Meanings of

Most Songs


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Bleach - The band was in California, and they saw some people in a
         disease control campaign encouraging people to bleach their used
         needles to sterilize them. The joke was that bleach was going to
         become an invaluable commodity. 


Blew - The whole song conveys themes of entrapment

Floyd the Barber - A song about a small town that goes bad,
                   the title is taken from a character on 
                   The Andy Griffith Show. Everyone turns out to be a
                   mass-murderer. The song also shows Freudian castration 
                   fears.

About A Girl - A song written for Kurt's girlfriend Tracy,
               she threatened to kick him out if he didn't get a job

School - A song about the incestous Seattle Scene. The bands 
         seem to resemble high school cliques

Love Buzz - A cover song from the group Shocking Blue from the Netherlands

Paper Cuts - Part of the lyrics are based on a true story of a family that Kurt
             was acquainted with, who locked their children in a room. Other
             lyrics have to deal with parents, and neglect. - 


Negative Creep - the first person narrative from an anti social person

Scoff - A song that's directed towards the people who didn't believe in
        Kurt's musical aspirations.

Swap Meet - A battle of the sexes put in the background of a Sunday
            swap meet

Mr. Moustache - Speaks out against the stereotypical male macho image

Sifting - seems to take on authority figures with it's mention of preachers and teachers

Big Cheese - This song is written about Sub Pop man Jonathan Poneman and the
             pressures he put on the band

Downer - Kurt's attempt at a political song.


Nevermind - Not caring about anything, a �whatever happens,
            happens� attitude.

Smells Like Teen Spirit - An attack on the apathy of our own generation

In Bloom - An attack on people who listen to certain music for the wrong
           reason. Imagine the macho, gun toting guy who sings along to
           Nirvana, but has no clue what he's singing about

Come As You Are - A song full of contradictions on how we act versus
                  how we think society thinks we should act

Breed - Growing up and being trapped by Middle Class America

Lithium - A first person narrative of a nervous breakdown,
          or an update of the Marxist description of religion
          as 'Opiate of the masses'.An ode to disconnection

Polly - Based on the actual kidnapping of a 14 year old girl and her torture

Territorial Pissings - Multi-themed song that attacks macho men

Drain You - A song about (plainly and simply) love. Highly medical theme

Lounge Act - A song about having a certain vision and being smothered by
             a relationship

Stay Away - An attack on any conformist clique

On A Plain - Many small lines of poetry having multi themes

Something in the Way - A song about Kurt's experiences living under a
                       bridge when he was kicked out of home

Endless, Nameless - Previously called The Noise Jam. An experimental
                    song created when one of the takes on Lithium
                    (Territorial Pissings according to Guitar World)
                    went bad.

Incesticide - The killing of incestous people


Sliver - A semi-biographical song about being deserted by your parents 

Been A Son - Song about a girl whose parents wanted a boy

Turnaround - Cover of a Devo song 

Molly's Lips - Cover of a Vaselines song 

Son of a Gun - Cover of a Vaselines song

(New Wave) Polly - Faster recording of Nevermind's Polly

Beeswax - Seems to be about sexuality and confusion. Also speaks of
          the objectification of women in society -

Downer - see Bleach

Mexican Seafood - Some people seem to believe this is about a yeast
                  infection. Mostly likely another one of Kurt's songs
                  where he just throws a bunch of lyrics together

Aneurysm - Possibly about shooting heroin Grohl

In Utero - Literally means in or of the uterus, it's their most
           underdeveloped studio effort, making it somewhat like
           a fetus still being in the womb.

Serve the Servants - An autobiographical song about the whole Nirvana
                     experience, the 'witch hunt' on Courtney Love,
                     and a sarcastic response to the emphasis placed
                     on the divorce of Kurt's parents
 
Scentless Apprentice - Based on the novel Perfume by Patrick Suskind,
                       about a perfume maker who kills virgins for
                       their scent

Heart-Shaped Box - Themes of co-dependancy and many other themes

Rape me - In Kurt's words, the song is a sort of poetic justice.
          A guy rapes a girl, he ends up in jail, and is raped there

Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle - A song about the
        story of Frances Farmer, who was declared insane and lobtomized

Dumb - Ignorance is bliss. There is a certain care-free happiness involved
       in being dumb. Drug related themes dominate the song

Very Ape - An attack on the stereotypical macho man

Milk It - A song about co-dependancy, it heavily carries the medical theme

Pennyroyal Tea - A song about making a tough decision and the difficult
                 choices around it and the guilt following it.
                 Pennyroyal Tea is an abortive substance

Radio Friendly Unit Shifter - According to Kurt this song is a throwaway.
           A bunch of random poetry lines thrown together. The title is a
           reference to Smells Like Teen Spirit and it's slick, radio-friendly
           sound

Tourette's - This song has no meaning at all. Kurt just screams alot. Based
             on tourette's syndrome, which causes one to shut out obscenities
             at any time

All Apologies - Contrary to popular belief, this song is not about Francis
                and Courtney. He wrote it for them,but none of the lyrics
                really apply

Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip [Import version]- More or
               less, a poem to words. This is an improv-style song



B-Sides, Rarities, & Compilatin Tracks


Even in His Youth [Smells Like Teen Spirit single] - Those who were born to
     the burgise, and never saw their way uot of it, and how Kurt is glad he
     wasn't none of them

Verse Chorus Verse [No Alternative CD] - Aobut weeklings who cling to poeple
                   with powerful ideas, even though they may not be sucking
                   themselvesint smething that is less than pssitive. Could
                   always possibly be aimed at the church