Cobain and Nirvana were highly influential, popularizing what came to be known as "grunge music". In 1991, the arrival of Cobain's best known song, "Smells Like Teen Spirit", marked the beginning of a dramatic shift of popular music away from the dominant genres of the 1980s: glam metal, arena rock, and dance-pop. The music media eventually awarded "Smells Like Teen Spirit" "anthem-of-a-generation" status, and, with it, Cobain ascended as the reluctant "spokesman" for Generation X. Kurt Cobain changed the course of music forever even though it was never his intention.
Sappy
Kurt Cobain Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You will make God happy
And if you do what′s told
You will make me happy
I'll keep you in a jar
And you will seem happy
I′ll give you breathing holes
You will think you're happy now
You are in a laundry room
You are in a laundry room
And if you save yourself
You will make them happy
I'll bring you fine rewards
And you will feel happy
I′ll keep you in a room
I′m sure you'll be happy
And if you save your soul
You will think you′re happy now
You are in a laundry room
You are in a laundry room
You are in a laundry room
You are in a laundry room
The lyrics of Kurt Cobain's song "Sappy" offer a critique of the pressures imposed on individuals by social institutions, particularly organized religion and conformity. The first two lines suggest that religious indoctrination has a tendency to prioritize obedience over critical thinking: if you say your prayers and do what you're told, you will please God and please the singer of the song. This is insincere happiness offered under a false pretense that complying with religious norms will lead to contentment. The next lines express the singer's desire to control and possess the recipient of the message, to keep them trapped in a jar and provide partial freedom - breathing holes - to give them the illusion of control. Cobain's mention of the laundry room as a location adds to the oppressive atmosphere, as laundry rooms tend to be enclosed and dimly lit, reflecting the feeling of entrapment.
The second stanza introduces the promise of social rewards and satisfaction for conforming to the dominant traditions and expectations. The lyrics suggest that if the recipient saves themselves through assimilation, they will receive "fine rewards" and feel happy. The singer again asserts their authority through another room where they will keep the recipient. The closing lines indicate that this happiness is also false and that true happiness can only come from within. The recipient may believe they are happy, but ultimately they are still trapped in the laundry room, tied to oppressive norms and expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
And if you say your prayers
If you follow religion blindly without questioning it, you can be content with believing that it will make a higher power happy.
You will make God happy
Blind faith in prayer can make you think that you can earn the love of God.
And if you do what's told
If you follow societal norms and do what is expected of you, you can make others happy and content.
You will make me happy
If you conform to my expectations and follow my instructions, you may make me content.
I'll keep you in a jar
I will control you and limit your freedom, as if you were an object under my possession.
And you will seem happy
I will provide you with an illusion of happiness under my control.
I'll give you breathing holes
I will give you the minimum amount of freedom necessary so that you do not suffocate, but not enough to be fully free.
You will think you're happy now
You may be content with minimal freedom, but you don't understand the true meaning of happiness yet.
You are in a laundry room
A metaphor for being stuck in a cycle of repetition, doing the same tedious tasks over and over again, without progress or freedom.
And if you save yourself
If you break free from societal expectations and do what makes you truly happy, you can save yourself from a life of unhappiness.
You will make them happy
By being true to yourself, you may disappoint those who demand you to conform, but you have the potential to make those who truly care about you happy.
I'll bring you fine rewards
By doing what is expected of you, you may receive rewards and praise from others, but they may not necessarily bring you true happiness.
And you will feel happy
You may feel happy temporarily from the rewards of conforming, but true happiness comes from being true to oneself.
I'll keep you in a room
Similar to the earlier line, the singer will continue to control you and keep you confined to a limited space.
I'm sure you'll be happy
The singer believes that by limiting your freedom and controlling you, they can make you content, though it may not necessarily lead to true happiness.
And if you save your soul
If you find meaning in life and pursue what truly matters to you, you can save your inner self and be content with your existence.
You will think you're happy now
By rediscovering your true self, you can find true happiness and contentment.
You are in a laundry room
Repeating the metaphor from earlier, the singer emphasizes the idea of being lost in a cycle of monotony and repetition.
Writer(s): Kurt Cobain
Contributed by Oliver R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
milestone
[Verse 1]
And if you say your prayers
You will make him happy
And if you do what's true
You will make me happy
I'll keep you in a jar
And you will seem happy
I'll give you breathing holes
You will think you're happy now
[Chorus]
You're in a laundry room
You're in a laundry room
You're in a laundry room
[Verse 2]
And if you save yourself
You will make him happy
He'll bring you fine rewards
Then you will feel happy
I'll keep you in a room
I'm sure you'll be happy
And if you save your soul
You will think you're happy now
[Chorus]
You're in a laundry room
You're in a laundry room
You're in a laundry room
Akash Anvekar
LYRICS__________
And if you say your prayers,
you will make God happy
And if you do what's true,
you will make me happy
I'll keep you in a jar,
and you will seem happy
I'll give you breathing holes,
you will think you're happy
Now you're in a laundry room
You're in a laundry room
You're in a laundry room
And if you save yourself,
you will make him happy
They'll bring you fine rewards,
and you will feel happy
He'll keep you in a room,
I'm sure you'll be happy
And if you save your soul,
you will think you're happy
Now you're in a laundry room
You're in a laundry room
You're in a laundry room
You're in a laundry room
Alif Ahmad
And if you say your prayers
You will make God happy
And if you do what's true
You will make me happy
I'll keep you in a jar
And you will seem happy
I'll give you breathing holes
You will think you're happy, now
You're in a laundry room
You're in a laundry room
You're in a laundry room
And if you save yourself
You will make them happy
He'll bring you fine rewards
Then you will feel happy
I'll keep you in my room
I'm sure you'll be happy
And if you save one soul
You will think you're happy now
You're in a laundry room
You're in a laundry room
You're in a laundry room
NPT Music
Nice to see Kurt's finally signed to VEVO - what took him so long ?
Payton
+New Piano Tutorials Because he isnt dead at all?..
LYDS
+New Piano Tutorials When you're dead things just take longer.
Payton
Fresh Haus lmfaooo
Jacob Helgeson
He's dead '-'
JARED INTERNET
+The King of Potatoes I think he was just joking, fam
RebelThoughts82
This song just has that haunting melody that only Cobain could come up with.
Animals Mistaken For Monsters
+RebelThoughts82 Plenty of people could do that and better. Not to take anything away from Kurt.
RebelThoughts82
Animals Mistaken for Monsters Nope they can't or it would have been done already.
Animals Mistaken For Monsters
+RebelThoughts82 I've clearly said it's been done already. Elliot Smith was way better at it than Kurt by far.