Flagpole Sitta Lyrics
I am sick of reading foolish comments about "it's all about masturbation and phallic symbols." I am sick of cop-outs like "the song has no meaning." Let's break this sucker down verse by verse. "I had visions, I was in them I was looking into the mirror To see a little bit clearer The rottenness and evil in me." --Narrator is trying to see who s/he truly is and figure out what's wrong with him/her(note that s/he's already made the assumption that something IS wrong with him/her). "Fingertips have memories Mine can't forget the curves of your body And when I feel a bit naughty I run it up the flagpole and see who salutes (but no one ever does)." --Not 100% certain on this. Could be jerking off to memories of a hot ex, could be dealing with resentment towards an ex by making fun of him/her to others (running something up a flagpole so everyone can see it and laugh and notice everyone else laughing). Could be impotence--"...and see who salutes/(But no one ever does)." "I'm not sick but I'm not well And I'm so hot cause I'm in hell." --Nothing diagnosable (or physical) is wrong with the narrator, but s/he knows something is wrong, and it's hell not being able to figure it out. "Been around the world and found That only stupid people are breeding The cretins cloning and feeding And I don't even own a TV." --Starting to looking outside him/herself now. Other people are seriously messed up and seem oblivious to it. The lack of a TV might signify poverty, non-materialism, non-consumerism, how different the narrator is, or just that s/he wants to watch his/her shows and can't and are bitter. "Put me in the hospital for nerves And then they had to commit me You told them all I was crazy They cut off my legs now I'm an amputee, god damn you!" --This is real important stuff. This is about trying to get outside help and it bites the narrator in the ass. "Put me in the hospital for nerves/And then they had to commit me" means that s/he went to the doctor because s/he felt something was wrong with him/her, but rather than therapy, s/he got a padded cell (possibly because the doctors over-reacted). The next 2 lines talk about someone close to the narrator (possibly same "you" whose bodily curves the narrator can't forget?) betraying and misrepresenting him/her and doing him/her great harm because of it. This verse may well be about speaking one's mind and holding unconventional opinions, or about admitting you have a problem and need help, and the negative consequences that can follow either one. "...And it's a sin to live so well." --Possibly guilt at being better off, or self-hatred and a feeling of deserving punishment. Could also be ironic. "I wanna publish zines And rage against machines" --Wants to speak his/her mind and do something constructive (and counter-culturey). "I wanna pierce my tongue It doesn't hurt, it feels fine" --Tongue piercing is "bad-ass" "rebellious", as is being unfazed by pain. This could, however, also be considered self-destructive/nihilistic. "The trivial sublime I'd like to turn off time And kill my mind You kill my mind...." --Life and speaking one's mind can be very painful, stressful, and confusing, and sometimes one just wants a rest, an escape. Plus, if the narrator's messed up in the head, then s/he wants a vacation from his/her own thoughts, wants their mind to stop torturing them. S/he'll "turn off time/And kill [his/her] mind" if it means inner peace. "Paranoia paranoia Everybody's coming to get me Just say you never met me I'm running underground with the moles (diggin' big holes!) Hear the voices in my head I swear to god it sounds like they're snoring But if you're bored then you're boring The agony and the irony, they're killing me!" --This is when (I think) our narrator has really started to lose it. S/he feels paranoid that everyone is out to get him/her, or at least is against him/her, so the narrator is leaving (figuratively or literally is anyone's guess). S/He's gone underground to avoid whatever problems or judgements are haunting him/her, and either hoping to find kindred spirits ("the Moles") or screw up other people ("digging big holes"). The voices in the narrator's head might be actual voices, or just conflicting instincts, but s/he's begun to bore him/herself with their own unending psycho-schmutz. The last two lines of this verse--I think--refers to the question that the narrator has: "Is society screwed up, or am I screwed up because I can't function in society?"
I think this song is about having a breakdown, and is for anyone who's ever needed a therapist or not fit into the machine and wondered "is it them or me that's the problem?" I could be wrong and feel free to tell me so.I think you are closest to having it right. The song opens with the section about the author seeing rottenness and evil in himself. Without context, we don't know why the author feels that way. Jump ahead to the 2nd and 3rd choruses which are extended by the line "... and it's a sin to live so well." The author feels rotten and evil because he lives so well. What's wrong with living well? The problem is that the vast majority of the world doesn't live well at all.
I think you are closest to having it right. The song opens with the section about the author seeing rottenness and evil in himself. Without context, we don't know why the author feels that way. Jump ahead to the 2nd and 3rd choruses which are extended by the line "... and it's a sin to live so well." The author feels rotten and evil because he lives so well. What's wrong with living well? The problem is that the vast majority of the world doesn't live well at all.
I think the song is about the mental struggle...
I think the song is about the mental struggle of trying to live a normal, happy life while being aware of how horrible life is for most people on the planet. We live lives of frivolity and hypocrisy while people starve to death, or struggle for basic necessities, deal with constant malnutrition, crime, violence, political disenfranchisement and so on. The ones who have it decent in the 3rd world are working in sweatshops making pointless junk for us.
The comment about stupid people breeding is a commentary about the teeming masses of people who participate happily and obliviously in first world culture seemingly unaware of the rottenness that the author sees in himself, others and the culture as a whole. The comment about the author not even owning a TV is a reference to him giving up on the culture entirely rather than trying to change it from within. He doesn't own a TV, he doesn't watch the news, he doesn't try to change the culture from within because he's outnumbered and out bred.
He wants to publish zines (little magazines or blogs with limited distribution), rage against machines, pierce his tongue... he wants to rebel... but he's already given up. Hence, the trivial sublime. Turn off time and kill my mind is a reference to any form of escapism, though the author might be thinking of drugs in particular, it could be movies, games or anything else. As much as any of us might not participate in the mainstream culture, there are sub-cultures for everyone in the first world to distract themselves with.
The lines about mental illness are a straightforward comment about his own reaction to the situation. A few lines are more obscure to me, but I think can fit into this general theme from on perspective or another. Only the author could tell you for certain what every word means. For example, perhaps the amputee reference is figurative. The author went to a shrink for mental help, ended up being committed and is now tagged as a mental case for the rest of his life which is crippling in a competitive world where background checks screen flawed individuals from the system.
@Scheherezade I would argue that the amputee line is referring to the loss of freedom from being "committed" after speaking their mind
@Scheherezade I would argue that the amputee line is referring to the loss of freedom from being "committed" after speaking their mind
I agree wholly with your interpretation. You did a great job of deciphering the more-than-he-can-handle angst of the narrator. I, too, think he's having a breakdown from not fitting in and not knowing what to do about it. This is one of my favorite songs ever because it's clever and deep and sad and funny and I just instinctively understand what he's feeling. My favorite line of the entire song: "Hear the voices in my head, I swear to God it sounds like they're snoring...." Cracks me up. Every time.
I agree wholly with your interpretation. You did a great job of deciphering the more-than-he-can-handle angst of the narrator. I, too, think he's having a breakdown from not fitting in and not knowing what to do about it. This is one of my favorite songs ever because it's clever and deep and sad and funny and I just instinctively understand what he's feeling. My favorite line of the entire song: "Hear the voices in my head, I swear to God it sounds like they're snoring...." Cracks me up. Every time.
Ok I read like the first 50 comments. Come on people. It is about trying to stay sane in a crazy world. He is at The point where we all try to keep it together, just before giving up. Feels he isn't crazy and everyone else is, but is so beat down by society, that he is contemplating to conform, or he is conforming and can't help it.
I think it's about how society is so fucked up and treats anyone who can see it for what it is as an outcast. Anyone who doesn't follow social conventions and norms because they can see how pointless or stupid they are is seen as paranoid or insane or delusional. The person in the song feels like there's something wrong with him because our unthinking, conformist society treats him that way, and he just wants to escape from it all.
That's basically how I interpret it anyway. Maybe I'm biased cause it's how I feel about society.
This is exactly what I think it's about. My mother is to blame for four out of my first seven psychiatric hospitalizations and can't stand this song because it reminds her of it. It'd come on the radio in the car and we'd change the channel every time.
This is exactly what I think it's about. My mother is to blame for four out of my first seven psychiatric hospitalizations and can't stand this song because it reminds her of it. It'd come on the radio in the car and we'd change the channel every time.
This song is about how fucked up society is, that's why so many of us Grungers love it XD that's why I love it XP
this song is said to be about schizophrenia. i'm not entirely sure, however. it could be about the narrator questioning himself and the world around him.
Honestly, I think the lyrics are about war veterans (older ones, like the war in Vietnam or WWII.) The first four lines of the song sound like war veterans who're remembering themselves (I had visions) witnessing or committing crimes (I was in them) without saying anything or caring about it, and now they're looking in the mirror, (to see a little bit clearer) finally realizing and regretting their mistakes. (the rottenness and evil in me)
The next five lines talk about war veterans remembering putting up and taking down the flag every day in the name of America (fingertips have memories) and how they'll never forget what it feels like. (mine can't forget the curves of your body) Now, they're trying to get benefits from their former status in the military (and when I feel a bit naughty) to see if people would help them out (because many veterans were left with nothing when they had come back from war), (I run it up the flagpole) but no one would show them kindness, even though they claim to be Americans. (and see who salutes, but no one ever does)
The chorus is about them feeling physically fine, (I'm not sick) but not mentally. (but I'm not well) They are in deep crud with everything (family, friends, bills, etc.) (and I'm so hot) and they start to hate their lives. ('cause I'm in hell)
The next four lines are about them traveling the world, (Been around the world) only to find third-world countries where the people know next-to-nothing (and found that only stupid people are breeding) and it's overpopulated, (the cretins cloning and feeding) and the soldier wonders why he's wasting his time on people who are uneducated if he's not even getting paid enough to own (what he considers) the simplest things. (and I don't even own a TV)
The next four lines talk about the veteran having problems with himself due to such a change after coming back from the war that he needs to be put in the hospital. This could be due to either the government or due to family, seeing as how many military wives leave their husbands after war. (put me in the hospital for nerves) The veteran then gets committed (and then they had to commit me) because everyone else feels he's going crazy except for him. Again, this could either be family or the government. (You told them all I was crazy) He gets angry because he had been injured in the war, and the only thing people seem to care about is the fact that they think the war made him crazy. (They cut off my legs, now I'm an amputee, god damn you!)
This next chorus is pretty much the same, except another line implies that the veteran is being sarcastic about the amount of thanks and benefits he gets after coming home from the war. (and it's a sin to live so well)
The next eight lines are about the veteran wanting a normal life, (I want to publish 'zines) -'zines being short for "magazines"- wanting to rebel, (and rage against machines) and wanting to live life as it once was. Him mentioning that getting his tongue pierced doesn't hurt implies that he has had his tongue pierced once before, and he missed it. (I want to pierce my tongue / it doesn't hurt, it feels fine) He then goes on to say that he wants to think about the small things about life that don't really matter, the things that people think about while daydreaming, (the trivial sublime) and he wants to live like that forever (I'd like to turn off time) even though he knows it's bad for him (and kill my mind) because he felt the military was worse. (You kill my mind)
The next four lines describe him freaking out because he's so paranoid (Paranoia, paranoia) because he's getting called back to war (everybody's coming to get me) and he wants everyone to just forget they knew him (just say you never met me) because he wants to desert and pretend he never was in the military. (I'm going underground with the moles, digging holes)
The next four lines describe the veteran wanting to follow his own conscience (hear the voices in my head) But because of all the years of being manipulated by the military, the veteran barely remembers what having his own conscience is like. (I swear to god it sounds like they're snoring) The veteran is now reacting to how others are downplaying their travels and adventures as well as their crimes and sorrows of war by telling them that their stories are unreal, unimportant, and boring. (But if you're bored, then you're boring) The veteran thinks again on the irony of the fact that we say we support our military, but in the end, they get treated like shit. (The agony and the irony, they're killing me)
-Chorus-
I like this one.
I like this one.
This is an awesome explanation, and I really want to believe it, but that just seems so out there. Amazing story though; +1. I'd love to have a band member confirm this.
This is an awesome explanation, and I really want to believe it, but that just seems so out there. Amazing story though; +1. I'd love to have a band member confirm this.
I've read through all these comments.... This song is about angst. Pure and simple. It's very evocative with witty lyrics, but it's about self reflection/loathing with a side order of counter culture.
I'm considering writing this song into my will as a funeral track. It sums things up quite nicely for me.
dude I agree one hundred percent. even the will part. haha this song is my life.
dude I agree one hundred percent. even the will part. haha this song is my life.
Agreed. As a teenager myself, I have that feeling of angst and that everything is so screwed up. This song sums up everything I feel right now.
Agreed. As a teenager myself, I have that feeling of angst and that everything is so screwed up. This song sums up everything I feel right now.
I think everyone is right to an extent. the first verse is definatly about masturbating. as a whole though, i think the song is reflecting back on 90's popular culture, and the teenage agst that went along with it. like how every nirvana fan was jaded and depressed. the song looks opon this time mockingly. i think he's trying to say angst and depression and crazyness, during this time, were not at all sincere, but actually in style and trendy. The fact that the song is even called " flagpole sitta " is very telling. In the 1920s, a trendy activity for teenagers to engage in, was flagpole sitting, where someone would shimmy up a flagpole, and try to perch at the top. if this seems pointless and silly to us now, then just imagine how future generations are going to judge all the gloom and doom, that transpired after kurt cobain died
Also, the title "Flagpole Sitta" is symbolic for veterans getting fucked in the ass by America.
i just think its a rad song, commenting on how fu**ed up todays society is.
I believe that the first stanza of this song is about masturbation, but the rest of the song does not support that idea. On the other hand, the idea that this song mocks suburban culture and is about the stupidity of suburban culture is not completely true either. I believe that the actual meaning comes from the combination of both these ideas; the author uses the concept of masturbating, a common teenage act, to express the feeling of suburban culture and teenage angst. In my mind, there is no doubt that this song is talking about (Not necessarily mocking it)...
I believe that the first stanza of this song is about masturbation, but the rest of the song does not support that idea. On the other hand, the idea that this song mocks suburban culture and is about the stupidity of suburban culture is not completely true either. I believe that the actual meaning comes from the combination of both these ideas; the author uses the concept of masturbating, a common teenage act, to express the feeling of suburban culture and teenage angst. In my mind, there is no doubt that this song is talking about (Not necessarily mocking it) suburban culture and its ridiculousness. To me, the song especially speaks to teenage culture, the kind that thinks it has problems it doesn't have, and how much of a big deal people make of that kind of thought process. The lyrics "Im not sick but im not well", especially speaks to this; the idea that one does not actually have any problems, but thinks that he isnt ok, for one reason or another. After all, those who live in safe, suburban culture dont have many really important problems, but alot of them think they do, especially teenagers. The statement that "if you connect with this song, then you don't know what you are talking about" is a bit overexaggerated. I am a teenager, a teenager who is familiar with his insecurities and understands the overanxious, obsessive, and occasionaly obnoxious culture he lives in and understands that he is angsty himself. Knowing this, I find that I am able to really connect with this song because it speaks to my observations and puts some light on the world I live in. But in the end, song meanings are interpretive, and to claim that my idea is right is a fallcy.
I believe that the first stanza of this song is about masturbation, but the rest of the song does not support that idea. On the other hand, the idea that this song mocks suburban culture and is about the stupidity of suburban culture is not completely true either. I believe that the actual meaning comes from the combination of both these ideas; the author uses the concept of masturbating, a common teenage act, to express the feeling of suburban culture and teenage angst. In my mind, there is no doubt that this song is talking about (Not necessarily mocking it)...
I believe that the first stanza of this song is about masturbation, but the rest of the song does not support that idea. On the other hand, the idea that this song mocks suburban culture and is about the stupidity of suburban culture is not completely true either. I believe that the actual meaning comes from the combination of both these ideas; the author uses the concept of masturbating, a common teenage act, to express the feeling of suburban culture and teenage angst. In my mind, there is no doubt that this song is talking about (Not necessarily mocking it) suburban culture and its ridiculousness. To me, the song especially speaks to teenage culture, the kind that thinks it has problems it doesn't have, and how much of a big deal people make of that kind of thought process. The lyrics "Im not sick but im not well", especially speaks to this; the idea that one does not actually have any problems, but thinks that he isnt ok, for one reason or another. After all, those who live in safe, suburban culture dont have many really important problems, but alot of them think they do, especially teenagers. The statement that "if you connect with this song, then you don't know what you are talking about" is a bit overexaggerated. I am a teenager, a teenager who is familiar with his insecurities and understands the overanxious, obsessive, and occasionaly obnoxious culture he lives in and understands that he is angsty himself. Knowing this, I find that I am able to really connect with this song because it speaks to my observations and puts some light on the world I live in. But in the end, song meanings are interpretive, and to claim that my idea is right is a fallcy.
The second stanza ("fingertips have memories...") is probably about masturbation, but I don't think the first stanza ("I had visions, I was in them...") is, even though you COULD say that the "visions" are masturbatory fantasies. I agree that the rest of the song has nothing to do with masturbating.
The second stanza ("fingertips have memories...") is probably about masturbation, but I don't think the first stanza ("I had visions, I was in them...") is, even though you COULD say that the "visions" are masturbatory fantasies. I agree that the rest of the song has nothing to do with masturbating.