Kraken Lyrics – Florence + the Machine

Kraken Lyrics Meaning

[Verse 1]
This part shows someone feeling disconnected from their own body, like they don’t fully recognize themselves anymore. They try to numb that feeling by watching TV, but the restlessness keeps growing. The rising water around them represents emotions and anxiety building up until it becomes too much to ignore. Seeing someone beautiful on the screen triggers deep frustration and self-loathing. As the emotions overflow, they give in completely, letting the chaos swallow them. In that surrender, they transform into something new and powerful, a creature with many arms—like the Kraken—finding strength and even a strange kind of freedom in what once felt like drowning.

[Pre-Chorus]
Here, the singer reflects on others who once had promise but were destroyed by their struggles, symbolized by the swamp. They admit to playing a dark role in letting them fall, maybe out of bitterness or survival. They address someone who never truly noticed or respected them, calling them out for their ignorance. When that person finally reaches for help or connection, the singer rejects them, almost taking revenge. Now, they’re demanding recognition, asking if they finally see who they’ve become.

[Chorus]
These repeated lines feel like a haunting echo, where the singer keeps asking if she’s finally visible and acknowledged after all the pain and transformation she’s gone through.

[Verse 2]
In this part, the singer fully becomes the Kraken, a creature from the deep, and confronts someone who once overlooked her. She wonders if she now haunts their thoughts, showing both tenderness and danger. She reveals her newfound power and hunger, both emotional and destructive. The mix of beauty and rage makes her irresistible yet terrifying. She’s unstoppable now, and the tables have turned—the person who once dismissed her can’t escape the consequences that are finally catching up.

[Chorus]
The repeated question again shows her desire to be seen and recognized, echoing both pride and pain, as if she’s daring the other person to finally face her power.

[Verse 3]
Here, she confronts someone who once doubted her, showing that she has become something much greater than expected. She describes gripping their ship as it falls apart, a powerful image of control and revenge. She questions whether they can now truly see her and handle the pain she carries. There’s a mix of defiance and vulnerability as she locks eyes with them, asking if she frightens them now that she’s embraced her darker strength.

[Pre-Chorus]
This section repeats her reflection on lost peers and missed chances, but now it feels more like acceptance. She acknowledges how others fell while she survived by embracing her own darkness. She reminds her past love how they ignored her, and now she’s the one holding power. Her question “do you see me now?” feels sharper and more confident than before.

[Chorus]
The repeated chant at the end feels like a wave rising and crashing again and again. It’s her final confrontation—part demand, part declaration. She’s no longer invisible or weak. The repetition gives a sense of haunting persistence, as if she’s echoing through the depths, making sure she’ll never be ignored again.