Kiss Off

this is such a bizzare song.. it's wonderful

The Violent femmes...they bring all their equipment on the bus. An you can't f* with the Violent Femmes...You cannot f** with this band. They are just the ultimate alternative band, perhaps the first real alternative band of the 80's. Anyways, this song is about suicide. The person singing it says "I need someone, a person to talk to...someone to care, to love...could it be you..." He is pining for a love unrequited. The counting lines is him counting the pills he is taking to OD and giving the reason for taking each pill.. He is telling the world to "kiss off" because he thinks he will show everybody by killing himself.

I always felt this song wasn't necessarily about suicide. If you look at the lyrics, it could just as easily be about drug addiction, using pills to plug a hole in your life. "They'll hurt me bad but I won't mind They'll hurt me bad, they do it all the time " that line just always stuck in me as being about drugs, but I guess it could be a guy who attempts suicide often (don't laugh, I know people who've tried MANY times).

I always thought the line was "Nine for... I lost count" just because it went along with the whole "I forget what eight is for" thing. A friend gave me the cd, but not the jewel case, so I don't know if it ever had the lyrics in there or what., so don't bite my head off if it actually says that in the liner notes. Innywho, I really love this song, the first time I heard it I thought he was just yelling at some girl that broke his heart. I didn't listen to the lyrics very well, but it reminded me of the old saying of "One for the money, two for the show..." etc. So I did'nt really associate it with actually, phyisically taking anything. It's strange because this song is just so energetic, listening to it always makes me happy, yet the lyrics are so sad. I guess there are quite a few songs like that though...

1. Sweet boy looking for a friend however when he gets nervous/anxious he becomes a compulsive masterbater.
2. This behavior doesn't go over well in public and as a consequence he frequently gets beaten up but he is used to it.
3. He gets sent to the principle's office. It turns out the principle is a child molester and he rapes the boy in his office.
4. His tragic life is more than he can take so he overdoses on pills

I've always thought this song was about struggling with depression. Self-medicating with recreation drugs and/or alcohol. A suicide attempt/drug overdose.

I believe this song is out of chronological order, for me it's easier to see the meaning of the story in this order.

"I need someone a person to talk to, someone who'd care to love Could it be you could it be you?" This is his cry for help. He's in such a deep state of depression that he will attach himself to anyone that shows him the slightest bit of attention, hoping that they will be his savior, prove him wrong that there's still someone out there that's worth sticking around for.

"The situation is rough & I start to panic, it's not enough, it's just a habit. Hey kid you're sick, well darling this is it." Referring to self-medicating anxiety and depression, which many do, though often it's not enough to help and after all you end up developing an addiction. It just ends up making things worse. He realizes that it's just a temporary fix for all of his problems. He chooses to finally just end his life, goodbye, "this is it."

"I take one cause you left me and two for my family and three for my heartache and four for my headaches and five for my lonely and six for my sorrow and seven for no tomorrow and eight I forget what eight was for and nine for a lost god and ten for everything" Pretty self-explanatory, he gave each pill a reason for why he's taking it to make it easier to swallow.

"I hope you know that this will go down on your permanent record," Often having suicide attempts and/or drug overdoses in your history will haunt you & be on your permanent medical records.

"Well don't get so distressed, did I happen to mention that I'm impressed." People are reacting to his suicide attempt and/or drug overdose, he's telling them not to pretend like they care & he makes a joke of it saying that he's impressed that he actually survived after having taken so many pills.

"You can all just kiss off into the air, behind my back I can see them stare They'll hurt me bad but I won't mind, they'll hurt me bad they do it all the time" After overdosing, he's telling all the people who had pushed him to that point, criticized him, talked about his nasty habits, his overdose, etc., that they can all basically just go screw themselves. He's done caring about what they think, letting them affect him. He's finally just become numb to it all.

I started to listen to this song right after my first real love dumped me, i kinda feel that the counting is lining up the shots before drinking them... And seeking oblivion from memories by drinking and such stuff, so i can se the sense in it being pills instead of shots... And the part whit: You can all just kiss off into the air Behind my back I can see them stare They'll hurt me bad but I won't mind They'll hurt me bad, they do it all the time I could also relate to at the time as almost all my freinds i had met trhu her, and now they wouldn't talk to me anymore...

I think people who are saying this song is about suicide or drugs are reading a little too much into the song. Also, they don't seem to understand the meaning of "kiss off". I think the song is pretty straight forward. It is about what a person feels when they are isolated from the main group.

I need someone, a person to talk to Someone who'd care, to love Could it be you? Could it be you?

Essentially asking "Will I be accepted".

Situation gets rough, then I start to panic It's not enough, it's just a habit Hey kid you're sick Well darling, this is it

Social anxiety and people pleasing are usually the result of being ostracized. When being pushed out of the social group a person will panic and do anything to be accepted. The "habit" being that you are a doormat to anyone who will walk over you just to be accepted. "Hey kid you're sick" is the contempt shown to a person who is willing to let anyone walk over them. "Well darling, this is it." is the resignation that this is all that is for you.

"I hope you know that this will go down on your permanent record Oh yeah? Well don't get so distressed; Did I happen to mention that I'm impressed?"

Going down on your permanent record is that regardless of what you do you will always been seen as a looser. No matter what you do, no matter what job you get, how much money you make how famous you become, you will never erase the fact that you were seen unworthy by us (the main group).

"You can all just kiss off into the air Behind my back I can see them stare They'll hurt me bad but I won't mind They'll hurt me bad, they do it all the time"

"You can all just 'Kiss Off'..."

The Kiss Off is to casually dismiss.

This chorus is an acknowledgment of what they are doing. But really, he doesn't give a $h!+. What he is saying is "Go on, Kiss Off all you like" you are nothing to me anyway. It is sung as though it is in defiance of this social group. I am my own person and I don't need you.

In fact, the song itself is the "Kiss Off" to these people.

"Behind my back I can see them stare". They are behind him, he is walking away. They are staring at him as he walks away from them. He doesn't need them and he has come to realize he doesn't need them.

it's a super good song. and the parts "You can all just kiss off into the air Behind my back I can see them stare They'll hurt me bad but I won't mind They'll hurt me bad, they do it all the time" are something I could be saying

Violent Femmes are the shiznit. Awesome, they are.

"I hope you know that this will go down on your permanent record Oh yeah? Well don't get so distressed; Did I happen to mention that I'm impressed?"

Best lines. For me anyways. :)