The Man Who Sold the World
♫ Nirvana Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We spoke of was and when
Although I wasn't there
He said I was his friend
Which came as a surprise
I spoke into his eyes
I thought you died alone
A long long time ago
Oh no, not me
We never lost control
You're face to face
With the man who sold the world
I laughed and shook his hand
And made my way back home
I searched for form and land
For years and years I roamed
I gazed a gazeless stare
We walked a million hills
I must have died alone
A long, long time ago
Who knows?
Not me
I never lost control
You're face to face
With the man who sold the world
Who knows?
Not me
We never lost control
You're face to face
With the man who sold the world
In "The Man Who Sold the World" by Nirvana, the singer encounters an old friend who he thought had died a long time ago. The two discuss the past and the singer expresses his surprise that his friend is still alive. The friend then reveals that he is not who the singer thought he was - he is the man who sold the world. Despite this revelation, the singer maintains his composure and laughs it off.
The song is believed to be a commentary on how people can seem familiar and trustworthy on the surface but may have ulterior motives and secrets hidden beneath. The man who sold the world symbolizes the idea of selling out and the consequences of doing so. The singer realizes that he has been living in a world that has been sold out, and that he has been complicit in this situation. The song's lyrics suggest that the singer has taken this revelation in stride as he leaves his friend and searches for his own truth.
The song's meaning has been widely debated and interpreted in various ways. Some believe that the song is about drug addiction, while others think it is about mental illness or schizophrenia. There are also interpretations that suggest the song is about fame and the music industry. Despite differing interpretations, the song's haunting melody and enigmatic lyrics have made it a classic in the rock genre.
Line by Line Meaning
We passed upon the stair
We crossed paths on the staircase
We spoke of was and when
We talked about the past
Although I wasn't there
Even though I wasn't part of the past we were discussing
He said I was his friend
He claimed to be my friend
Which came as a surprise
This surprised me
I spoke into his eyes
I looked directly into his eyes as I talked to him
I thought you died alone
I believed that you had died without any friends or companions
A long long time ago
A significant amount of time in the past
Oh no, not me
I'm not the one who died alone
We never lost control
We never let the situation get out of hand
You're face to face
You are confronting
With the man who sold the world
The person who tricked people and gained power and influence
I laughed and shook his hand
I reacted to meeting him in a friendly way
And made my way back home
I left the encounter and went home
I searched for form and land
I looked for my identity and a place to belong
For years and years I roamed
I spent a long time traveling and wandering
I gazed a gazeless stare
I looked blankly and without focus
We walked a million hills
We experienced many challenges and obstacles
I must have died alone
I may have been lonely and isolated in my struggles
Who knows?
There's no way to know for sure
Not me
I don't know the answer
You're face to face
You are in direct confrontation
With the man who sold the world
With someone who took advantage of others to gain power and influence
Who knows?
Again, there's no way to know for sure
Not me
I don't have the answer
We never lost control
We were always in charge of our actions
You're face to face
You are directly confronting
With the man who sold the world
With someone who was able to gain influence and power by being deceitful
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: David Bowie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anonymous Human
As someone who has spent way too much time watching documentaries of Kurt online, this one is by far the best I have ever seen. You approached this beautifully. The way in which you examined Kurt's life from beginning to end and made logical assumptions on the effects of major life events (such as parents' divorce, a few breakups with long term girlfriends, the desire to be the greatest band in the world, etc...) while ultimately understanding that we can never know what Kurt was TRULY experiencing, as is the case for all humans, was superb.
Many documentaries tend to overplay Kurt's drug addiction and Courtney's negative influence on him while underplaying the trauma of his parent's divorce and the pressures of being the frontman of the most famous band on the planet who GENUINELY WANTED TO BE FAMOUS until he achieved it and realized that the responsibility entailed was much more than he ever could have imagined but he he could never go back. You navigated these areas very well.
As mentioned before, I appreciate the emphasis you placed on his parent's divorce. As we see in the psychological literature, divorce has life-long negative effects on children and this certainly had a massive impact on Kurt's life. Facts such as Kurt living in 10 homes in the span of roughly four years after leaving his Dad's place and frequently skipping class and hanging with delinquents in high school emphasized this.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this documentary is that you did what almost NO OTHER DOCUMENTARY HAS DONE: delve into the REALITY of Kurt Cobain rather than the icon he presented to the world. Using various journal entries and certain interviews as evidence, you revealed that Kurt was not as apathetic about fame as he often claimed to be. Kurt DID want to be the most successful band on the planet. This is evident in the fact that after Bleach sold over 40,000 copies with an indie label, he was not satisfied. He wanted his music so sell more. Also by the fact that if he did not see Nirvana on MTV after a certain amount of time, he became upset as he believed people should see his music more. This is hardly ever mentioned in documentaries on Kurt, but you brought them in and it changed the entire piece. It shows that Kurt was much more complex than he is often portrayed (and that is saying something because he is already portrayed as one of the most complex artists of all time) and he had motivations that many of his die-hard fans would be made uneasy to find out.
I also appreciated the focus on Kurt's non-musical art. This is also rarely mentioned in other documentaries, or at least not in the way that it was here. When we observe his painting and doodles, we can see that raw pain that we experience sonically in his music visually through images. It adds a deeper layer into the suffering that was so central to Kurts experience of life and his artistic expression.
The clips and soundtrack for this piece were incredible. You chose clips that accurately highlighted the given aspect of Kurt's life that was explained and there was not a single clip that felt out of place. I appreciated that besides brief clips of from concerts, you did not use any original nirvana songs. Instead you mainly used Nirvana covers by Justice Der which were unlike anything I have ever heard and set the tone for the entire doc.
I do wish you included some snippets from the "blank on blank" interview in which Kurt talked about the divorce and its its negative effects on him (I believe he said something along the lines of "everything was going great in life until the divorce") as well as his chronic stomach pain as I believe it would have added tremendous value to the doc
Overall this was a masterpiece. It is better done than some Netflix documentaries. THANK YOU!
From now on when someone asks me what is the best documentary on Kurt Cobain, THIS IS IT!
Soulr
The first version of this video got age-restricted but this one is CLEARED 🙏
Milkjae🥛
LET'S GOOO
LOOKE
Says viewer discretion advised 🤔
Soulr
@LOOKE This was probably their compromise but it's not restricted :)
Tru
@Soulr bet, and am happy you getting your money. Love your vids, and stay safe
Ta'Kima
@Soulr dang I'm sorry you lost the original views and comments:((( but at least they let you put it back up!!!! This was prolly your best work yet
Gramma Lilac
One of the hardest things I ever had to hear was a suicidal person saying the pressure of staying alive to avoid hurting others was the heaviest burden they carried.
Musical Addiction Online Lessons
I understand that burden
Musical Addiction Online Lessons
@Big Monk I'm sorry you do too
iSpy
Probably 2, maybe 3 people that have kept me here, the rest I couldn't care less about.