Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: folk
Song Meaning of “The Killing Type” by Amanda Palmer
The Killing Type by Amanda Palmer is an intense and emotive song about feeling and hiding immense amounts of pain. Throughout the song, she openly examines how the facade of having a perfect life is really just a mask to hide the powerful emotions simmering underneath.
The song begins with the lyrics, “I’m the killing type, the right kind of danger,” as Palmer reflects on the false impression she puts on and the role she must take in order to survive. She talks about the boundaries between truthfulness and deception, and how her life is full of manipulation in order to withstand the demands of modern society.
Throughout the song she talks about the strain of constantly pretending and the suppressing of the hurt it brings. She reveals that the only way to get by is to put on a brave face and act tough. She admits she is the “killing type” – a dangerous kind of person that hides behind a mask so she doesn’t have to show her vulnerability.
In the chorus, she sings, “There’s the side of me they see, and the real me underneath.” Here she reveals the struggle of trying to portray a perfect persona, while underneath she is torn into pieces. She despairs of how the walls she has built are slowly crumbling.
The song closes with her singing, “This could be the rope, the last thing that I know.” Here, Palmer is singing about how she fears she can’t keep up the act of her imaginary mask anymore and finally has to show her true colours.
In conclusion, The Killing Type is a powerful song about the mask society creates for us and the consequences that come with it. It speaks of the pressure to look perfect, and how you can’t truly hide from your own emotions. In this song, Palmer successfully conveys her emotions of being stuck between two worlds, and the effect it has on one’s mental health.