Load up on guns, bring your friends
It's fun to lose and to pretend
She's over-bored and self-assured
Oh no, I know a dirty word

Hello, hello, hello, hello
Hello, hello, oh

I'm worse at what, what I do best
And for this gift I feel blessed
Our little group has always been
And always will be until the end

Hello, hello, hello, hello
Hello, hello

With the lights out, it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us, yes

Hello, hello, oh

With the lights out, it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us, yes

A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido
A denial, a denial, a denial, a denial, yes
A denial


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Smells Like Teen Spirit Lyrics as written by Krist Novoselic David Grohl

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

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Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana cover) song meanings
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24 Comments

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  • +2
    General Comment

    "Every morning when [Courtney and I] woke up we'd turn it up as loud as we could and dance around like a Solid Gold* dancer"

    "It felt really weird because the neighbors were listening. Maybe they thought I was an egomaniac, but I was really just miming the song and dancing around. It's a great breakfast cereal version."

    -kurt cobain in en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Come_as_You_Are:_The_Story_of_Nirvana

    laurelinwyntreon March 27, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I agree with goodriddance. I think that while Nirvana gave it a wild and teenage-like taste, Tori added a sort of deepness to it that could not be reached by Kurt and Co. It's like it needed the woman's touch or something.

    toriamosfanon June 20, 2003   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    yes. the calmness is a good twist on a good old song. but this lyric is the full Nirvana one, not Tori's part.

    j3ebruleson June 01, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I love both versions in diffrent ways. For some reason Tori left out this verse:

    "And I forget just why I taste Oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile I found it hard, it was hard to find Oh well, whatever, nevermind"

    Onlineon June 10, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Courtney once said, "Her cover version of Smells Like Teen Spirit is the reason Kurt killed himself" - later recanted, stating "We used to slow dance to it together".

    tizbitzon April 17, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I love Tori's version of this song (not that I don't love Nirvana's, because of course they're both amazing)
    She makes this song so dramatic.

    I'm not sure exactly what this song is supposed to mean, but to me it always seems a little like suburban kids trying to be "ghetto."

    "Load up on guns and bring your friends It's fun to lose and to pretend" Playing with guys and thinking it's fun to lose your friends to the street.

    "She's overboard and self assured" Going to extremes.

    "Oh no, I know a dirty word " Thinking they're cool because they can curse.

    "With the lights out, it's less dangerous Here we are now, entertain us I feel stupid and contagious Here we are now, entertain us" Trying to get their thrill from it all.

    The whole song sounds like it's a story of a group of friends who tried to be ghetto, played with guns, trying to get thrill, and even thought it doesn't say, it gives the feeling that someone (the girl that was "overboard and self-assured") ended up hurt or dead.

    "Hello, hello, hello, how low? (x3) Hello, hello, hello! " This is like the person afterwords asking the world to get a clue and asking how low everyone will go.

    "I feel stupid and contagious" Is the singer's guilt over the situation. She feels stupid for thinking they were invincible and contagious as if it were her fault.

    Not sure, but I think maybe this is thier group of friends: A mulatto - someone who's half-black, half-white An albino - not literally, but maybe saying he/she acts really white A mosquito - maybe this person's the one in the group who keeps hanging around, unwanted My libido - the singer's boyfriend or girlfriend

    No idea if this is what it really means. Kinda depressing to think about it this way, though.

    brown sugar pleaseon July 04, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I love the calmness of this piano tribute, really worth downloading =)

    Greensainton July 25, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    it's a beautiful song, in some wayseven better than the original.

    ModernLoveStoryon August 19, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    In my opinion, both are great. I love Nirvana and I love Tori Amos, I love Smells Like Teen Spirit too. It's a really calm song too.

    goodriddanceon April 27, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Eh, I don't really enjoy it...I think this is a song that should've been untouchable.

    bigfatloseron June 30, 2003   Link

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