Like most babies smell like butter
His smell smelled like no other
He was born scentless and senseless
He was born a scentless apprentice

Go away - get away, get away, get a-way
Every wet nurse refused to feed him
Electrolytes smell like semen

I promise not to sell your perfumed secrets
There are countless formulas for pressing flowers

I lie in the soll and fertilize mushrooms
Leaking out gas fumes are made into perfume

You can't fire me because I quit
Throw me in the fire and I won't throw a fit



Lyrics submitted by spitfirek7

Track duration: 03:48

"Scentless Apprentice" as written by Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic

Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

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Scentless Apprentice song meanings
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44 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:the lame one is you misterfog. check out the interview from aug. 93 on youtube.
    he states its the only song he's ever written based on a book he read.
    also saying its a book he carries around all the time and when hes on a plane he reads
    it. has read it 8 times or more and its subject is something he can relate to
    Flag jetbluexson June 14, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:the lame one is you misterfog. check out the interview from aug. 93 on youtube.
    he states its the only song he's ever written based on a book he read.
    also saying its a book he carries around all the time and when hes on a plane he reads
    it. has read it 8 times or more and its subject is something he can relate to
    Flag jetbluexson June 14, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:It's about a book Kurt Cobain read called Pefume by Patrick Suskind. The book is about an insane guy who murders people for their scent.
    Flag gglycerineon April 29, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:really good post terraryzin!
    is worth the time to read and there`s really interesting poits of view
    Flag Zeitlinon February 18, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:damn, has anyone here heard the electric end by jandek, there are some striking similarities in this song to it, i mean they both use microphone feedback and frenetic drumming, and have a frantic scrambled structure idk though i wouldnt be surprised in the slightest if kurt was a fan of his, as he probly identified wih him them both being outsiders and such, he was known to be a huge fan of daniel johnston as well, who is equally outside of popular music as jandek,
    Flag bobolsonon May 07, 2010   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:Sheesh! What a bunch of lame answers.

    Look at the damn backmasking for the live version of this song before you decide what it is about. Cross reference this to "Your scent is still in my place of recovery." This song IS about Cobain's own suicide. When are you people going to realize that music heard by millions repeatedly affects so much causation that it is much much bigger than the musician.
    Flag MisterFrogon November 03, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I agree that it is based off "Perfume".

    Its my favorite song off the album I think...I just love it. Its so raw sounding when he screams "go away"
    Flag FranceFarmershaloon July 29, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i guess kurt didnt write this song about the movie. haha. remember? he is dead.

    the drum beat is absolutely genius. i wonder if kurt or dave wrote it. does anyone know? kurt was one of the greatest musicians i ever heard. so much heart, so much energy, so real. oh well, yes, obviously the song is about perfume. yeah. great book.
    Flag oh_yeah_oh_noon September 29, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:oh yah and i forgot to mention that perfume is also a movie.

    ha
    Flag CORPSErawron September 25, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:That's so weird
    my mom showed me this movie and i liked it so much i wrote a poem about it one night
    it ended up being kinda good
    but Kurt Cobain wrote one too
    and put it to music
    and yelled a whole bunch in it
    i think thats kinda cool.

    The beginning of this movie is my favorite part. His mom just pops him out while shes chopping fish at the fish market and kicks him under a table but the smells of the fish or SOMETHING keep him from dying and he starts screaming and she gets arrested.

    what kind of crazy shit is that?
    Flag CORPSErawron September 25, 2008   Link

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