Nirvana and Lyricism

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Nirvana (about) 

Nirvana is that Buddhism thing. Nirvana is enlightenment. Nirvana is freedom from woes and desires. This is how a man named Kurt perceived punk rock. It is freedom, screw all conventions, everything is in service of the art. Oh, and Nirvana was a band.
Kurt Cobain wrote almost every song for Nirvana and penned every lyric.This left-handed genius wrote some of the most influential music in rock history.
I'm a big sucker for melodies, the trance-inducing riffs are what got me into Nirvana in the first place.
I must admit my first time appreciating their music was only two years ago. Yep, you guessed it: 

Something in The Way? More like Something Pierced My Soul.
But I have no idea what the lyrics mean, even still. Interestingly, people still talk about Nirvana lyrics in forums today. Half-century year-old Nirvana-heads are still debating whether Heart Shaped Box was about Kurt's mother, his relationship with Courtney, or, umm . . .
Yeah, that. 
It seemed Kurt always left his lyrics up for interpretation. Via exposure and osmosis to media and pop culture, you pick up a few things that everyone seems to agree on. Widely held opinions, such as haters of Courtney agreeing on what Heart Shaped Box was about,
in agreement with Courtney's tweet because people don't like her and think they're doing a service to her deceased husband this way . . .
Even that opinion is still debated. Kurt himself said it was about children with cancer.

She eyes me like a Pisces when I am weak
I've been locked inside your heart-shaped box for weeks
I've been drawn into your magnet tar pit trap
I wish I could eat your cancer when you turn black

Case closed?
Then there's the Zodiac reference, Kurt being a Pisces and Courtney being a Cancer is another nod to the song being about her.
I'm not sure if the words are layered with meaning, if it's supposed to confuse us just to keep us engaged, or if there's really nothing to it. I mention Heart Shaped Box as a popular example as reference, because on the surface, most fans agree with what that tweet suggests, but people still argue what any of it is supposed to mean, three decades later. 
This song is just one perplexing example; people cannot agree on what the material is about.

Pain (literally)

In the song Pennyroyal Tea, the lyrics go:

I'm on warm milk and laxatives
Cherry-flavored antacids

Sit and drink Pennyroyal Tea
Distill the life that's inside of me
Sit and drink Pennyroyal Tea
I'm anemic royalty

This song, to me, felt like basking in the searing pain at the end of the world. That highlighted bit? It sounds cool.
Stomach problems.
He had them. And that highlighted part in particular hit the right nerves in me too make me feel bloated.

There's a song, You Know You're Right, where Kurt literally screams about being in pain.
I will never bother you
I will never promise to
I will never follow you
I will never bother you
Never speak a word again
I will crawl away for good
I will move away from here
You won't be afraid of fear
No thought was put into this
I always knew it would come to this
Things have never been so swell
I have never failed to fail

Pain

This was a much more profound example of the perpetual pain dancing off the pages, this one truly jolted me into nauseated discomfort.

The Point (sort of)

Every song comes with layered interpretations, and many have said this, but it's like they're large poems with the grunge aesthetic glazed over them.
More importantly, there's a sick but understandable misapprehension among the youth that Nirvana somehow just got lucky with success and had no agency over wielding that power. That They were just being themselves, and just got lucky, that they just happened to be at the right place at the right time. This.. isn't true.

Even their biggest hit of Nevermind, their biggest hit ever, Smells Like Teen Spirit, was itself an attempt at making the perfect pop song! It was their attempt at a Pixies song, how do Nirvana fans not now that and proceed to hail them as an accidental and authentic success story? This speaks to the larger question of,
Do people happen to success, or does success happen to them?
The former. Nirvana knew what they were doing, it was orchestrated. They shaped their legacy, it was theirs to shape.
I wish I could wrap the up in a neat little bow by getting to the point. I could tie the knot, but I'm out of ribbon to wrap this post up with. But I do have an emoji.
🎀
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"Chess-kuh." You're welcome

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