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Clean Up Before She Comes Lyrics

Clean up before she comes (x5)
Living in a dusty town (x3) (Alt: Living in a dusty dump)
Something in her eyes
Must be the smoke from my lungs
Something in her eyes
Must be the smoke from my lungs

I must be getting old
I must be getting older
I'm starting to eat my vegetables
Something in her eyes
Must be the smoke from my lungs
Something in her eyes
Must be the smoke from my lungs

Clean up the dusty town
Living in a dusty town (x3)
Clean up before she comes (x3)
Living in a dusty town

I must be getting old (Alt: Getting older)
I must be getting old (Alt: Ate my vegetables)

I'm starting to eat my vegetables
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Cover art for Clean Up Before She Comes lyrics by Nirvana

Some comment below said this song was sexual and I somewhat agree: Kurt may have a juvenile repudiation for dusting and cleaning and loathes his condition as the subject of Tracy's maternal instincts (that he absolutely CRAVES at the same time) but in the end there is the anticipation of every young man that his girlfriend -a woman- might come home soon (he's excited!) so he cleans the house in order not to cause her upset or discomfort. He likes women's eyes and wonders that he might not be polluting them with his presence. So he cleans. For her. He may have a now-famous juvenile repudiation for greens but under the influence of this female companion he ultimately obliges. He protests all these things like a boy but also learns it is beneficial to him and consolidates her female attention ("I must be getting older"). The vocal harmonies are not sung with angst but with rising anticipation and the words "She comes" are elongated and suspended. Something good is coming up, after all, and that is gets excited for. She allows him to create, so he created a clean space for her, unlike their dusty town. That's what I think.

My Opinion
Cover art for Clean Up Before She Comes lyrics by Nirvana

This song is about when Kurt lived with Tracy, and she'd leave him notes to clean and shit before she came home. It was almost like she was like his mother, but he need to be guided and stuff, so he was alright with that, which is what the "i'm starting to eat my vegetables" reminds me of.

Cover art for Clean Up Before She Comes lyrics by Nirvana

I love the box set version of this song. I thought it was about how he loved the drugs/ciggarettes and someone he was with was against him taking them so he has to clean up before she gets home and then she is suspicious hence the something in her eyes. Maybe the getting older and eating vegetables is about how he feels hes being treated like a child so hes taking the piss out of her. Like hes telling her hes being healthier and then getting stoned of his face while shes away!!!!

Cover art for Clean Up Before She Comes lyrics by Nirvana

This song is totally about Tracey Marander and how she used to leave him notes to clean up the house before she came home. kurtcobain_elvis, you're totally right. and kurt never used to eat vegetables he ate very poorly ...which could have been one of the causes of his horrible stomach pains, dave krist and tracey always used to tell him to eat vegetables.

Cover art for Clean Up Before She Comes lyrics by Nirvana

I know you want to talk about this song but if you have nothing new to add, don't waste a post. If there gets to be too many, people wont read the gems in the middle, like this one:

Clean up before she comes could refer to 'cleaning up' after sex, especially since men are notorious for cumming first. Have sex, clean up in the bathroom, come back to a disappointed girl. More generally, it refers to the monotony of adult life, like this is how it always happens, and Kurt doesn't like being an adult...

But it happens anyway. I'm starting to eat my vegetables. Clean up the dusty town, his world that has become unmoving with monotony. Unmoving collects dust.

And finally, I think that I'm getting older. Said in a tone that is slightly eerie the first time you hear it.

This whole thing was spawned by the haunting last line, which is sung with a note of bitter, world-weary resent.

The voice shakes a little bit as acceptance sets in.

Cover art for Clean Up Before She Comes lyrics by Nirvana

I like this song,its a good acoustic song. I like how the voices harmonize. sounds great.

Cover art for Clean Up Before She Comes lyrics by Nirvana

there's not even a possibility it's not about drugs

Cover art for Clean Up Before She Comes lyrics by Nirvana

this song is self explanatory... this IS a good acoustic song. the guitar sounds similar to the one in moist vagina...

Cover art for Clean Up Before She Comes lyrics by Nirvana

hey floppy hate to dissapoint you but this song is played on an electric guitar without distortion.

Cover art for Clean Up Before She Comes lyrics by Nirvana

This song was recorded in Kurt's basement 2 weeks before he died.

 
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