And through decades of solid output, rigorous touring, and unyielding punk ethos, he cemented himself as one of the most influential heroes of the DIY scene.
Rosenstock is a self-made artist who's built a bridge between enraged, angst-ridden political catharsis and hard-hitting depressive emotional introspection. His voice is loud, raspy, and on the cusp of anger, but underneath that lies enough nuance and subtlety to make his music fun and arresting all at once.
In just a couple of years, Jeff Rosenstock has gone from beloved underground punk mainstay to a DIY legend and one of the most acclaimed figures in modern punk.
Nausea
Jeff Rosenstock Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hot tub in south Wisconsin
I feel amazing when I’m all alone
Switching between porn and Robocop
Turned off my cell phone
Drank a bottle of wine and read a Cometbus
got stoned naked, trip and stumble
I got so tired of discussing my future
I started avoiding the people I love
Evenings of silence and mornings of nausea
I read the worst thing ever
In a bathrobe of off-white terry cloth
Translated by technology
From your voice extremely inaccurately
I got so tired of discussing my future
I started avoiding the people I love
Evenings of silence and mornings of nausea
Sweatin’ and shakin’, dont throw up
I got so tired of discussing my future
That I walk through my life like I’m the only one
With evenings of silence and mornings of nausea
Shakin’, sweatin’, and dont throw up, oh no
Cleaned up the empty bottles
Let the smoke out through chilly windows
I used the stationary bike
I watched the end of Price Is Right
Ordered an egg white sandwich
And I drove south through mid-day traffic
While I called up the folks I truly love
Hung up after they said hello
I got so tired of discussing my future
I started avoiding the people I love
Evenings of silence and mornings of nausea
Shakin’, sweatin’, don’t throw up
I got so tired of discussing my future
That I walk through my life like I’m the only one
Evenings of silence and mornings of nausea
The lyrics to Jeff Rosenstock’s song “Nausea” explore themes of isolation, avoidance, and purposelessness. The song begins with a vivid image of the singer sitting in a hot tub, high and alone, switching between porn and Robocop. He turns off his cell phone, drinks wine, and reads a book. The strange and disorienting experience continues as he gets stoned, trips, and stumbles to bed in a “fucked up sleep walk.”
The lyrics hint at a deeper problem, however, as the singer expresses his fatigue with discussing his future and begins avoiding the people he loves. He spends his evenings in silence and wakes up feeling nauseous. He reads a message that has been translated by technology from someone he cares about, but the translation is “extremely inaccurate,” adding to his sense of disconnection and confusion.
The second half of the song sees the singer trying to cope with his malaise. He cleans up and exercises, but still finds himself watching mindless TV and avoiding his loved ones. The song ends with a sense of hopelessness and despair as the singer walks through his life feeling like he’s the only one experiencing his sense of isolation and nausea.
Line by Line Meaning
Held in the bong hit sitting in a
Feeling the effects of marijuana smoke while sitting in a hot tub in south Wisconsin
Hot tub in south Wisconsin
Relaxing in a hot tub located in the southern part of Wisconsin
I feel amazing when I’m all alone
Feeling great when alone
Switching between porn and Robocop
Watching pornographic films and the science fiction film Robocop alternately
Turned off my cell phone
Switched off the mobile phone
Drank a bottle of wine and read a Cometbus
Consumed a bottle of wine while reading a copy of the Cometbus magazine
got stoned naked, trip and stumble
Got high on drugs while naked and stumbled around
to bed in a fucked up sleep walk
Went to bed walking in a disoriented state
I got so tired of discussing my future
Felt exhausted from talking about my future
I started avoiding the people I love
Began staying away from my loved ones
Evenings of silence and mornings of nausea
Experiencing moments of quiet and sickness
I read the worst thing ever
Read the worst thing possible
In a bathrobe of off-white terry cloth
Wearing a bathrobe made of off-white terry cloth material
Translated by technology
Translated using technological tools
From your voice extremely inaccurately
Resulting in an extremely inaccurate voice translation
Sweatin’ and shakin’, dont throw up
Sweating and shaking but not vomiting
Cleaned up the empty bottles
Tidied up the bottles that were empty
Let the smoke out through chilly windows
Released smoke outside through cold windows
I used the stationary bike
Exercised on a stationary bicycle
I watched the end of Price Is Right
Watched the end of the TV show Price Is Right
Ordered an egg white sandwich
Requested an egg white sandwich
And I drove south through mid-day traffic
Drove towards the southern direction amidst mid-day traffic
While I called up the folks I truly love
Contacted my loved ones over the phone
Hung up after they said hello
Ended the call after they greeted me
That I walk through my life like I’m the only one
Feeling like I'm the only one walking through life
Shakin’, sweatin’, and dont throw up, oh no
Shaking, sweating, but not vomiting
Contributed by Molly V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@willypatrick8123
Lotta joke replies here, but real-talk: this song captures my struggles with drug and alcohol abuse and their intersection with feelings of inadequacy and depression better than any other song. And because of that, this song will always be amazing for me.
Even from the beginning, the lyrics resonate on an all to real basis like, "I feel amazing when I'm all alone / ... / turned off the cellphone, drank a bottle". The number of times I've just wanted to get shitfaced alone and forget everything are innumerable. And after enough times doing that shit you just want to shut off everything tying you to to world -- especially your phone. The next lines hit even harder: " Passed out naked, shriveling, stumbled / to bed in a fucked up sleepwalk" -- what drunk doesn't resonate with that all to frequent reality?
The chorus applied to me more when I was younger and struggling to graduate college, but I'm still dealing with the same shit of avoiding the people I love, always accompanied with, "Evenings of silence and mornings of nausea" -- despite having achieved the "future" I thought I was always chasing.
The next run of the chorus adds a couple other lines that hit hard too: "Shake and sweat and I can’t throw up" furthers the bleak imagery of being an alcoholic and "I walk through my life like I’m the only one" captures the unwanted but inevitable isolation addiction brings.
Verse 3 is probably the most heartbreaking for me, because I've been there soooo many times. You clean, workout -- even order a healthy meal -- but you still can't deal with/face those you love the most. The bitter irony being you know these are the folks that love you too and could help you, but you just can't. This usually led to the next bender for me.
I can't know fully what Jeff was thinking when writing this song but I'm so glad he did. I'm trying to get sober and better but it's a struggle, and some days are better than others. All I know is whenever I can't explain to a friend or a loved one the things I feel I tell them to listen to this song and pay close attention to the lyrics because it puts words to my feelings and actions better than I ever could.
This song (and whole album) kick ass and I'm so glad it exists.
@sideonedummy
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@megantron5331
"I got so tired of discussing my future that I walk through my life like I'm the only one with evenings of silence and mornings of nausea. Shake and sweat and I can't throw up." This is such a beautiful line.
@jaidsalgado
For real! Such a good chorus
@kevinzhu6417
listened to this as a highschooler thinking it wouldnt be me and here I am years later drinking and smoking myself to throwing up lol.
@tabshiftescape
@@kevinzhu6417 try to remember to be kind to yourself!
@molr
How the fuck is he STILL writing good songs?? Man's a machine
@TreblaFreeman
2023 and the man still does and even better, Jeff's the best.
@eeeeeeeeeddddd
And then in 2023 he made the best album of the year
@penn8103
I love that after 6 years comments are still being read and liked :))
@solaribass2491
*7 years