King

Album: Out Of The Silent Planet (1988)
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Songfacts®:

  • With the refrain "King is coming," this song has biblical overtones, indicating that Jesus Christ is coming to redeem one's sins. The verse lyrics ("You are the one who causes me pain") relate to the Devil in this interpretation.

    King's X imbued their songs with their Christian faith, but most were more subtle. This one was written by their frontman, Doug Pinnick, who later distanced himself from Christianity. "Back in the day, I was a believer," he said in the 2019 book "King's X: The Oral History." I was trying to subtly write things about my faith, without being blatant or turning it into an evangelical type of song. I just wanted to rock out and have fun."

    The meaning of the song has shifted for Pinnick, who added: "When I sang, King is coming, it's sort of like saying, 'Whoever is going to come and fix everything, they're on their way. Your big brother, your lover, your God, Jesus - whatever.' It's sort of a victory song. A song of hope, of, 'Hey man, these people have been f--king us over for a long time, but your time is coming - someone is going to come fix this.'"
  • Part of the first King's X album, "King" was released as a single but failed to chart. The band was signed to Atlantic Records and grew an ardent following, but never broke through with a hit song.
  • The video was directed by the band's manager, Sam Taylor. Shot in the band's home turf of Houston, it shows child actors portraying the band members as they stand up for their beliefs through music.

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