“Kill Bill” is the second track on SZA’s 2022 album ‘SOS.’ The title takes on the infamous movie of the same name portraying a vengeful ex-lover. SZA has murder on her mind in this track about her ex who did her bad.
‘SOS’ is the highly anticipated second studio album by SZA, following her debut studio album ‘CTRL’ from 2017. The lead single of the album, “Shirt” was released live on SNL. According to SZA, the theme of the album is that she is very angry; “I feel like the general theme is like ‘I’m p*ssed.’ So I hope that that’s understood.” The acronym ‘SOS’ is historically derived from the sailor term ‘Save Our Ship’ a code for emergencies at the ocean. In the case of the album title, it can be inferred that SZA’s life is in disarray and needs help.
‘Kill Bill’ is a movie by the infamous Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino. The movie is based on a female ex-assassin (played by Uma Thurman) taking vengeance on people who have done bad to her in the past. The second volume of the movie duology focuses on the ex-assassin going after her former boss and lover ‘Bill.’
Listen to “Kill Bill” by SZA
SZA “Kill Bill” Lyrics Meaning and Song Review
SZA jumps into the song with a reference to the movie. When she is still a fan although she has grown salty, she is referring to her ex-boss who is an assassin. In the movie, the ex-assassin goes after her former lover and boss, Bill. The former boss now rides with a new crew and she is jealous of them. However, this very well translates to SZA’s personal life concerning an ex-lover with whom she is jealous about.
SZA confesses that she needs a therapist’s help in her current condition. But she does not need help overcoming her thirst for blood, but she wants her therapist to tell her more stories about ex-lovers to fuel her anger. Her therapist can tell her to move on, but she only wants him. And she would rather kill and be killed than be alone.
SZA knows that she is chasing ghosts. There is no future for her and her former lover–only a past. She is willing to live in this past or die trying. She is well aware that her path leads to no happy endings. This contrasts with the lyric where she repeatedly sings “I’m so mature.”
This lyric throws back to the movie, where the ex-assassin’s former boss praises her maturity. Sweet-nothings like these might have made her fall in love with her then-boss. Now, he does the same with his new student. This feeds SZA’s hunger to kill Bill (or her ex-lover).
In the final chorus of the song, SZA confesses that she went along with her plan–both her ex and the ex’s current lover are dead. She still loves him though.
What do you think about this song? Let us know in the comments below. Check out the complete lyrics on Genius.