When it was first released, "Touch Me I'm Sick" was a hit on the indie circuit, and is still the band's most recognizable song. The heavily distorted and fuzzy guitars, snarling vocals, blunt bass line and energetic drumming contributed to a dirty sound that influenced many local musicians, and helped develop the Seattle grunge scene. According to Allmusic, "the song's raw, primal energy made it an instant anthem which still stands as one of [grunge's] all-time classics".
Touch Me I'm Sick
Mudhoney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, wow, oh
I feel bad
And I've felt worse
I'm a creep, yeah
I'm a jerk
Come on
Wow, I won't live long
And I'm full of rot
Gonna give you girl
Everything I got
Touch me, I'm sick
Yeah
Touch me, I'm sick
Come on baby, now come with me
If you don't come
If you don't come
If you don't come
You'll die alone
Wow
Oh, I'm diseased
I don't mind
I'll make you love me
'Till the day you die
Come on
Touch me, I'm sick
(Ah) fuck me, I'm sick
Come on baby, now come with me
If you don't come
If you don't come
If you don't come
You'll die alone
Mudhoney's "Touch Me I'm Sick" is a raw and chaotic song about self-loathing and desperation. The opening lines, "I feel bad/And I've felt worse/I'm a creep, yeah/I'm a jerk", set the tone for the song's lyrics. It's a guttural expression of someone who is disgusted with themselves and wants to inflict their misery and sickness onto someone else. The repetition of the phrase "Touch me, I'm sick" throughout the song adds to the desperation and the sense of needing someone to validate the singer's feelings of worthlessness.
The second verse highlights the singer's nihilistic outlook on life. They know they won't live long and are "full of rot", so they want to give everything they've got to someone before they inevitably die. This is where the lyrics become even more disturbing, as the singer is essentially saying that they want to infect someone else with their sickness and disease. The line "I don't mind/I'll make you love me/Till the day you die" is a chilling admission that the singer is willing to destroy someone else just to feel validated and loved.
Overall, "Touch Me I'm Sick" is a song about the ugliness of human nature and the lengths people will go to in order to feel seen and validated. It's a raw and unfiltered expression of self-hatred and desperation, and it's a testament to the power of punk rock as a genre that allows for this type of unbridled expression.
Line by Line Meaning
One, two
The song begins with a counting of numbers to synchronize the rhythm.
Oh, wow, oh
These words are repeated as an expression of strong emotions of pain and disgust.
I feel bad
The singer confesses that he's not feeling well and may be suffering from a disease.
And I've felt worse
Although the singer feels terrible, he has experienced more severe pain before.
I'm a creep, yeah
The singer admits to being an undesirable person who might make the listener uncomfortable.
I'm a jerk
The singer admits that he behaves in an insensitive and annoying manner.
Come on
Touch me, I'm sick
The singer is demanding that the listener come near him and touch him, despite his illness and unpleasant behavior.
Wow, I won't live long
And I'm full of rot
The singer believes that he is not going to live much longer and that his body is decaying.
Gonna give you girl
Everything I got
The singer is willing to give the girl everything he has, despite his health condition.
Yeah
Touch me, I'm sick
The singer repeats a demand for the listener to touch him, even though he is not well.
Come on baby, now come with me
If you don't come
If you don't come
If you don't come
You'll die alone
The singer is inviting the girl to come with him and implying that if she doesn't, she'll regret it later in life.
Oh, I'm diseased
I don't mind
The singer is acknowledging that he has a disease but he is unaffected by it and does not feel sorry for himself.
I'll make you love me
'Till the day you die
The singer is confident in his ability to make the girl fall in love with him and promises to love her until the end.
Come on
Touch me, I'm sick
(Ah) fuck me, I'm sick
The singer expresses strong emotions of desperation and desire for physical contact despite his illness.
Come on baby, now come with me
If you don't come
If you don't come
If you don't come
You'll die alone
The song ends with the same warning to the girl who is not willing to accept the singer despite his illness.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Matthew D Lukin, Mark T Mclaughlin, Daniel Joe Peters, Steven Neil Turner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dewoyasir4445
Well I feel bad
And I've felt worse
I'm a creep yeah
I'm a jerk
Come on
Touch me I'm sick
Well I won't live long
And I'm full of rot
Gonna give you girl
Everything I've got
Touch me I'm sick
Touch me I'm sick
Come on baby now come with me
If you don't come
If you don't come
If you don't come
You'll die alone
Touch me I'm sick
Fuck me I'm sick
@jasonpeters9716
I actually saw AIC's last show with Layne.
It was just by chance. I live in Kansas City. AIC opened for KISS(puke.) But we saw AIC then left.
1996. I was 18.
Btw...Pearl Jam fucking rocks. Seen ton bands. Top3 live band ever. Sound better live than studio.
They have 4 masterpiece albums.
(Their first 4.) And about 3 great albums.
Top5 best live bands imo...
1. Janes Addiction
2. NIN
3. Pearl Jam
4. Soundgarden
5..STP
Seen Nirvana when I was 16. But it was Oct 1993. In Kansas City.
They rocked. But u could tell.Kurt was "done." Less 6 mons later...dead
@MrK-wu7ci
Mudhoney is the other half of Pearl Jam.
They were in a band called Green River.
Green River - Smiling and Dyin'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXrcStHoDEU
Green River - Unwind
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_XVHkpBaxk
Mudhoney - Here Comes Sickness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgsqwdLntnE
Awesome scream/vocals at the end.
@bobdemers6413
This is the best combination of punk and grunge ever
@MrStephen182
except grunge is punk music.
@westsumatra
was gonna say the same, bob
@majklfaradej294
Don't rely on Wikipedia that much just listen to the music. And if grudge didn't come from punk I don't know where it did TBH. And also the appeal of the band tells a lot about their taste therefore there influences. So yeah it's punk.
@sandromnator
MrStephen182
Grunge is it's own category. But it is influenced by Punk.
@h1th3r35
MrStephen182 grunge is alternative but has punk elements in my opinion.
@brixtonbruxelles
Being a girl I always got into a Mudhoney moshpit and NEVER once got groped. Met the band and they were total gents, all about the music. Love them.
@tess934
@Transfinite Cardinal you are disgusting. Sexual assault isn’t a joke. Rape isn’t funny.
@misguidedangel6550
sexual assault is not a joke
@nesta8518
Good on you Brixton. That should be normal though, not special!