I'd never thought about the meaning of this song until recently. I thought it was another of those Burroughs influenced "cut and paste" writing techniques (note that Cobain even collaborated with Burroughs on at least one song).
Most recently, I can say that I agree entirely with the commenter who mentioned that the narrator in the song is lamenting on his guilt and not having been 'manly' enough in his youth to please his father.
"He never bleeds and he never fucks" and "He never leaves because he's got bad luck" because he's overly sensitive to criticism and afraid to take risks. "He never reads and he never draws" because he's trying to avoid the disapproval of his parents who'd rather that he be pursuing more masculine hobbies. "He never leaves because he's got back luck" is another indication of someone who would rather stay in an abusive position rather than risk failure on his own. "He never sleeps because he's got bad blood" is a reference to the antiquated belief system that physical and mental disorders were caused by bad 'humors'. This suggests that he feels like there is something inherently wrong with him. Additionally, these lines are a reference to someone who is afraid to sleep because of the "bad blood" between himself (and perhaps another family member) that keeps him awake at night.
I'd never thought about the meaning of this song until recently. I thought it was another of those Burroughs influenced "cut and paste" writing techniques (note that Cobain even collaborated with Burroughs on at least one song).
Most recently, I can say that I agree entirely with the commenter who mentioned that the narrator in the song is lamenting on his guilt and not having been 'manly' enough in his youth to please his father.
"He never bleeds and he never fucks" and "He never leaves because he's got bad luck" because he's overly sensitive to criticism and afraid to take risks. "He never reads and he never draws" because he's trying to avoid the disapproval of his parents who'd rather that he be pursuing more masculine hobbies. "He never leaves because he's got back luck" is another indication of someone who would rather stay in an abusive position rather than risk failure on his own. "He never sleeps because he's got bad blood" is a reference to the antiquated belief system that physical and mental disorders were caused by bad 'humors'. This suggests that he feels like there is something inherently wrong with him. Additionally, these lines are a reference to someone who is afraid to sleep because of the "bad blood" between himself (and perhaps another family member) that keeps him awake at night.
I also wanted to add that "bleeding and fucking" are stereotypically masculine behaviors (fighting and the pursuit of women).
I also wanted to add that "bleeding and fucking" are stereotypically masculine behaviors (fighting and the pursuit of women).