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Smells Like Teen Spirit
Nirvana Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Load up on guns, bring your friends
It's fun to lose and to pretend
She's over-bored and self assured
Oh no, I know a dirty word

Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello

With the lights out, it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido
Yeah, hey, yay

I'm worse at what I do best
And for this gift I feel blessed
Our little group has always been
And always will until the end

Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello

With the lights out, it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido
Yeah, hey, yay

And I forget just why I taste
Oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile
I found it hard, it's hard to find
Oh well, whatever, never mind

Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello

With the lights out, it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido
A denial, a denial, a denial, a denial, a denial
A denial, a denial, a denial, a denial

Overall Meaning

The song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana was released in 1991 and is widely considered one of the most iconic and influential songs in the history of rock music. The lyrics of the song capture the disaffected and rebellious spirit of the time period and deal with issues such as boredom, apathy, and the search for identity. The opening lines "Load up on guns, bring your friends / It's fun to lose and to pretend" speaks to the nihilistic tendencies of young people who were disillusioned with the political and economic system at the time.


The chorus of the song, with the repeated phrase "With the lights out, it's less dangerous / Here we are now, entertain us," reflects the desire for entertainment and escape from the pain and chaos of the world. The reference to "a mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido" is believed to be an inside joke by Kurt Cobain and refers to a friend who described himself in this manner. The line "I feel stupid and contagious" speaks to the feeling of helplessness and frustration that many young people experienced during the time period.


Overall, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a song that captures the disillusionment and angst of a generation and continues to be celebrated as a seminal work in the history of rock music.


Line by Line Meaning

Load up on guns, bring your friends
Gather weapons and bring your accomplices


It's fun to lose and to pretend
It's enjoyable to have nothing and act like you don't care


She's over bored and self assured
She's extremely bored and full of herself


Oh no, I know a dirty word
Oh dear, I'm aware of a profanity


Hello, hello, hello, how low
Greetings, how are you feeling down there?


With the lights out, it's less dangerous
Having the lights turned off decreases the amount of risk


Here we are now, entertain us
We are present, so put on a show for us


I feel stupid and contagious
I feel unintelligent and like I can easily spread my feelings to others


A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido
A person with mixed race heritage, a person with no pigmentation, an insect that feeds on blood, my sexual drive


I'm worse at what I do best
I'm not very skilled at what I excel at


And for this gift I feel blessed
Despite this, I feel fortunate for this talent


Our little group has always been
Our small community has always existed


And always will until the end
And it will continue until the end


And I forget just why I taste
And I don't remember why I have this specific sensation


Oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile
Oh right, I suppose it causes me to grin


I found it hard, was hard to find
I struggled to locate it


Oh well, whatever, never mind
Oh well, it doesn't really matter anymore


A denial, a denial, a denial, a denial, a denial
An inability to accept the truth




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: David Grohl, Krist Novoselic, Kurt Cobain

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@DaveTerrasidio

My first ever album that i got for myself; well one of the "rocker" kids from the town i'd just moved to with mum that i hung with as i also started high school in 1994 gave me his cassette tape version as he'd just got the CD version.
i was only just beginning to develop my own taste; up to that point mum had got me soundtracks from movies that i had liked the music from like Pulp Fiction (she was cool with me watching that lol) which had just got rental release and i'd loved it.
so until "Nevermind, OST's and also random "Now thats what i call music" compilations. then i began high school in 1994, the kids i hung with, i met them on the bus from town to school and we clicked they told me about Nirvana and I said i remembered this video for this absolute banger of a track from 1991 and it had made an impression but i was still a bit young in terms of music stuff;
which, i think early teens is when most people start to develop their taste in music in a process that either stops (for all intents and purposes) at a certain time later or never ends, im the latter i think.


Anyways, love this band and when i listend to my new albuum on my wee HI-FI i had in my room it blew me away. 🤌🏼 🤌🏼 😝 🔥 ❤
.

.

.

.

❤‍🔥 🤘🏼



@Forever_BAN_Landivisiau

Lyrics✨⭐


Load up on guns, bring your friends
It's fun to lose and to pretend
She's over-bored and self-assured
Oh no, I know a dirty word


Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello

With the lights out, it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto, an albino
A mosquito, my libido


Yeah, hey, yay


I'm worse at what I do best
And for this gift, I feel blessed
Our little group has always been
And always will until the end


Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello


With the lights out, it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto, an albino
A mosquito, my libido


Yeah, hey, yay

[Guitar Solo]


And I forget just why I taste
Oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile
I found it hard, it's hard to find
Oh well, whatever, never mind


Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello


With the lights out, it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto, an albino
A mosquito, my libido


A denial, a denial
A denial, a denial
A denial, a denial
A denial, a denial
A denial



All comments from YouTube:

@gabe3282

1 billion for a guy that died before youtube existed

@Emilyokcool

Ah nevermind

@Reubenator27

@@Emilyokcool Kurt Cobain, he died 25 years ago.

@dusanvasiljevic1916

Legends never die

@iwakeupcookrice4421

And your point..?

@kevinkibble8342

He died over a decade before YouTube existed too

745 More Replies...

@chicken

fun fact: Nirvana posted ads saying that if anyone wanted to be in this music video, they just had to show up. no charge, no anything. just teen spirit.

@winniethepoohandthegreatho838

TEEN SPIRIT🔥

@mayerlyandreamartinezgarzo4184

I see You comment un nothing else matters

@Leon-sb8vs

shit

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