anonymous September 17th, 2008 12:53AM  
To me this song is just talking about how he needs to not over think things and feel "dumb" in order to be happy. Have you noticed whenever you over think you feel kinda sad cause all of a sudden you see so much shit is wrong and your over criticizing things. well when your dumb, ull just feel more happy cause everything is simple and not thinking means not finding anything to be sad about. oh and hence the simple lyrics. I think he was trying to portray being just airy and aloof. just saying I'm doing downers and benzo drugs so I can have less thoughts and emotions. So I can know what happy feels like.

anonymous October 19th, 2008 01:03PM  
I think dumb is about how dumb people seem unphazed about the struggles of everyday life and can still have a smile. After all that life tries to get them with and still be praised by society, sort of like Frank Grimes about Homer Simpson in the episode "homers worse enemy". Look it up you'll see what I'm talking about.

Also in school (especially in the 90's) kids with the bad grades were always the "cool ones" and popularized while peers with higher grades were outcasts and picked on.

when Kurt says "we float around" he's saying he can get high to feel like dumb people but "then we come down and have a hang over" no matter how hard he tries to be careless the problems build on him and things get worse

anonymous December 7th, 2008 08:06PM  
This is one of my favorite songs...and I would have to say that the first person who sent there interpretation was exactly right, and listen to them!!!

S.kid January 2nd, 2009 03:04PM  
"The song is about a concussion" Kurt said. It was just about drugs that's all. :)

anonymous January 17th, 2009 02:43AM  
This songs lyrics are really beautiful and resonate really deeply emotionally I think in everyone who really listens. "im not like them but I can pretend" means that he's very unique person but his personality and thoughts arent socially acceptable, so he has to put on the contemporary person mask to fit in. I also think a lot of the song has to do with just being a broken soul in a bad environment but trying to be optimistic and make it through. "my heart is broke but I have some glue." the "we hang out in clouds then well come down and have a hangover" doesn't have to refer to alcohol/drug use. It can just mean that he spends time with someone and for a few seconds floats around in a precious euphoric state before he comes down and has to face reality again

anonymous February 27th, 2009 07:09AM  
I'm not really sure when this song was written, but does anyone else see that this song could be about suicide? The suicide is referred to as something good, perhaps Kurt Cobain wrote it towards the end of his life when he began to think that suicide is alrite (as far as I know, he wrote this song). Here is my evidence
'I'm not like them But I can pretend'- he doesn't agree with the view that suicide is bad
'The sun is gone But I have a light' - the ahppiness if gone but he has an answer
'The day is done But I'm having fun'- basically everythings over but he's happy coz he knows that when everyones still sad, he won't be (I can't say he'll be happy coz he'll be dead)
'I think I'm dumb Or maybe just happy'- Maybe he's dumb for considering suicide or maybe he's just pretty happy about it.

'My heart is broke But I have some glue'- he's sad but he has the answer
'Help me inhale And mend it with you' - maybe people should join him in suicide because maybe it's not so bad after all
'We'll float around And hang out on clouds' - his reason for joining his suicide
'Then we'll come down And have a hangover' - you get a hangover from being drunk and being drunk may just be his idea of fun

Skin the sun - the sun gives life so finish life
Fall asleep - sleep is peaceful and nice
Wish away - you can whatever you want in heaven
The soul is cheap - everyone dies eventually, why should his life ending prematurely be a big deal
Lesson learned - he's learnt about life
Wish me luck - now he's going to the after-life
Soothe the burn - killing himself will ease the pain
Wake me up - maybe he saying that after he's suicided, he'll want to come back

I don't know if this interpretation is good or not as I don't know enough about the details of Kurt Cobain's life to accuratley comment on his state of mind, this song also seems to be about drugs but hell who really knows

anonymous May 15th, 2009 09:52PM  
This song is about the formulation of infinity, like probably 80% of his music. Not a lot of people realise it but Kurt Cobains mind was stuck in the meaning of life. This is what drugs does to the mind (trust me) If you have smoked heaps of dope before then you might understand a lil more what these songs mean. Cobain was unbelievably smart, in most eyes... But let me tell u, sometimes u can be too smart for ur own good. I think Cobain dug too deep into the creative side of the universe and the secrets of life. This song is about a Paradox lop. Listen VERY VERY carefully.

gremlinsnatch May 28th, 2009 10:10PM  
as an addict, I think hes talking about he whats to stop but every time he finds himself banging herion, he regrets it. Therefore he done a dumb thing. And skin the sun could mean turn out the light by skining it.

dkpaine216 December 6th, 2009 11:52PM  
In another nirvana song, Kurt says the line "I MISS THE COMFORT IN BEING SAD", and I feel like dumb is just the weird confusion he probably felt when he actually felt HAPPY. He also said once that to be happy means to ignore that is all true or good in the world. Kurt felt like what being sad was, was just seeing everything for what it really is. Happiness is dissolution. Happiness is being dumb. The lines about hanging out on clouds are comparing the great but dreamy feeling about actually letting go and having some fun. Then, "have a hangover" means the eventual point of becoming sad again, which is hard because of the switch from being happy- to really depressed is rough- like when you're warm then suddenly step outside in the cold, but natural- like an alcohol/drug related hangover.

I think in order to understand Kurt Cobains lyrics you have to understand his psychology, which is particularily attainable if you feel a similar way. Nirvanas lyrics make a great deal of sense to me a lot of the time- not all of them because of the broad variety of topics, but the ones more about emotion and feeling.

I think I'm dumb.. Kurt sings dreadedly.

Maybe just happy...

Happiness is synomous with dissolution, other people just don't realize that because of how caught up in it they are.