It was written by Kurt Cobain in 1990. A song about writing a song. Before recording it, Cobain had quickly scribbled a new lyric detailing his writer's block. It was first recorded in the studio on January 1, 1991 by Craig Montgomery in Seattle, Washington. It was debuted live on May 29, 1991 in Los Angeles, California.
"On a Plain" was recorded for Nevermind in May or June 1991 by Butch Vig in North Hollywood. It was released as a promo single in the summer of 1992, and became a moderate hit.
An acoustic version was recorded during Nirvana's MTV Unplugged set on November 18, 1993. This version appears on the band's MTV Unplugged in New York album, released in November 1994. It features Lori Goldston on cello.
A live performance appears on the band's 1994 home video, Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! It was recorded at the Roskilde Festival on June 26, 1992 in Roskilde, Denmark. Another live performance of "On a Plain" from Nirvana's show at the Paradiso Club in Amsterdam on November 25, 1991 appears on the 2006 DVD re-release of Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!. An early 1991 rehearsal of "On a Plain" can be found after the credits have ended on the DVD version of Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!.
A live performance can be found on the 2009 live DVD/CD Live at Reading. Another live performance from 1991 at the Paramount Theatre is included on the video Live at the Paramount, released in 2011.
On a Plain
Nirvana Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Without any words
I got so high
I scratched 'till I bled
I love myself
Better than you
I know it's wrong
So what should I do?
The finest day
That I've ever had
Was when I learned
To cry on command
I love myself
Better than you
I know it's wrong
So what should I do?
I'm on a plain
I can't complain
I'm on a plain
My mother died
Every night
It's safe to say
Quote me on that
I love myself
Better than you
I know it's wrong
So what should I do?
The black sheep got
Blackmailed again
Forgot to put
On the zip code
I love myself
Better than you
I know it's wrong
So what should I do?
I'm on a plain
I can't complain
I'm on a plain
Somewhere I have heard this before
In a dream my memory has stored
As a defense I'm neutered and spayed
What the hell am I trying to say?
It is now time
To make it unclear
To write off lines
That don't make sense
I love myself
Better than you
I know it's wrong
So what should I do?
And one more special
Message to go
And then I'm done
And I can go home
I love myself
Better than you
I know it's wrong
So what should I do?
I'm on a plain
I can't complain
I'm on a plain
I can't complain
I'm on a plain
I can't complain
I'm on a plain
I can't complain
I'm on a plain
The lyrics of "On a Plain" by Nirvana seem to be about self-love, self-destructive behavior, and the struggle to understand oneself. The song starts with the singer getting high and scratching themselves until they bleed - this illustrates that the character is self-destructive and hurting themselves. The chorus of the song repeats the line "I love myself better than you" which suggests a type of narcissism and self-obsession. This conflicted feeling is further explored in the second verse where the singer talks about wanting to cry on command as if they are trying to prove something to themselves.
The line, "my mother died every night" is a poignant one that suggests a type of guilt or self-hatred that the character is experiencing. There is no apparent reason for this guilt, but it seems to be a reoccurring event in their life. The verse about the black sheep getting blackmailed may be a reference to a personal experience of the songwriter or could be seen as a metaphor for the way the singer feels trapped and manipulated.
The bridge of the song is more abstract and open to interpretation. It could mean that the singer is trying to forget something traumatic that happened to them by "neutering and spaying" their emotions. They are trying to protect themselves, but it's not necessarily helpful or healthy.
Overall, "On a Plain" seems to be a complex exploration of self-love and self-hatred, narcissism, and the struggle to accept oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll start this off
I'm beginning this song.
Without any words
I'm starting this song without an introduction.
I got so high
I got very high on drugs or alcohol.
I scratched 'till I bled
I scratched my body so hard that I started bleeding.
I love myself
I have a high regard for myself.
Better than you
I think I am better than you.
I know it's wrong
I am aware that this way of thinking is improper.
So what should I do?
What is the best course of action for me to take?
The finest day
My best day ever.
That I've ever had
Of all the days of my life.
Was when I learned
This day was when I came to know something.
To cry on command
I learned how to be able to cry instantly when asked.
My mother died
Every night, I feel like a part of me is dying.
Every night
Every time the day comes to its end.
It's safe to say
I can confidently state that.
Quote me on that
Feel free to repeat my statement to someone else.
The black sheep got
A misbehaving or out-of-place person incurred something undesirable.
Blackmailed again
The person was threatened with exposure of a shameful secret or information.
Forgot to put
I made a mistake by not including.
On the zip code
The person forgot to include the area code in their mailing address.
Somewhere I have heard this before
This statement is familiar to me, and I don't know where I heard it.
In a dream my memory has stored
I remember hearing this in a dream.
As a defense I'm neutered and spayed
As a protection, I am without power or influence.
What the hell am I trying to say?
I am unsure what point I am trying to make.
It is now time
The moment has come.
To make it unclear
I am intentionally going to make my message unclear or ambiguous.
To write off lines
I am going to delete certain lines from my message.
That don't make sense
I will be discarding lines that are not logical or reasonable.
And one more special
Finally, I have one last special thing to add.
Message to go
A final communication.
And then I'm done
This is the end of my song.
And I can go home
I can now leave and move on from this song.
I'm on a plain
I am on an airplane or on a plateau.
I can't complain
I can't find anything to complain about this situation.
I'm on a plain
I am still in the same place as before.
I can't complain
Once again, I have no grievances in this situation.
I'm on a plain
Although my location changes, my life remains the same.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Kurt Cobain
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@theoo.2019
Have you heard of Green Day? So many high quality albums by them, make sure to check out:
Dookie
Insomniac
Nimrod
Warning (this one will grow on you, just give it a chance)
Shenanigans
American Idiot
Check out these if you want to venture more into their music (these are not as good as the albums previously mentioned but are still great)
1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours
Kerplunk!
21st Century Breakdown
Side note: Third Eye Blind's debut and Weezer's debut are also superb albums worth checking out
Cheers and happy listening!
@andrepereira744
I agree and go even further. I don't care if it's "sleek" or not, Nevermind's production (and mixing) is perfect the way it is, imo.
And that's also why it's such a great album!
I'm aware that there are many people who think that about the production of the album (some even about the music). Especially since Kurt Cobain himself is known to have made comments about it, some time after the album was released. Many fans take their opinion as their own and prefer In Utero or even Bleach, just because of it.
I understand why the word "elegant", or even "polished" or "mainstream production", whatever people say about the album.
I understood when Kurt said it.
There are undoubtedly elements in Nevermind's production that at the time were more used in more mainstream or pop music. Like for example those vocal and instrumental overdubs, backing vocals.
But those "mainstream" elements never overshadow the elements of the underground attitude and punk rock energy of the songs, the music, the band performce on the album, imo.
And to be honest, even Kurt loved the album when they did. Krist, Dave and even Butch Vig confirm this. In fact, everyone loved it. I bet he felt and knew that they had just recorded something really good!
It wasn't until some time later that he started complaining about the album's production. But I always thought that had more to do with the success of Nevermind and the amount of people it attracted, many of whom they supposedly didn't identify, criticized and despised it, than with the production of the album itself. A way to alienate their "unwanted new fans". That's also In Utero sound, it's so dry, rough and flat, I think.
I don't care which Nirvana album people like the most. Everyone is free to choose. And I'm not going to say I prefer Nevermind to their other records either. What I will say is this, after over 30 years of listening to Nevermind, it still sounds like something fresh, new, interesting, dynamic, invigorating, vibrant and explosive, like it was made yesterday! It definitely still smells like teen spirit (pun intented).
Each song has its strong unique identity, but It's like each song has its own identity as far as production is concerned too, like that "floaty and ethereal" thing you mentioned.
I love Bleach and In Utero (and everything they've done, btw), but those albums sound a little flat and/or even a little boring after a while, as far as production/sound goes. Especially In Utero I think. Is more homogeneous than Nevermind.
The funny thing is that Kurt Cobain also complained about this after a while, about the In utero production.
Anyway, On a Plain is a great song and Nevermind is an amazing album.
Sorry for the long comment.
@AnomaliaDoEGS
lyrics:
I'll start this off
Without any words
I got so high
I scratched 'till I bled
I love myself
Better than you
I know it's wrong
So what should I do?
The finest day
That I've ever had
Was when I learned
To cry on command
I love myself
Better than you
I know it's wrong
So what should I do?
I'm on a plain
I can't complain
I'm on a plain
My mother died
Every night
It's safe to say
Quote me on that
I love myself
Better than you
I know it's wrong
So what should I do?
The black sheep got
Blackmailed again
Forgot to put
On the zip code
I love myself
Better than you
I know it's wrong
So what should I do?
I'm on a plain
I can't complain
I'm on a plain
Somewhere I have heard this before
In a dream my memory has stored
As a defense I'm neutered and spayed
What the hell am I trying to say?
It is now time
To make it unclear
To write off lines
That don't make sense
I love myself
Better than you
I know it's wrong
So what should I do?
And one more special
Message to go
And then I'm done
And I can go home
I love myself
Better than you
I know it's wrong
So what should I do?
I'm on a plain
I can't complain
I'm on a plain
I can't complain
I'm on a plain
I can't complain
I'm on a plain
I can't complain
I'm on a plain
@franksgreatdecline
that last part of kurt and dave humming is just beautiful honestly.
@manonthemoon1061
Beautiful comment my brotha
@AlexanderKnollwood
So true, man. Honest is the word.
@Sinner5550
I never get tired of hearing this
@Kyle_Lurz
You can say that again
@mikaelb1522
Hell yeah brother
@brianlorey3915
Probably one of the best Nirvana tracks ever written
@WBstein45
Me too, 22 in 35 years of existence.
@noisepollution6761
A little too threatening...
@julianhogendobler5271
The vocal harmony with the drop D riff is insanely addictive at the chorus.