Last time I saw you, you were on stage
Your hair was wild, your eyes were red
And you were in a rage
You were swinging your guitar around.
Cause they wanted to hear that sound
But you didn't want to play.
And I don't blame you.

I don't blame you.

Been around the world, in many situations
Been inside many heads in different positions
But you never wanted them that way.
What a cruel price you thought that you had to pay.
And that for all that shit on stage.

But it never made sense to them anyway,
Could you imagine if when they turned their backs
They were only scratching their heads.
Cause you simply deserve the best.
And I don't blame you

They said you were the best,
But then they were only kids
Then you would recall the deadly houses you grew up in
Just because they knew your name,
Doesn't mean they know from where you came
What a sad trick you thought that you had to play.
But I don't blame you

They never owned it
And you never owed it to them anyway.

I don't blame you.


Lyrics submitted by Brutin

I Don't Blame You Lyrics as written by Anthony Ryan Leslie Corey Latif Williams

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Hipgnosis Songs Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

I Don't Blame You song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

42 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +3
    Song Meaning

    It is about Kurt Cobain.

    The song I Don't Blame You, from 2003's You Are Free, has been taken as a rejection of fans' demands, specifically the lines: "They never owned it/ And you never owed it to them anyway." Online message boards have been filled with speculation over who it's about — Marshall herself or some other fame-troubled singer?

    "I've never told anybody this," she says, "but that is about Kurt Cobain. It's about him blowing his head off."

    guardian.co.uk/music/2012/aug/18/cat-power-interview-sun

    StrsrStrson August 20, 2012   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    Yeah, something told me as soon as I read the first stanza that it was about Kurt. It's great that just those words can bring up such vivid memories of him with so many people. I love Cat Power, she's great

    BabyBritianon July 30, 2005   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I always think of Syd Barrett when I listen to this song.

    afro_kidon May 21, 2010   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    On second thought, it's obviously about Django Reinhardt. I'm 96.4877301% sure.

    ApesMaon November 05, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    beautiful melodies and lyrics. kudos to you, cat power.

    shedidalotofacid829on July 16, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I love the line "they never owned it And you never owed it to them anyway." Its very powerful. Her voice and lyrics are amazing.

    IrishRoseon February 03, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    for some reason i always associate this song with elliot smith rather than kurt cobain.

    molnon November 03, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    She has implied in several interviews that this song is completely autobiographical.

    mcdanielon July 23, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    It seems like she wrote this song about another musician - maybe (smog) because they were in a relationship?

    Maybe she's just talking about herself.

    sublimerinaon April 12, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    actually that theory does make sense...excellent song

    xawestruckxeyesxon February 26, 2005   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines: "Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet" So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other: "I had all and then most of you" Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart "Some and now none of you" Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship. This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Album art
Holiday
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday". I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
When We Were Young
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.