400 Lux Lyrics

Lyric discussion by HalfJack483 

Cover art for 400 Lux lyrics by Lorde

I know she's only 16 and y'all wanna think she's cute and innocent but this song def has drug references in it. Specifically heroin (and coming off an album called Pure Heroine I'm surprised people are shocked).

Tar is a type of heroin. In many countries you have to mix it with orange juice to break it down so you can shoot it. She mentions veins and pulses, which invoke imagery of IV drug use. She mentions wearing long sleeves (to hide the track marks) and killing time (which is one reason to do drugs).

It would seem to me that the guy is probably older and has been using for a while. Thus he's tired (but he still waits in the car for drug deals). The fact he longs for clean teeth either hints at homelessness or past drug use of smoking crack or meth.

She says she's glad they stopped "kissing the tar", which implies they've kicked the habit (at least temporarily), but now they feel hollow and they need something to kill the time so they drink instead. Many junkies do this when they quit smack. And now that the heroin is gone (which probably brought them together), she's afraid he'll leave her so she's asking him to stay.

At least that's my theory. But I'm an ex-junkie, so what do I know?

My Interpretation

Agreed. I'm not an ex-junkie, but I've known users and like to think I'm familiar with most of the street terms and methods, etc. Plus long sleeves and "killing time" until your veins are bruised? Yeah. IV drugs. Definitely. Plus, the whole album has a lot of references that could easily be about drugs.

I think this song has to do with drinking and not doing heroin.. I mean anyone can have their own ideas and meaning on the song but I think the song has to do with them drinking and driving.... the terms "Til the veins run red and blue" I take this as let me be with you until the end

You pick me up and take me home again Head out the window again We're hollow like the bottles that we drain.. Head out the window they're driving drunk and she has to puke so she pukes out the window...

and kissing the tar on the highway like they had to pull over on the street and puke and they're face first on the street passed out from having to throw up.... I've seen this happen to people before... lol