Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle
Nirvana Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

It's so relieving
To know that you're leaving
As soon as you get paid
It's so relaxing
To hear that you're asking
Whenever you get your way
It's so soothing
To know that you'll sue me
Starting to sound the same

I miss the comfort in being sad
I miss the comfort in being sad
I miss the comfort in being sad

In her false witness
I hope you're still with us
To see if they float or drown
Our favorite patient
Display of patience
Disease-covered Puget Sound
She'll come back as fire
To burn all the liars
Leave a blanket of ash on the ground

I miss the comfort in being sad
I miss the comfort in being sad
I miss the comfort in being sad

It's so relieving
To know that you're leaving
As soon as you get paid
It's so relaxing
To know that you're asking
Wherever you get your way
It's so soothing
To know that you'll sue me
Starting to sound the same

I miss the comfort in being sad




I miss the comfort in being sad
I miss the comfort in being sad

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle" by Nirvana are about a feeling of relief and comfort in loneliness and sadness. The song may be about the actress and media personality Frances Farmer, who was known for her nonconformity and was eventually institutionalized for her "erratic behavior." The song opens with a sense of relief upon someone leaving as soon as they get paid. The repetition of "It's so relieving" and "It's so relaxing" creates a sense of comfort in detachment.


The lyrics then shift to a false witness, who may represent society or those who judged Frances Farmer, with the line "I hope you're still with us to see if they float or drown." The lines "Favorite patient, display of patience, disease-covered Puget Sound" may be references to Frances Farmer's institutionalization and the mental health institutions in the Seattle area. The song ends with the lines "She'll come back as fire, to burn all the liars, leave a blanket of ash on the ground," which could be interpreted as a desire for revenge or justice against those who wronged Frances Farmer.


Overall, the song is a reflection on the comfort and relief found in sadness and loneliness, potentially inspired by the life and struggles of Frances Farmer.


Line by Line Meaning

It's so relieving
The feeling of relief is overwhelming


To know that you're leaving
To know that you are no longer going to stay


As soon as you get paid
As soon as you receive your payment from a job well done


It's so relaxing
The feeling of relaxation is immense


To hear that you're asking
To hear that you are requesting something


Whenever you get your way
Whenever things work out as you had planned


It's so soothing
The feeling of calmness overtakes you


To know that you'll sue me
The thought that someone will take legal action against you


Starting to sound the same
The repetition of unpleasant events makes it appear monotonous


I miss the comfort in being sad
The melancholic feeling provides comfort in a strange way


In her false witness
In her fake testimony of the situation


I hope you're still with us
You are expected to be present to witness the outcome


To see if they float or drown
To check whether they are successful or fail


Our favorite patient
The person who has become our favorite assignment


Display of patience
Demonstrating patience under trying situations


Disease-covered Puget Sound
Puget Sound covered with contamination


She'll come back as fire
The person will return with a vengeance


To burn all the liars
To expose and punish individuals who have lied


Leave a blanket of ash on the ground
The aftermath will be destructive and lifeless




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Kurt Cobain

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@lisaa3070

It's so relieving
To know that you're leaving
As soon as you get paid

It's so relaxing
To hear that you're asking
Wherever you get your way

It's so soothing
To know that you'll sue me
This is starting to sound the same

I miss the comfort in being sad
I miss the comfort in being sad
I miss the comfort in being sad

In her false witness
We hope you're still with us
To see if they float or drown



Our favorite patient
A display of patience
Disease-covered Puget Sound

She'll come back as fire
To burn all the liars
And leave a blanket of ash on the ground

I miss the comfort in being sad
I miss the comfort in being sad
I miss the comfort in being sad

It's so relieving
To know that you're leaving
As soon as you get paid

It's so relaxing
To hear that you're asking
Wherever you get your way

It's so soothing
To know that you'll sue me
This is starting to sound the same

I miss the comfort in being sad
I miss the comfort in being sad
I miss the comfort in being sad



@nastyinthosekhakis

“My brother was diagnosed with depression years before I was, and because of that he started therapy years before I did.

I still remember when I was a young teen and he was playing a Nirvana song and stopped it at this one line: “I miss the comforts in being sad”.

He told me that when you start to get better, there’s a part of you that misses being sad and that if you start feeling that way you have to be extra aware and careful because if you indulge that feeling you’ll go down a self-destructive spiral.

And even though that was years and years ago, I think about it all the time. Especially when I’m reading discourse on the idea of getting so attached to the idea of mental illness as an identity that you don’t want to improve things because you feel safe in it and don’t know who you are without it.

I always think of that line, “I miss the comforts in being sad” and my brothers warning.”
-The Artidote



All comments from YouTube:

@mr.mustang656

The lyrical genius here,when you experience depression and you start to get “better” (although you really never get better with depression) you really do start to miss the comfort in being sad

@AlecCommentstheInternet

you can get better from depression, you're just being melodramatic

@larb6314

The song is about Frances Farmer “my favorite patient, display of patience” is about how she was raped in a mental institution. “I miss the comfort in being sad” is possibly a reference to the popular belief that she was lobotomized.

@mr.mustang656

@@larb6314 correct but most the lyrics were pulled out of his poetry book

@baileycullivan1946

Seriously this comment gave me the chills it’s spot on

@slave2thedetailz

or when you get into an even deeper depression and don’t feel anything you miss the comfort of having feelings even if they’re sad feelings

21 More Replies...

@rootbeer543

I can't stop listening to this song. I waslistening to this song on my iPod in class and my teacher said "What are you listening to?" I said "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle" she said "By Nirvana" I said "Yeah" she said "Well in that case I won't confiscate your iPod" coolest freaking teacher ever.

@raddaradda3996

It's true, I was the Ipod.

@Oscar97o

@@raddaradda3996 I was the class

@ROWDYBatrulha

I was the school

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