In 1995, Green Day was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for "Basket Case".
In 2006, on Mike Davies and Zane Lowe's Lock Up Special on BBC Radio 1, the listeners voted "Basket Case" the Greatest Punk Song of All-Time.
The song can also be found on their 2001 greatest hits compilation International Superhits!. The music video can be found on their International Supervideos! DVD. A live version is also found on Bullet in a Bible, a live album of Green Day performing at the Milton Keynes National Bowl in 2005.
Basket Case
Green Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
About nothing and everything all at once?
I am one of those
Melodramatic fools
Neurotic to the bone
No doubt about it
Sometimes I give myself the creeps
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
Or am I just stoned?
I went to a shrink
To analyze my dreams
She says it's lack of sex that's bringing me down
I went to a whore
He said my life's a bore
So quit my whining 'cause it's bringing her down
Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
Huh yeah, yeah, yeah
(Ooh, ooh)
Grasping to control
So I better hold on
Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
Or am I just stoned?
The lyrics to Green Day's song Basket Case are a reflection of the lead singer's anxieties and insecurities. The song is about feeling overwhelmed by everyday life and the constant struggle to maintain one's sanity. The opening line, "Do you have the time to listen to me whine," sets the tone for the rest of the song. The singer is reaching out to someone, anyone, to listen to his problems, "about nothing and everything all at once."
Throughout the song, we see the singer's internal conflict manifesting in different ways. He describes himself as a "melodramatic fool" who is "neurotic to the bone." He is constantly questioning his own mental state, wondering if he is "just paranoid, or am I just stoned?" The imagery of feeling like he is "cracking up" is a recurring theme.
The lyrics also touch on the societal pressure to conform and the fear of being judged by others. The singer seeks help from a shrink, only to be told that his problems stem from a lack of sex. He then visits a whore who tells him to stop whining because it's bringing her down. These interactions only add to his feelings of isolation and helplessness.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you have the time to listen to me whine
Do you have a moment to hear me complain?
About nothing and everything all at once?
About trivial and significant things happening simultaneously?
I am one of those
I am one of the individuals
Melodramatic fools
Who are excessively emotional
Neurotic to the bone
With an underlying mental anxiety
No doubt about it
Certainly
Sometimes I give myself the creeps
At times I feel frightened
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
Sometimes my thoughts deceive me
It all keeps adding up
Everything is contributing
I think I'm cracking up
I believe I am losing it
Am I just paranoid
Am I experiencing irrational fear
Or am I just stoned?
Or is it because I am intoxicated?
I went to a shrink
I saw a therapist
To analyze my dreams
To interpret my unconscious thoughts
She says it's lack of sex that's bringing me down
She suggests my lack of sexual activity is impacting my wellbeing
I went to a whore
I visited a prostitute
He said my life's a bore
He told me that my life is tedious
So quit my whining 'cause it's bringing her down
So I should stop complaining about my problems because it's affecting her
Grasping to control
Trying hard to remain in charge
So I better hold on
So I need to hang in there
Ah, yeah, yeah, yeah
An expression of frustration
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Billie Joe Armstrong, Frank E III Wright, Michael Ryan Pritchard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MC_MO
Lyrics
Do you have the time to listen to me whine
About nothing and everything all at once
I am one of those
Melodramatic fools
Neurotic to the bone
No doubt about it
Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
Or am I just stoned
I went to a shrink
To analyze my dreams
She says it's lack of sex that's bringing me down
I went to a whore
He said my life's a bore
So quit my whining cause it's bringing her down
Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
A ya-ya-ya
Grasping to control
So I better hold on
Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
Or am I just stoned
@oddler7132
"Basket Case"
Do you have the time
To listen to me whine
About nothing and everything
All at once
I am one of those
Melodramatic fools
Neurotic to the bone
No doubt about it
Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
Am I just stoned?
I went to a shrink
To analyze my dreams
She says it's lack of sex
That's bringing me down
I went to a whore
He said "My life's a bore"
So quit my whining cause
It's bringing her down
Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
Uh, yuh, yuh, ya
Grasping to control
So I better hold on
Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
Am I just stoned?
@GreenDay
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Blue week is better
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Every day is a green day
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I agree
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I totally agree
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