Germ Free Adolescents Lyrics

Lyric discussion by asstronaut 

Cover art for Germ Free Adolescents lyrics by X-Ray Spex

I have long felt that this was one of the most beautiful songs ever written. I have known people like this -- nominally terrified of disease, but really terrified of human contact. It's a method of control. There's a bit of ambiguity in the last line: does she need a phobia, or an infection to survive? My suspicion, and it is only a suspicion, is that s.r. must mean "state recommended."

actually, SR was a British toothpaste. but I think your interpretation was insightful.

@asstronaut The song is about incecurity that comes from feeling out of control. The creation of 'phobials' helps give the sufferer something to control, providing them with the illusion that they are in control when they are actually stil not in control, because none of us can control the environment we live in. This reflects Poly's own struggle with mental health issues throughout her life.

The line 'scrub away the SR way' is a direct reference to an advert for Gibbs SR toothpaste, that had the tagline, "Clean your teeth the SR way". Poly was a sharp commentator on modern...