This is a song about the creative process, beating yourself up to create, how you have to plunge into the depths of self (where it's not always pretty) to bring real emotion & creativity to the top. "Express thyself! Express thyself! Say something! Say something!" is the key phrase in the song - that & the fact that being unable to express oneself sometimes leads to self-loathing.
Nick Cave entitled the collection of Birthday Party lyrics "King Ink," a clue that the song is about writing, but I've thought of this song in all contexts where I am needing to be creative but am fresh out of ideas.
& now it occurs to me that maybe "King Ink" is an entity - a trickster god or a demon - that haunts you, possesses you when you create.
that could be true chamberlain. I've heard Nick Cave name check Lorca's essay on duende. Duende is sometimes described as the demon of tragic art. Well, it's a bit more complex than that but that's the basic idea. It's also what he admits he tries to embody his songs with.
that could be true chamberlain. I've heard Nick Cave name check Lorca's essay on duende. Duende is sometimes described as the demon of tragic art. Well, it's a bit more complex than that but that's the basic idea. It's also what he admits he tries to embody his songs with.
my only wonder is would nick have read it before this song was written? he was quite young.
my only wonder is would nick have read it before this song was written? he was quite young.
This is a song about the creative process, beating yourself up to create, how you have to plunge into the depths of self (where it's not always pretty) to bring real emotion & creativity to the top. "Express thyself! Express thyself! Say something! Say something!" is the key phrase in the song - that & the fact that being unable to express oneself sometimes leads to self-loathing.
Nick Cave entitled the collection of Birthday Party lyrics "King Ink," a clue that the song is about writing, but I've thought of this song in all contexts where I am needing to be creative but am fresh out of ideas.
& now it occurs to me that maybe "King Ink" is an entity - a trickster god or a demon - that haunts you, possesses you when you create.
that could be true chamberlain. I've heard Nick Cave name check Lorca's essay on duende. Duende is sometimes described as the demon of tragic art. Well, it's a bit more complex than that but that's the basic idea. It's also what he admits he tries to embody his songs with.
that could be true chamberlain. I've heard Nick Cave name check Lorca's essay on duende. Duende is sometimes described as the demon of tragic art. Well, it's a bit more complex than that but that's the basic idea. It's also what he admits he tries to embody his songs with.
my only wonder is would nick have read it before this song was written? he was quite young.
my only wonder is would nick have read it before this song was written? he was quite young.