Song Lyrics Analysis

The songs lyrics may not have a lot to do with the narrative that we have planned for the music
video, but it is still important to understand what they mean.

The writer of the song, Kurt Cobain, believed that many people sung along with his songs without
getting the meaning of them. In this song, he wrote a chorus that people would sing along to
without understanding it - "He's the one who likes all the pretty songs, and he likes to sing along, but
he knows not what it means."

The song as a whole is likely about how people do superficial things without ever understanding the
deeper meaning. For example, he likes to shoot his gun, but he don't know what it means a man
can just shoot a gun and be content without putting any real thought into it. This reflects Cobains
belief that many people listen and sing along to his songs without thinking about them.

Another interpretation is that Cobain uses nature as a metaphor for human fertility. Examples of this
include:

Sell the kids for food, we can have some more the kids are like fruit, which is sold as food, since
there will always be more fruit. This line describes using the reproductive system for something
other than what it is meant for.

Reproductive glands, tender age in bloom this is the most literal part, using the nature theme to
describe human fertility.

However, there is no one interpretation of the songs lyrics. The meaning is left up to the listeners
(or readers) to determine for themselves.

The full lyrics of the song are as follows:

Sell the kids for food

Weather changes moods

Spring is here again

Reproductive glands

He's the one

Who like all our pretty songs

And he likes to sing along

And he likes to shoot his gun

But he don't know what it means

Don't know what it means

And I say

He's the one

Who like all our pretty songs

And he likes to sing along

And he likes to shoot his gun

But he don't know what it means

Don't know what it means

And I say yeah

We can have some more

Nature is a whore

Bruises on the fruit

Tender age in bloom

He's the one

Who like all our pretty songs

And he likes to sing along

And he likes to shoot his gun

But he don't know what it means

Don't know what it means

And I say

He's the one

Who like all our pretty songs

And he likes to sing along

And he likes to shoot his gun

But he don't know what it means

Don't know what it means

And I say yeah

He's the one

Who like all our pretty songs

And he likes to sing along

And he likes to shoot his gun

But he don't know what it means

Don't know what it means

And I say

He's the one

Who like all our pretty songs

And he likes to sing along

And he likes to shoot his gun

But he don't know what it means

Don't know what it means

And I say yeah