| Nirvana – Drain You Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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When two immature people ("one baby to another…") have a relationship based exclusively on sex. There are no other interests than kissing and having sex with your partner, what is described in the most disgusting possible way in this song, in order to show how animalistic it is. "Chew your meat for you, pass it back and forth in a passionate kiss from my mouth to yours" – extremely vivid way to describe exchange of saliva during kissing. The verse "sloppy lips to lips, you're my vitamins" says the same thing. That's Kurt's way of mocking with this superficial kind of partnership. Unfortunately, the big majority of relationships is of this kind, where each partner is looking just for his own satisfaction (often only physical satisfaction), without even thinking about other person's needs or feelings: "It is now my duty to completely drain you" – I'll take whatever I need from you and I don't care how it affects you, 'cause it isn't you that matter to me, but what you can do for me and my pleasure. "I don't care what you think unless it is about me" – I don't have the need to talk to you at all or to hear your opinion about anything except of myself. Following verses are about being obsessed with your partner for the fact you became addicted to having sex with her/him. It's about how it may seem this person is the best in the world only because of fulfilling your physical needs and you become completely miserable and dependent of her. "With eyes so dilated I've become your pupil" – dilated eyes are the sign of physical excitement (this part of the song is often interpreted as excitement achieved by doing drugs, but it can also be sexual excitement). "You've taught me everything without a poison apple" - you suddenly admire your partner more than you admire your parents or teachers or any other role model you had in your life before discovering sex. They were trying to teach you some important life lessons through children stories (poison apple refers to Snow White story, but can also refer to Bible and Adam and Eve, what is also the way of teaching your children moral lessons). But now you feel like everything you were taught is rubbish compared to what you've learned from your sexual partner about sex. "Travel through a tube and end up in your infection" - being aware you're having sex with person who has or is likely to have STD, but not caring since sex is your only goal, no matter the consequences. "The water is so yellow, I'm a healthy student" - being happy when you realize that you didn't pick up STD although it was quite probable. "Indebted and so grateful vacuum out the fluids" - being careful in order to not get pregnant. All of this lyrics are telling the sad story of having sex with anyone just for getting physical pleasure with no emotions included. The way Kurt sings about relationships is different from anything else you will hear. There is no lies and fake promises in his lyrics, this lyrics weren’t written in order to feel better about yourself in terms of relationships, but exactly the opposite – to feel worse realizing how sometimes you were this awful kind of a person and to never act like that again. |
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| Nirvana – Territorial Pissings Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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Excellent song against xenophobia, written from the perspective of an alien. It’s always the perspective from which song is written what is special about Kurt. “When I was an alien, cultures weren’t opinions” – this means that if anyone of us would be able to see the Earth from the outside, as an alien or an astronaut, we would realize that we are all the same since we are all humans. We belong to the same species and we all share one home which is our planet. From this point of view all the arguments between people from different cultures become pointless. It doesn’t make sense that people of different nationalities or different religions have different opinions about life in general, opinions which are constantly causing fights, even wars. People just don’t get that different cultures shouldn’t mean different opinions, if we want to achieve any progress of this world. Instead, we should all have the same goals and work together to fulfil them. “Never met a wise man, if so it’s a woman” – feministic quote again, which is common thing for Kurt, but not only that in this case. Here it means that if there is some human being who is willing to finally make peace between people of different cultures, it would definitely be a woman, since women have more empathy for others. “Gotta find a way, better way, I’d better wait” – alien thinks of showing the better way to people, meaning to teach them how they should act towards each other, but then he decides it’s better to wait with that, since human kind isn’t ready for that, we still haven’t evolved that much to understand it. From the same reason there are opening lines (borrowed from Youngbloods song Get Together) which are said ironically, since love and understanding are never really happening among people. “Just because you’re paranoid, don’t mean they’re not after you” – these lines are pretty cool, it’s like alien is announcing a war to mankind. As some other species will attack us eventually and we won’t be prepared to defend ourselves ‘cause we have many disagreements among us. He is telling to all of us that we are paranoid about each other, what we shouldn’t be, ‘cause maybe there is some species from the outside which is after us, and we should be paranoid about them. Then we should be friends with each other in order to resist someone else. Maybe it’s also some threat that species of higher intelligence wants to destroy us because we haven’t made enough progress as humankind. And we actually didn’t, because technological or scientific progress doesn’t mean a thing, as long as we don’t make social progress and achieve world without wars and closed borders. |
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| Nirvana – Polly Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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I remember I read somewhere that this is the darkest Nirvana song and I must admit that I agree with that statement. Not only that the story behind it is the darkest possible, but also the sound of this song is special and atypical for Nirvana. While most of their songs have both quiet and loud parts exchanging (quiet parts being slow and loud parts being fast), Polly has only that slow, quiet sound, which makes the feeling about this song so spooky. So it's about Gerald Friend, who was convicted for kidnapping and raping a girl in 1960. , but after 20 years he was released from prison and did the same thing again. Not only kidnapping and raping the girl who was hitchhiking, but also torturing her in many cruel and disgusting ways, also described in this song. Girl pretended to like it in order to get his trust and that's how she managed to escape on the gas station eventually, after he agreed to untie her. The way this song is written is psychotic, just as Gerald Friend really was. The point was to make listener feel sick hearing it, and raise awareness of this problem in society that way. Kurt chooses the worst possible way to describe this disgusting man – by writing this song from his perspective. I must say it's ingenious. However, there are always dark minds to misunderstand this and to consider Kurt was approving Gerald's acts, so there was a group of boys who tortured and raped a girl while listening to this song. Kurt was emotionally devastated by this event and as always disappointed with this kind of "fans". The most brilliant thing about this song is portraying the rape victim as a parrot in cage. Both the girl and a parrot are imprisoned and molested. There is the nice play of words since "seed" means both food for parrot and sperm. Parrot's wings are metaphor for girl's virginity – "let me clip dirty wings" – meaning to destroy something valuable on someone. All of the comparisons used in this song are truly awesome, it's something that only great artist can create. This is one of those songs everyone should have respect for, whether a fan or not. Although Nevermind is often considered to have pop sound, songs like Polly, Territorial Pissings, Something In The Way and Endless, Nameless prove different. It was popular, but it is way above anything what is considered pop music, because lyrics of that songs on Nevermind are so sophisticated and clever and discuss problems no one else discussed. Polly isn't just some song – it's an activism, and that is when music becomes important. By the way, lyrics aren't written here as they appear on Nevermind. The best version of lyrics for this song (and most of other songs) is on the website AZLyrics.com. |
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| Nirvana – Lithium Lyrics | 5 years ago |
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"Lithium" is about a person with mental illness (such as bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder for which lithium is prescribed) whose condition simply cannot be healed by any medication or any kind of therapy. Kurt himself was depressive, so he knew very well how it feels and that's why this song sounds so god damn convincing. It's actually the same case with all Nirvana songs - they are real and completely sincere, Kurt felt all of this things he wrote about and nothing was faked. So anyone who knows anything about depression knows that unfortunately, depression can't be healed, with any treatment, under any conditions, ever. If a person is depressive (not talking about depressive episodes occuring once or twice in a lifetime at people who are usually completely healthy, but about people with depressive personality) then he or she will always remain depressive, no matter what, it's just the way they are. The only thing psychiatrist or psychologist can do for depressive person is to relief their feeling of sorrow, what can be done with psychotherapy or medications. However, that short-term feeling of happiness which person taking lithium will experience, is just illusive, meaning it's not real, deep happiness and satisfaction with yourself and life in general. It's more like taking any drug that boosts your mood - satisfaction and fake feeling of happiness last short, while coming back to reality feels even worse after that. As the matter of fact, taking medications which help coping with depression, causes bipolar disorder, because you start experiencing periods of manic happiness alternating with depressive episodes. That is what this song is all about - it's about how taking lithium feels and about how it doesn't solve your depression problem. Lyrics "Yeah, yeah..." and "I like it, I'm not gonna crack" describe fake feeling of happiness after taking lithium. But there are also lyrics saying how there is no kind of therapy (which aren't medications, but talking with the patient and trying to show him bright side od life) which can actually heal depression once and for all. Psychiatrists will be telling you how you have friends and people who care, while you know it's not true 'cause you wouldn't be depressive if anybody cared about you. So if you want psychotherapy to suceed, you're gonna start repeating to yourself that you have friends, knowing you're just lying to yourself. That's why he ironically sings: "I'm so happy 'cause today I've found my friends" and you immediately see it's ironical 'cause he also says:"They're in my head". The other thing you will constantly be told is that you shouldn't mind if you look ugly, but it doesn't really solve your problem, does it? It doesn't suddenly make you feel confident about your looks, but has completely the opposite effect - you being aware of your ugliness even more than before. Again ironical lyrics:"I'm so ugly, but that's okay 'cause so are you, we've broken our mirrors". Actually he wants to ask his psychiatrist does he really think that the fact someone other is ugly (or unemployed or unsuccessfull) makes him feel less ugly himself? 'Cause it doesn't, which means that common motivation methods just don't work on depressive persons. He also sings about some other solutions which people coping with depression often turn to, such as religion ("Sunday morning is every day for all I care" and "Light my candles in a daze 'cause I've found God") or joining some sect ("I shaved my head" - it always reminded me of Hare Krishna). Of course that none of this solutions solves depression neither. Finally, from this lyrics we can conclude that this specific person from a song suffers mental illness because of losing someone dear who commited suicide ("I killed you, I'm not gonna crack" - person is blaming himself for someone else's death and is losing his mind for not being able to cope with it). It can also be concluded that this person who passed away was in a love relationship with person who sings this song, 'cause of the lyrics "I'm so horny", meaning he lost sexual partner as well. It's extremely hard to explain all the feelings that pass me while listening to this song, which is so complex and beautiful and always reminds me of how much I love Nirvana. It perfectly demonstrates all the bad feelings one can experience, such as depression, hopelessness, madness and the worst of all - fake happiness. Bipolar disorder is also perfectly represented with music - exchanging slow and quiet parts with the fast and loud ones, thing typical for Nirvana in general. I believe Kurt being bipolar is exactly the reason for doing this kind of music which is fucking awesome. It is the most beautiful thing about him - just coming as he is, mad and completely fucked up, and doing great things simply because of courage to show his true self without being ashamed of it. I think that's the reson why people who like Nirvana recognized this music as good in the first place. Because every single one of us is mentally fucked up in some kind of way and for that reason everyone can find themselves in "Lithium" song. |
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| Nirvana – Breed Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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I think it's about deciding to start living with your boyfriend/girlfriend (or deciding to get married), without actually being ready for that, but you convince yourself in your head that you really want it, just because society expects you to do it up to a certain age. "I don't care if it's old" - he's subconsciously doing that just because of the tradition. "I don't mind, don't have a mind" - he is infatuated with love, losing his mind because of it. "Get away from your home" - it's expected from him to leave his parental home and to get married. "I'm afraid...ghosts!" - he is afraid of doing that, since it isn't something he really wants. He doesn't feel mentally ready yet. "Even if you have, even if you need, I don't mean to stare" - he is telling that to the girl he wants to settle with, meaning: "Even if you already have security in your life and you are well situated, or you still need all of this, I don't mean to waste my time with you, but I want to marry you in any case". "We don't have to breed, we could plant a house, we could build a tree, I don't even care, we could have all three - she said" - although he sings "she said", it actually refers to himself, because in his relationship with Tobi Vail, he was the one who wanted to get married, not Tobi. He just changes their roles in this song, maybe for being ashamed of that, or maybe because usually girls are mentally ready to get married before their boyfriemds are. All of the things he mentions they could do, are contradictory. First he says "we don't have to breed", and than he says "we could have all three", meaning that he is confused and not really sure about what he actually wants. Also, it's intentionally switched "plant a house" and "build a tree", with the purpose of additionally emphasizing his confusion and not having an idea of what he is doing. So, it's just another Nirvana song about an individual losing his mind while he is trying to live as society expects from him. This time it's about settling down with your partner, just because it has to be done and the rules must be followed. Because of that he doesn't even know what he wants anymore, but tries to do it anyhow. |
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| Nirvana – Come As You Are Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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One of my favorite songs ever. I consider it one of the most important Nirvana songs, because of its lyrics, which somehow summarize the whole essence of what Kurt was trying to tell the world. It's about living your life as others expect from you, instead of how you want. It's about hypocrisy of the people who are always telling you to be who you are, while they actually don't mean it at all. Your own parents always advise you to be your true self and to make your own choices, but how many parents would actually be satisfied with you choosing exactly what you want? They always have their own vision of you, of how you should behave and what you should become. So, they are telling you to be what you want, but in fact, they would prefer you to be what they have imagined. That's why the lyrics go "Come as you are" - when they say it to you, they are lying, 'cause actually they mean: "as I want you to be". They want you to finish school at certain age, to get married up to a certain age, have children etc. Although telling you to do it when you are ready - "Take your time, hurry up, choice is yours", they still expect you to do it when they want - "don't be late". Parents and their expectations are just one of the thousands of examples. The same is with the rest of your family, your teachers, friends, boyfriend/girlfriend, people you work with etc. It goes even further, it's not just the people close to you, but also the whole society. Politicians, people who are selling their products, media, literally everyone of them wants you to be the kind of person they can manipulate. That about are the lyrics: "Come doused in mud, soaked in bleach, as I want you to be, as a trend". That lyrics mean: "Come as a junkie, so we can easily make money on you and later do any kind of shit to you, 'cause you will lose perspective". It's obvious that this lyrics have that meaning because it was a slogan of a campaign to suppress the spread of viruses through needles, which said: "If doused in mud, soak in bleach", referring to a dezinfection of the needle after use. So, Kurt wants to say how twisted that is, 'cause the purpose of the campaign wasn't to suppress drug use, but exactly the opposite - to spread it. It just looks like they want good for you, while actually it's in their favor that you are a junkie, so they are just giving you advice how to use your needles in the better way. He also sings about those people who just take advantages of you, while pretending to be your friends - "As a friend, as a known enemy". They are going to destroy you by knowing your weaknesses, after making you think that you are friends. This song is also about prejudices, about how people already have an opinion about you, without even ever talking to you, based on their knowledge about yout descent or your education level etc. That's where the lyrics "as an old memoria" come from. All of that people have the feeling they already know you, they remember you from somewhere (from what others told them about you). Finally, it's about the people who really know you well, but aren't accepting any changes of your personality. They expect you to be the person you were when they first met you, and aren't allowing you to grow and develop in what you want. So, they advise you to come "as you were" in order to like you. "As you were" is also said in the army, so in that way too it has the same message of being ordered how to act by others. "When I swear that I don't have a gun" - We won't kill you if you come as you are (but actually, they will). All in all, the point of this song is that all of the people in your life, close to you or not, friends or haters, important ones or those you're not even aware of, they are all lying to you when they tell you to "come as you are". No one wants you to come as you are, everyone wants something different from you. Neither you want anyone else to be as they are. It leads all of us to losing our identities, because we want to please everyone and all our lives we are trying to be someone else than we truly want to. We put expectations of other people, and of society in general, before our own wishes and plans. That is happening because everyone of us wants to be accepted by others and to have that feeling of belonging somewhere. So, "come as you are" is said ironically in this song, as the greatest lie ever. But it's point is to draw a lesson from it to actually come as you are, despite the fact nobody really wants it. This life is too short to spend it trying to please everyone else, instead of just coming as you are, whether they'll like it or not. That lesson, which we should draw from this song, is maybe the most important message Kurt ever left to us. The proof for that is the welcome sign in his hometown Aberdeen, on which "come as you are" is written, as his essential message. |
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| Pulp – Disco 2000 Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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@[Polidori:31571] Is this supposed to be funny or what? You put so much effort in writing the dullest comment I've ever read on this site. Please, find some other place for trying to be funny, 'cause you're just embarrassing yourself here. This song is one of the best songs ever, lyrically and musically, Pulp wasn't about having a lyrics with a deep meaning, but their lyrics are supposed to be funny (that's the quality you lack) and to describe some real-life situations in an amusing way. So, this song is about him being into this girl who was a slut, so he never had chances at her, 'cause he was shy, while other boys were taking their chances on her ("Martyn said that you were the best" - the best fuck). Now he is feeling damp and lonely year after year, when having this generation meetings, 'cause he is the only one who didn't get married while waiting for her to notice him. The most of this lyrics are sarcastic and therefore contadictionary, as the part with bringing her baby, but that's the whole point, to make fun of this subject in the song. "I would be living down here on my own on that damp and lonely Thursday years ago" - this actually has a sense, since he is repeating this song every year, meaning that story isn't changing for him at all, he is always remaining alone. So, that's why he says "I would be..." and than "years ago", 'cause the years have passed and he can still sing that. Next time, when you decide to write something hilarious, what actually isn't at all, at least put less time and effort in doing that, 'cause this way it's pathetic. |
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| Nirvana – In Bloom Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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Dedicated to all of those super smart wretches who can't find any meaning in Kurt's lyrics. Believe it or not, his lyrics actually HAVE a meaning, all of them. So, if anyone of you "true Nirvana fans" cannot find that meaning, my suggestion for you is to give up on Nirvana, 'cause you're missing the whole point of it. This song is about people who aren't even trying to find the meaning in the lyrics of a music they are listening to. Kurt hated that kind of people, he hated that kind of "fans", if I can even call them so. He was putting effort in writing his lyrics, whatever anyone says, no matter what even he says, since he was sarcastic person. "He's the one who likes all our pretty songs" - it's a fake fan, since he doesn't understand the meaning of that songs - "but he knows not what it means". Kurt also hated journalists and media who were explaining his messages incorrectly to the young people. The opening lyrics of the song aren't meaningless, it's about media and the fact they have no idea what they are writing about, but are writing about literally anything, just to sell papers and make money: "Sell the kids for food" - writing stories about kids, using kids to make money. "Weather changes moods, spring is here again" - weather forecast for which no one cares anyway, but it will fulfill pages. "Reproductive glands" - sexual subjects, 'cause it's best selling. Other lyrics between the refrenes are about the readers of this shitty magazines, specially aobut those young people who are reading about bands they are listening to. Press people alwasy showed Kurt and Nirvana in a completely different light than they truly were. They were presenting to that young people totally twisted picture of Kurt, as of someone whose lyrics have no meaning, someone who rebels against the meaning in general, while it was actually completely the opposite. They just didn't get it, so the teenagers who were reading their shit also didn't get it, 'cause people are sheeps (that's why "Nevermind" should've been titled "Sheep"). Journalists knew they can sell whatever story they want to that young, still unshaped minds, 'cause they are gonna believe what is written, without questioning it: "We can have some more" - we can earn even more money, let's just make up another fake story to sell it to them. "Bruises on the fruit, tender age in bloom" - youngsters are the fruit, who are in tender age, when media can manipulate them and poison them with their stories (leave the bruises on them). |
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| Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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The purpose of this song is to make fun of teenage ideals - that's where the title comes from, it's ironical. Every time I listen to this song, I imagine a party in my head, on which various types of teenagers are coming. Although they are all different, they have one thing in common - every one of them desperately wants to be accepted by others. They are just trying to get acceptance in different ways, so some of them think they will look cool if they come with guns ("load up on guns"), while some think people will respect them if they act like they are untouchable ("she's over-bored and self-assured"). The most amusing part of this song to me is: "Hello, hello, hello, how low?" While listening to that part I imagine being on that party and watching people coming in - they are all fake and it's so obvious that all of them are doing everything to seem more special than others, they come in with different stylings and they are introducing themselves to the rest of the group with their appereance. "Hello, hello, hello" - it's various freaks coming in and saluting everyone else, while you are thinking: "How low?", meaning "How low a person can go in this shitty attempt to be liked by other fakers?". "It's fun to lose and to pretend" means that people are losing their identity by pretending to be someone else in order to be accepted by others. "With the lights out, it's less dangerous" - it's less dangerous that your true identity will be revealed in the dark (everyone is hiding their true-selves). "Here we are now, entertain us! I feel stupid and contagious" - the point of complete self-loss in the crowd. Suddenly you realize you are in the middle of a bunch of idiots who are looking for the stupidest kinds of entertainment like drugs and sex with anywho. So you feel stupid and contagious in that surroundings, while they expect you to do something scandalous to amuse them ("entertain us!"). You have no idea what to do or how to act, 'cause you have a feeling there is nothing left to shock them, nothing they haven't seen before, nothing to make you special and notable. "I'm worse at what I do best and for this gift I feel blessed" - when it's his turn to show what he is special for, he says that, in lack of ideas. "A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido" - that are the only things anyone can notice on that kind of party - the people who are somehow enormously striking in appereance ("a mulatto, an albino") or eventually a mosquito bite or your own horniness. Nothing else exists, neither your own personality. "And I forget just why I taste, oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile" - he forgets why the hell he is going to this gatherings when it makes him feel bad. That's why he says "I guess it makes me smile", 'cause it actually doesn't. "I found it hard, it's hard to find, oh well, whatever, never mind" - still wondering what he is looking for there. "A denial!" - he wants to deny all of it, he doesn't want to be a part of that stupid crowd of pretenders anymore, but this denial is happening only inside of his head since he continues to hang out with them and play their game. It's everyone of us, that's what this song is about. We are all just the products of society and we all act by other people expectations, although we don't find it amusing at all. This song has a deep meaning, not only in terms of changing the whole music history, but it also has a social meaning. This is the song which opened the door of a mainstream to the whole alternative music, and that is one of the greatest achievements in music history. This is the song for which we will remember 90's as the last decade of a real musicians. At last, this is the song which has even deeper meaning nowdays, in the age of social media which force us to act exactly as described in this song. |
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| Nirvana – Downer Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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I think this one is about how society makes you feel down if you are not serving your country the way they expect you to (for example not going to the Vietnam War, or not being involved in politics). That's why he sings: "Don't feel quilty, master, writing!" and "I know I can make enough of the words, you go along, I sing a song", meaning that he is proud to be a songwriter instead of accepting to go to another country to kill innocent people who did nothing to him. He says to those who feel proud to serve the country that way: "You go along with the rest of stupid followers of the regime if you want to, but I won't! None of you will make me feel guilty because of that. I refused to do what I consider morally wrong and there is nothing to feel guilty about. You may say I didn't do anything useful with my music and lyrics, but I disagree with you. I can do a lot with my music. I can make people think about your brainwashing and make them want to stop it." "Slippery pessimist hypocrite master conservative communist apocalyptic bastard" - from this lyrics it's obvious he isn't supporting any political option, but sees them all as the same, just being the ways of manipulating people. "Thank you dear God for putting me on this earth, I feel very privileged in debt for my thirst" - he is thankful to God for being ordinary man, not a political opportunistic bastard. |
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| Nirvana – Big Cheese Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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Big cheese is a big boss. In Kurt's case that are record producers - "Mine says: One that stays! (referring to a song which stays on the record)". This is about those unbearable bosses who act like they owe entire world and they are just giving orders to everyone around them, like their employees are their servants - "Mine says: Go to the office!", "Need more enemies (the boss who enjoys that people hate him and wants to have more enemies), show you all what a man is", "Big lies make my (his boss is a liar)". Kurt calls people for rebellion against this kind of bosses: "Big cheese, make me!" - reuse to do what he orders you. "Black is black, straight it back" - he is wrong, tell him so! "She eats glue, how 'bout you?" - "she" is probably Kurt himself, he sings about himself as about the person who remains passive and does everything she is ordered to do (is brainwashed). So, he asks listeners: "How 'bout you?" - would you be the same person as "she" is, or you will rise against that mistreatment? "Sure you are, but what am I?" - saying it to his boss - if you are deciding everything, what the hell am I doing here?! |
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| Nirvana – Sifting Lyrics | 6 years ago |
| @[once_i__:31528] The lyrics of "School" are dumb???!!! Obviously you don't get it. | |
| Nirvana – Sifting Lyrics | 6 years ago |
| @[once_i__:31527] | |
| Nirvana – Sifting Lyrics | 6 years ago |
| @[JimiCobain:31526] Althought I have a different interpretation of those lyrics, I completely agree with you about the fact that Kurt's lyrics always have a deeper meaning, but very few people are trying to find it. The saddest thing is that most of the people who call themselves Nirvana fans, actually don't see that deeper meaning in Kurt's songs. It's such a shame, and their listening to Nirvana was waste of time. | |
| Nirvana – Sifting Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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This song is simply a rebellion against school and teachers. It's about not giving a shit for what teacher is saying at class, but instead being engrossed in his thoughts (mostly sexual thoughts at those high school years - "Wet your bed, wouldn't it be fun?"). Teacher (or a preacher) says things as: "Afraid to grade, wouldn't it be fun? (mistreating the pupils)", "Cross, self loss", "Spell the smell", "Search for church". On the other side, there is the pupil (Kurt himself in this song), who thinks in his head: "Son felt numb (not understanding what the teacher is talking about or why is that important anyway)", "Wet your bed (already explained above)", "Colt (Kurt) ain't cold (he has boiling blood)". When teacher sees that he wandered off his mind and isn't listening to him at all, he says: "Your eyes" - your eyes look abstracted, what are you thinking about right now? But Kurt doesn't want to tell him about his thoughts since it's none of his business. That's why he sings "Don't have nothing for you!". It's about not standing his high school teachers and their sifting. Being engrossed in your thoughts during the class is just the way of escaping reality. That's the only way to handle all the nonsenses you hear and to endure the time you are forced to spend at school. So when the teacher wants to take away from you that only freedom you have (the one in your thoughts) it pisses you off completely. |
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| Nirvana – Mr. Moustache Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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Kurt despised macho men and therefore created a cartoon character called Mr. Moustache, in order to mock them. But I see this song as an argument between Mr. Moustache and someone completely opposite, most probably a vegetarian (because of the lyrics "Yes, I eat cow, I am not proud" and "poop as hard as rock", clearly being said by a vegetarian). "Fill me in on your new vision...lead the way to my temptation" - this lyrics are ironical, that are the words you would say to someone you can't stand, without even trying to listen to them or to understand their point of view. In fact, the whole song is about two narrow minded people who are both convinced that their opinion is the only right way of thinking and both of them are doing everything to overrule the discussion, not caring at all what the other person has to say. They start to insult each other and their conversation is far from civilized. The song is also about prejudices, about having a negative opinion about someone before you even start to communicate, so while talking to that person you're not even listening, since you presumed that anything that person says is something you disagree with ("I don't like you anyway"). "Seal it in a box" is claiming the other person to think inside the box. Since he sings indistinctly, there are several versions of quoting this lyrics: "Now you/damn you/I'm new". It's hard to say what he actually sings, but I think that he sings "I'm you", trying to say that none of them is right in this argument, since they are arguing about something that everyone is allowed to have different opinion about, but they are both not willing to respect the other person's opinion, and Kurt wants to emphasize that as the main problem here. Intolerance. Both sides are experiencing it in this kind of discussion, and showing it at the same time, not realizing they are actually the same. That's why he sings "I'm you". |
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| Nirvana – Swap Meet Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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This one is about materialism and people's fascinations with material things becoming more important than relationships with other people. It's about people who use material things to show their love, while they would never just simply confess their feelings towards the other person ("she loves him more than he would ever know, he loves her more than he would ever show"). "They travel far to keep their stomachs full, they make their living off of arts and crafts" - going to expensive restaurants and buying unnecessary things. That are the things they do in order to seem happy in front of the other people, while their true happiness is less important. "Keeps his cigarettes close to his heart, keeps her photographs close to her heart" - they are both materialistic and value material things above feelings. That verses also emphasize that public image is more important to them, than how they really feel. To him it's important to show standard, while she is proud of her physical beauty. "They make a deal when they come to town, a Sunday swap meet is a battle ground" - I've always thought this is about their deal to be allowed to sleep with other people too. They have that kind of a deal 'cause they don't really love each other, neither they are happy together, but they only try to look like that to others. So they don't even care with whom their partner sleeps, as long as they look like a nice couple to others. They use each other just to seem normal to society, while nobody knows what is really happening and how twisted their relationship is in fact. That's what I think this song actually is about, while it's intentionally written like it's about seeling stuff on a swap meet just to confuse the listeners. That's truly ingenious. |
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| Nirvana – Scoff Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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This song is about addictions (concretely alcohol addiction in this case, but also about addictions in general) and the circumstances under which addictions occur. He's trying to say that someone becomes addicted to alcohol because of not being worthy in someone's else's eyes (most probably in the eyes of his parents, since he says "In your room I'm not older"). "Heal a million, kill a million" means that alcohol addicts feel like it's healing them, while it's actually killing them slowly. |
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| Nirvana – Negative Creep Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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@[lpr587:31471] If you can't find the meaning in this (or any other) Nirvana song, that doesn't mean this song actually has no meaning, it just means YOU are not able to see it. I would sincerely recommend to anyone who doesn't see the meaning in Kurt's lyrics to stop listening to Nirvana, because by doing that you are depreciating his talent and humiliating him as a person. So stop acting like you are super smart or something, 'cause knowing everything won't help you to understand Nirvana, since Nirvana is about feelings. Instead of trying to open the minds of us, kiddies under the age of 12, you could try to open your heart and listen to Nirvana with the heart, maybe you would get the point then. Untill then, just stop trying to seem smart for not having a soul, and telling to kiddies who got the point that WE are stupid. By the way, it's oxymoron to write a post on SongMeanings, about a song not having any meaning. |
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| Nirvana – Negative Creep Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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It's Kurt arguing with his parents. I think he changes perspectives during the song, as he does in lot of his songs. First he sings from the perspective of his parents: "This is out of our reach and it's grown!" - they can't control his teenage deviant behavior anymore. That sounds like he heard his parents talking about him before he came home, and than he thought: "This is getting to be drone!" - now he will have to listen to their endless complaining once again. The rest of the song is him speaking to them and telling them: "I'm a negative creep and I'm stoned!" - I really am a disgrace of this family, I am that awful person which you despise and I will continue to be that with my greatest pleasure, just because it pisses you off. It's a revolt against living by their rules and expectatitons. "Daddy's little girl ain't girl no more" refers to Kurt himself, 'cause his dad perceived him as a girl for not being enough "macho". In many songs Kurt portrays himself as a female, speaking about himself from the third-person point of view (maybe to hide the true meaning). However, that's ingenious. |
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| Nirvana – Paper Cuts Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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One of the best songs I've ever heard. It is true that he wrote this song about the kids who were molested by their parents, being locked in their room with covered windows so there wasn't any light, and being served food pushed through the door couple of times a day, like they are animals. One of molested kids, when grown up and turned out to be a junkie, apparently met Kurt at their common drug dealer and told him the details of the story. However, Kurt tells the story of this kids as well as his own story, since finding a lots of similarities between them. The first stanza and the stanza "Black windows of paint...and take my family away" are refering to those molested kids (he actually sings from their perspective), while the rest of the song is his own voice and his own childhood traumas. The verses "newspapers spread around" and "cleaning is due again" are truly heartbreaking, 'cause they show how society reacts to the story of those kids. Police and media see it as a job, nothing else. Journalists are only trying to sell a good story, while people whose job is to clean that room (from their poop and pee) see that as any other cleaning job, without even realizing what happened there. Police and social services arrested their parents and separated kids from them, but that kids weren't provided with adequate psychological help, neither anyone cared anymore what happens to them later. And what happens is that a boy turns out to be junkie, just like Kurt was, both of them having abnormal families and having nobody to react. So, this song is telling a story of junkies (or criminals, prostitutes etc.) being the product of society. That can also be clearly seen from the ending verses: "I have learned to accept some friends of ridicule (other junkies), my whole existence is for your amusement and that is why I'm here with you, to take me with (to get me into drugs and earn money on me), you're right! (you are right about the fact I couldn't turn out to be anything else but junkie)". As we know, Kurt's mother kicked him out on the street for leaving school and that is maybe the worst thing that ever happened to him. In this song he perfectly describes the feeling of being abandoned by his own mother. He screams "I said so!" (imitating her while kicking him out) and just after that he rpeats the word "NIRVANA", using it as a kind of mantra to calm himself down in his mind, to achieve the peace of soul. For Kurt "NIRVANA" meant detachment from outer, material world and forgetting about the pain he is feeling. The verses: "The lady whom I feel maternal love for cannot look me in the eyes, but I see hers and they are blue and they cock and twist and masturbate" are one of the best verses anyone ever wrote. He describes his mother so good and completely sincere, without hiding the truth about her. He felt maternal love for her (instead of her feeling it for him), everlasting, unconditional love, which she didn't feel for him because she wouldn't kick him out if she did. He describes her as a bitch, what she indeed was. This song is a pure emotion, pure expressionism, it portrays the most disturbing states of someone's soul, the darkest corners of someone's mind, caused by traumas person experienced. The title "Paper Cuts" symbolizes the feeling of being hurt by people you loved the most and trusted the most. |
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| Nirvana – Paper Cuts Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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@[ellen11490:31461] I am truly sorry for what happened to you and I sincerely believe that it was hard. It's a good feeling to find some people who love Kurt 'cause they can relate to his story somehow. I also feel similar to him in some respects and I believe there is a huge number of fans who can. All of our stories and our lives add so much value to his work, so much meaning to his life, because we love his music for finding our reflections in it. Unfortunately, he wasn't strong enough to handle his struggles, so he took his life, but we who he inspired must stay strong for him. He gave us the feeling we are not alone, and the least we can do to pay him back is to remain strong and try to live with what hurt us. Remember, you are not alone, there are lots of us having hard times and painful past, we are with you as Kurt is from the heaven. Stay strong, my friend <3 |
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| Nirvana – Love Buzz Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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It was originally performed by Dutch band Shocking Blue, with the only significant difference that in original song lyrics go "king of my dreams" instead of "queen of my heart". That's how Kurt gave a little bit more romantic meaning to the song, instead of sounding like pure physical attraction to a person. I usually always prefer original version of any song instead of any cover, no matter how good. But when Nirvana comes to count, I really have to admit that all of the covers they ever did are way better than their originals. Kurt's sensibility simply gives a deeper meaning to those songs. |
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| Nirvana – School Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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"Won't you believe it? It's just my luck" - it's like he's telling someone he just got a job and is showing off, 'cause that's his dream job which he always wanted to get. However, that is said ironically, since he very soon realizes that job isn't what he dreamed about. "No recess" and "You're in high school again" are the expressions of disappointment with the job and life as a whole. He feels like a slave who isn't even allowed to rest for a while. He is experiencing that high school feeling of not having control over your life again. Feeling that you are not doing what you want, but what someone else demands from you. That verses are persistently repeating 'till the end of the song, as that scenario is repeating your whole life, just with different people. |
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| Nirvana – About a Girl Lyrics | 6 years ago |
| @[Punk:31425] native You are wrong about that. You confused "About A Girl" with "Polly". "Polly" was about rape, written from the point of view of a rapist, and therefore interpreted wrong by twisted minds of young boys who raped a girl while playing "Polly". Hearing about an icident Kurt was pissed off and later wrote "Rape Me", this time from the position of a victim. Althought "Rape Me" isn't mainly about the same story as "Polly", it has some references to that song. | |
| Nirvana – About a Girl Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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Yes, it's about Tracy Marander, his girlfriend he lived with at the time. She was making money for both of them most of the time and therefore often arguing with Kurt about that. Finally, she broke up with him 'cause he wasn't able to get a steady job. This song is about a materialism, since she literally abandoned him for not making enough money. He thought that in a relationship love is enough, but that's not what she thought. Verses "I need an easy friend, I do, with an ear to lend" and "I do hope you have the time" are showing that he imagines love relationship as something that should be easy and natural. He just needs someone who will have time for him and listen to his problems - that's what he thinks relationship is about. After a while, he realizes that his love is not enough for Tracy, 'cause she simply needs more money to be happy. "I can't see you every night free" means that he finally understands there is no person for whose time you don't have to pay. He thought that at least love isn't about a money, but unfortunately, it often is, as it was in the case of him and Tracy. He was still grateful to her for making money for both of them, as we can see that after the verse "I can't see you every night free", he repeats the verse "I do", which means that he admits he lives at her expense and actually is seeing her for free, although aware of the fact it won't last forever, 'cause in the end she will "hang him out to dry". |
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| Nirvana – Floyd the Barber Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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I think that instead of "I'm ashamed", he actually half of times says "I was shamed" and the other half "I was shaved", but it's hard to distinguish when he says one, when another. Since "Bleach" is pretty much punk and is mainly about teenage rebellion against all kinds of authorities, I interpret this song as a rebellion against shaving your beard or cutting your hair. A man having short hair and beard is considered polite, so parents mostly demand that their sons do the same thing in order to fit in society and be taken seriously. Long hair and beard is a kind of expression of disobedience youngsters use to piss off their parents. Cutting a young boy's hair or shaving his beard makes him feel embarrassed and that's why Kurt is equalizing words "shaved" and "shamed" in this song. Those characters from Andy Griffith Show represent small town people, who are narrrow-minded and who rape him every day (mentally) with their stupid comments and ideas of what he should be like. Kurt often used physical rape as a representation of mental rape in his songs. |
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| Nirvana – Blew Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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"Blew" is addressed to his parents and school teachers, as we know Kurt left school without finishing it. He never seemed to fit in, what I consider being a consequence of his messy childhood. His parents divorced and both of them founded new families, so he felt that they don't want him in their lives anymore, that he is just an unpleasant reminder of their previous life which they are trying to forget and move on. Of course he had some problems in school, as every kid on the world has, but he had nobody to talk about it, as other kids do. So he started doing drugs and avoiding his classes, knowing that nobody cares anyway. And despite his family issues, it's not surprising that school seemed like prison to him, considering his creativity and independence of mind. So, when it all comes to count, one day he just said: "Fuck this shit! If to succeed in life means to live by the expectations of people who don't care for you anyway, than I would rather like to blew it!" Further lyrics express his feelings after he left school and faced the anger of his parents, with "Is there another reason for your stain?" meaning: "I'm not the greatest stain of this family, but you are! (because of your divorce and acting like I'm not your child anymore)." "Could you believe who we knew stress and strain?" refers to new partners of his parents (or may refer to some teacher in school). "Here is another word that rhymes with shame" - it's like he's saying: "Here in the song comes some abusive word you usually use to insult me." In the end of a song he repeats the verse "You could do anything", which is now said from the perspective of his parents and teachers, whose voices he will continue hearing in his head 'till the rest of his life, saying: "You could achieve anything you wanted just if you stayed in school." By the way, three of four verses are starting with "And if you wouldn't mind", just third verse is starting with "And if you wouldn't care", at least on the "Bleach". |
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