwise got killed in a manner relative to substance abuse.

.....xXx.

Thank you for posting the real meaning and not this vampire shit!

As a girl who can occasionally be found in a pile on a bathroom floor at 5am, I think you nailed this meaning. It really follows perfectly how club life can be beautiful and amazing at the time, but a lot of stupid things can happen, you hurt like hell for the next day or three depending on substances consumed, and a few years on down the road you can really see the toll it can take. A lot of people hide in the clubs and a few even wind up dead from ODs or dangerous situations they...