Placebo: Special K Meaning

Song Released: 2000

Special K Lyrics

Coming up beyond belief
On this coronary thief
More than just a leitmotif
More chaotic, no relief
I'll describe the way I feel
Weeping wounds that never heal
Can the savior be for real
Or are you just my seventh seal?

No hesitation, no...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   hlambert530

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   Jan 18th 2008 !⃝

   I agree in both cases that it's about having an amazing experience/feeling towards one specific person, like he said in concert, and I also that it refers to ketamine. But the link you guys are missing is that he's relating the experience with this person to the drug ketamine, not just experiencing ketamine. It's an analogy, paralleling this person to ketamine. "Gravity, no escaping gravity," like you can't escape this person or their effects on you, even though you know it might end in disaster, which is also how ketamine works. It's a double-meaning.

2. 2TOP RATED

   #2 top rated interpretation:
   Spen

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   Oct 5th 2006 !⃝

   At a live performance, he said that this song was like, when you walk into a bar (or any room really, where there's people), and see someone and be taken aback by them. You know like when you see someone that you find so incredibly attractive that your like "oh my god, wow". And I think when you bare this in mind, the lyrics fall in to the theory. "comming up beyond belief on this coronary theif" (getting a rush (like the whole "whoah" feelin) as with amphetamins on the person who stole your heart!). Thats just the first line, you can figure out the rest, it works!

3. 3TOP RATED

   #3 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Aug 15th 2007 !⃝

   Just wanted to add that special K is a name for a drug...Ketamine if I'm not totally wrong.
4. anonymous

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   Jul 12th 2012 !⃝

   I believe that it's someone's battle against an addiction to Ketamine (Special K) and perhaps they've found someone who has helped them to get over this addiction; as the escaping gravity bit is about the effects of Ketamine, and then he describes ''falling down'' or coming down from the drug ''every time you seem to come around''
5. anonymous

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   Dec 23rd 2011 !⃝

   Well in the music video he unclogs an artery.....?
6. anonymous

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   Apr 9th 2009 !⃝

   Hlambert530 seems to be exactly right -- that is how I interpreted it and what I intended to say =]
   
   It's likening the effects of Ketamine to the feelings of falling for someone/ being in love/ the relationship and its fears and joys in general.
   
   One of their better songs.
7. Lawliet24

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   Jan 4th 2008 !⃝

   I am not sure about this
   But I think...It's about someone who had a bad experience in love, maybe a boy/girlfriend cheated on him/her. And there is this other person the "you" or the "savior" is the one he/she is falling for, but the thing is that he/she is not sure if he/she should go for it, he/she doesn't want to be hurt again.
   
   "Weeping wounds that never heal" (the pain of being heartbroken)
   
   
   
   Special K, I agree with some of the interpretentions, is the Ketamine. A drug.
   
   "You come on just like special K...gravity no escaping gravity..."
   (Gravity is the effect, what we feel when we consume the drug?)
   It's called special K, cause is a metaphore, it compares the "savior" with the drug. What this new person makes them feel. But still they are not sure if they want it.
   
   "Can the savior be for real? Or are you just my seventh seal?" (talks about this new person)
   
   XD aaa whatever...have fun...if it's good then...ok XD if not...too bad! XD
8. anonymous

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   Oct 11th 2007 !⃝

   It's about the drug called ketamine,
   
   No hesitation, no delay
   You come on just like special K
   Just like I swallowed half my stash
   I never ever want to crash
   
   thats about the effects of ketamine
   
   Gravity
   No escaping gravity
   Gravity
   
   and this about the out of body experiences achieved while using ketamine.
9. taka

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   Mar 31st 2007 !⃝

   Drugs! and cereal...fat free cereal from kellogs

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
10. chicken

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    Jul 12th 2006 !⃝

    "It's about suicide rates going up on public holidays: Valentine's Day, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve. All the lonely people get extremely depressed. It can be quite a dark period if you find yourself alone. Especially with birthdays for me, it always reminds me of all the things that were crap about my childhood, so I don't like them. It's that kind of vibe in the song. It's a song about desperation. It's making the link between special days being spent with people that you love and if they're not there, or if you don't have anybody, it's kind of a dark time." - Straight from an interview with placebo.

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