The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
I will never bother you
I will never promise to
I will never follow you
I will never bother you
Never say a word again
I will crawl away for good
I will move away from here
You won't be afraid of fear
No thought was put into this
I always knew it would come to this
Things have never been so swell
And I have never failed to fail
Pain
Pain
Pain
You know you're right
You know you're right
You know you're right
It's so warm and calm inside
I no longer have to hide
There's talk about someone else
Sterling silver begins to melt
Nothin' really bothers her
She just wants to love herself
I will move away from here
You won't be afraid of fear
No thought was put into this
I always knew it'd come to this
Things have never been so swell
And I have never failed to fail
Pain
Pain
Pain
Pain
Pain
You know you're right
You know you're right
You know you're right
You know you're right
You know you're right
You know you're right
You know you're right
You know you're right
You know you're right
You know you're right
You know you're right
You know you're right
You know your rights
You know your rights
You know your rights
You know your rights
You know your rights
Pain
I will never promise to
I will never follow you
I will never bother you
Never say a word again
I will crawl away for good
I will move away from here
You won't be afraid of fear
No thought was put into this
I always knew it would come to this
Things have never been so swell
And I have never failed to fail
Pain
Pain
Pain
You know you're right
You know you're right
You know you're right
It's so warm and calm inside
I no longer have to hide
There's talk about someone else
Sterling silver begins to melt
Nothin' really bothers her
She just wants to love herself
I will move away from here
You won't be afraid of fear
No thought was put into this
I always knew it'd come to this
Things have never been so swell
And I have never failed to fail
Pain
Pain
Pain
Pain
Pain
You know you're right
You know you're right
You know you're right
You know you're right
You know you're right
You know you're right
You know you're right
You know you're right
You know you're right
You know you're right
You know you're right
You know you're right
You know your rights
You know your rights
You know your rights
You know your rights
You know your rights
Pain
Lyrics submitted by LPchick4ever, edited by MrShark, iElle, Dan33185, vdk90, Perrysr, EllyListens, MusicalManiac1, jsand118, Floid, KnightoftheOldCode, AidanStalin, ScottyAye, Afla, withawhimper, LivieP, roymethko, LHGL, olliethemoop
You Know You're Right Lyrics as written by Kurt Cobain
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, O/B/O DistroKid
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what people dont get is that, kurt cobains lyrics are the last thing to fully come together. This song was written long before it was recorded. He played it a couple times and then when recording at home time came around he was piecing words together. then studio day came around he probably was in a lousy ass mood (considering the timeline) and focused his lyrics on something about a fight or a popular mood he was in constantly...sarcasm. He recorded his parts, probably laid them down once or twice at most. and that was that. so the "i have never failed to fail" probably is just an inacurate lyric that just fit. It sounds like hes trying to say " i have never felt or felt pain" but had to slip that extra line in to make it fit. Any musician who writes lyrics or riffs knows about stuff like that. in fact it can really drive you crazy, cuz nobody prounounces words like "a-gain", or "cal-i-for-nye-a".they do that to make it fit into a song. Do you understand what im getting at? Anyway this song rocked. and i wanted to put that out there to those who are trying to decipher that line and its meaning. thats one of a couple possibilites. please dont argue with me thank you.
@Cleanruss that might be true. In the "live tonight sold out" home video, Cobain says in an interview "Music comes first", talking about the process of writing. This is very different in artists like, for example, Trent Reznor, who has said sometimes "Lyrics comes first" :)