And if you save yourself
You will make him happy
He'll keep you in a jar
And you'll think you're happy

He'll give you breathing holes
And you'll think you're happy
He'll cover you with grass
And you'll think you're happy now

You're in a laundry room
You're in a laundry room
The clues that came to you, oh

And if you cut yourself
You will think you're happy
He'll keep you in a jar
Then you'll make him happy

He'll give you breathing holes
Then you'll think you're happy
He'll cover you with grass
Then you'll think you're happy now

You're in a laundry room
You're in a laundry room
The clues that came to you, oh

You're in a laundry room
You're in a laundry room
The clues that came to you, oh

And if you fool yourself
You will make him happy
He'll keep you in a jar
Then you'll think you're happy

He'll give you breathing holes
Then you will seem happy
You'll wallow in the shit
Then you'll think you're happy now

You're in a laundry room
You're in a laundry room
You're in a laundry room
The clues that came to you, oh


Lyrics submitted by shadowcml, edited by Mellow_Harsher, roche4thewin

Sappy Lyrics as written by Kurt Cobain

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management

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Sappy song meanings
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153 Comments

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  • +20
    General Comment

    It's a simple metaphor showing kurt's feminism. It's about a girl in a relationship where she does what the guy tells her and it seems nice and fine and she think's she happy. "you're in a laundry room" literally means the girl is in a laundry room doing laundry. He's talking about how women are treated, basically like pets of the guys, pets that do laundry and make lunch. He's talking to the women saying "you're a pet, and you think you're happy, but you're doing laundry, and you'll realize you're not happy, you're sad."

    the conclusion came to you, oh...

    number10on March 18, 2011   Link
  • +6
    General Comment

    The way I see it...Kurt saw humans as animals more than humans. Humans are like frogs trapped in jars with breathing holes...You think the frog is happy because you continue to give it life and a fake environment. But realistically, humans are the same with the jobs that prohibit them from chasing their dreams. And everyday life holds you back from showing your true emotions. I think Kurt imagined a different world where people didn't have to work meaningless jobs just to survive.

    PTH881on August 06, 2014   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    i think its about a girl who's in a abusive relationship with a guy, and all she does is try to make him happy. she thinks she's happy and he loves her, but he just wants to control her and she's just fooling herself with a false image of a happy relationship.

    pepsipwnage1on May 23, 2009   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    Someone might have already mentioned this, since I have not read the comments, but I think it's about an outside perspective of "God".

    So Cobain could have been thinking, "Hey, what if God is a little kid with a jar, and we are all those insects that He wants to make happy so He's happy too?".

    Think that we're little crickets or ants (weak creatures), trapped in a jar (life) with holes poked in so that we can breathe (religion, or that little faith we can barely experience here, while there is a world outside of the "jar" full of this "oxygen" or God's faith, love, or whatever you want to call it) and we're owned by this selfish little boy (God) who takes happiness in seeing you suffer and dig your way out of the grass (problems) you've been covered in. Then, of course, we continue to praise this boy for "saving us" for keeping us in this "jar" when in reality we have "saved ourselves" (see first line) and go on to conform Him and make Him happy.

    What I'm clueless about is what this "laundry room" where the "jar" rests is.. is it the whole Universe? Does the "jar" actually signify Earth, and the laundry room is the Universe? Maybe..

    That goes on to show the actual darkness and uselessness of a God who makes people "happy" so He's happy.

    fnava21on May 10, 2011   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    it's like someone is controlling you and giving you the thing that is yours but the guy / (they) are selling it to you i mean they are acting like they are actually helping you and you become happy AND someone is washing your brain so you are in the laundry room?! you should act fool so he will like it and he will give you more rewards but they are actually belongs to you from the beginning, u had them , someone had stolen them and now he is selling them to you. haha forget this theory and sry for my grammatic mistakes

    Weirdohon April 06, 2014   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I just think it's about when Kurt used to keep pets- like turtles. He has always said people make too much of his lyrics. It doesn't matter to me what it means- I just love this song! Why is it not on one of their main albums??? Kurt- if you can somehow get this message - I love this song & miss you!!! Wish you could have known how special you were.

    Jax57on May 27, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I believe he likes this girl, that he loves, but she's with a guy that treats her like shit, and she hates it but she's afraid to let go or is just plain fucking stupid,.

    she's like in a jar that he keeps and she think shes happy when she really isnt

    dsgfsdgson January 26, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    my interpretation of this song will sound pretty weird at first but just hear me out - all the stuff said throughout the song (put you in a jar, give you breathing holes, cover you with grass and you will seem happy, etc etc) seems to referr to what little kids do when they catch a bug from outdoors and put it in a jar in their house. following me so far? and so the bug, i guess, is relatively "safe" inside this jar, safer than it would be if it were outside. so if bugs were to have feelings and stuff, the bug would be thinking that it is safe and will be happy in this jar. but in reality, there is only so much you can do in a jar with some grass in it. so i think that this song is saying if you let people shut you up, or you shut your self up into your own little "jar" so to speak, youll think you are happy but in reality you are missing what life is really about.. does that make sense? it might sound crazy, but i can see it more than the abusive relationship theory (not saying that one is wrong) i cant quite tie in the part about the laundry room, though

    sappy2311on February 11, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Lemme tell you what i think this song is about: When you're in prison or sth like that and one of the prison guards does a small nice thing to you like giving you a photo of your wife/husband who's waiting for you at home if you shut the fuck up and "behave nicely". You will be happy when you recieve this little "gift" but after all, youre in prison, man! :-) So its still horrible even if they make a little better for you. This is just an example i think it works with dictatorships and america :-) and all places where people are oppressed.

    OpiumForThePeopleon June 06, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I think it's about not being able to escape. It's kind of a mockery of of god, referring to god as a mean kid keeping you in a jar, for his own fun and entertainment. You're thrown all sorts of bullshit that you need to survive (breathing holes and grass). And then you realize why nothing is ever fixed because he forgot about you; you're in a laundry room.

    Maybe I always just saw it that way. From the bug in a jar analogy which is repeated throughout the song.

    Shmikeyon November 17, 2009   Link

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