Plump

this song was written while frances bean was being kept from kurt and courtney after it was known that they were drug users.

I believe this song is about a lot of different things that Courtney was going through in the early 90's. just my opinion... I think the first two lines are about Kurt and heroin - 'He shakes his dead rattle Spittle on his bib' The lines - 'I'm eating you I'm overfed Your milk's in my mouth It makes me sick' I think are about being pregnant. Feeling hungry and overfed and sick, defiantly a pregnancy reference. I think the part - 'And I've stumbled here Failed to make it mine They say I'm plump But I throw up all the time' I think Is about nothing going right for her in the public's eye. She wanted to be loved more than Kurt, make a better album than Nevermind, instead people hated her for being a junkie, a bad wife and bad mother and all that. She also cares a lot about her appearance, she hated being 'fat' and ugly. So the throwing up all the time may be an eating disorder reference, again this is just my opinion, I could be very wrong. The 'My baby's in her arms Crawling up her legs.' Line Has to be about having Frances taken off of her. The line - 'Like a liar at a witch trial You look good for your age.' Courtney has said she wrote that about Kim Gordon. I do know that Kim told Courtney to not marry Kurt, she said it would ruin her life. In some ways she was right. I love this song, it's one of my favorites off the album. Shes getting all her anger out.

To me, the lines,

"My baby's in her arms Crawling up her legs Like a liar at a witch trial You look good for your age"

Might be a hint to Kristen Pfaff, the bassist of Hole on Live Through This. I think Kristen even had some input on the composition of this track. Anyways, here's a little backstory.

Courtney Love had had a complicated relationship with Kristen and was always suspicious that Kurt was cheating on her with Kristen. Courtney even confronted Kristen multiple times about it. I don't think that this would be impossible, as Kurt had made some comments expressing how beautiful he thought Kristen was.

So, for my interpretation of it: the line "My baby's in her arms" could refer to how Kristen would hold Frances, but similarly, Courtney was afraid that behind her back, Kurt would be in Kristen's arms.

The "Crawling up her legs" could be a reference to Frances and Kristen, but could be an innuendo to Kurt and Kristen... Think about it.

And with the "Like a liar at a witch trial, you look good for your age" could be a reference to how Courtney was sure that Kristen was lying when she denied that she was having an affair with Kurt. And perhaps Courtney's jealousy of Kristen's good looks.

This could be totally out there, but I just thought it was interesting.

good beat, but a weebit weird

I think it could be about bulimia. The most obvious example of this is the line 'They say I'm plump, but I throw up all the time'. Also 'I'm eating you, i'm overfed'.

But at the same time the song uses imagery of babies, - 'spittle on his bib', 'your milk's in my mouth'. Quite how this ties in I'm not sure...in fact a lot of the lines in here could equally refer to bulimia or being a baby! The contrasts make it seem all the more vicious.

Great song.

yup you're right. i never knew what it was about but after reading courtney saying in an interview it was about that, it all makes a lot more sense. its like the time i found out what nirvana's 'polly' was about, it absolutely changed the whole feel of the song for me. im not sure if thats good or bad.

they say i'm plump, but i throw up all the time! this song has many meanings...

I was definitely thinking along the lines of Frances Bean...She's absolutely sooo cute! I have a very short video downloaded on my comp of Kurt holding her, and he's trying to give her something, and courtney tells him that, "She thinks it's medicine...She thinks it's medicine..." And, the other lady says, "Because it's on the spoon?" Anyway, very adorable girl...I absolutely love her, and I love this song...I always put it on repeat! And belt it out! MaggieMichelle

It's about weight gain during pregnancy, and feeling self-conscious with your body. And then there are some references to losing custody of Frances Bean in the song.

This song is about pregnancy and post-partum depression.