What does Drain You mean?

Nirvana: Drain You Meaning

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Album cover for Drain You album cover

Song Released: 1996


Drain You Lyrics

One baby to another says -
I'm lucky to have met you
I don't care what you think
Unless it is about me
It is now my duty to completely drain you
I travel through a tube
And end up in your infection

Chew your meat for you
Pass it back...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    Nirvanarama
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    Jun 17th 2009 !⃝

    I know for a fact that this song is about tobi, I think Kurt uses the drug addiction metaphor to help illustrate his relationship with her, he uses drugs as a metaphor in many of his songs and in some just blatantly obviously writes songs about drugs i dont think this song is about drugs rather how tobi whom he became a bit obsessed with became an addiction to him and addiction like heroine, in another way i think he also is using the metaphor of a patient on life support, i think when you use the words chew food and feeding tubes and draining, i think it paints a picture of someone so hopelessly lost that they are comnpletely dependant on the other person like a nurse of a life support patient, like the heroine of a drug addict like the love of a man obsessed. This song is definately about his complete and utter love for the girl Tobi, but i think and i strongly believe that he is using the drug and vegetable metaphor to clearly illustrait their relationship her sustaining him like a drug his draining her. Her draining him. So yes, i guess simply you could say its about Tobi, love, drugs, and life support.

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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    May 3rd 2009 !⃝

    No this song is about this girl named Tobi that Kurt was a bit obsessed about for a little while and how much she "drained" him and the fist sentence was something she actually said to him.

  3. anonymous
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    Mar 7th 2020 !⃝

    It's funny how people are certain that the song is about heroin and like one comment says if you haven't been addicted to anything you won't get it. Nonsense, I'm a recently recovering heroin addict of 15 years and it's not about heroin. There's no reference to heroin, metaphorical or otherwise. It's a love song plain and simple. There are several other songs in which he sings about heroin and drug use but this isn't one.

  4. anonymous
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    Oct 21st 2017 !⃝

    I kinda think that "One baby to another says I'm lucky to have met you" has something to do with his heroin addiction. The first "baby" is referring to how Kurt was tiny and underweight. The "second" baby is the needle with the drugs inside. So basically, Kurt is saying that he's lucky to have found heroin (to me.)

    "I don't care what you think unless is about me" Maybe referring to how some people only care about themselves.

    "It is now my duty to completely drain you" Kurt is taking the life out of something?

    "I travel through a tube and end up in your infection" Here, the drug talks to him. The heroin is the "I" and the "your" is Kurt. Infection might refer to the "mess" that the drugs have turned his body into.

  5. anonymous
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    Mar 21st 2016 !⃝

    Kurt was a.d.d the song is about all of your interpretations just all mixed up in no order his thoughts are your thoughts your all correct

  6. patrickj
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    Nov 20th 2015 !⃝

    This is a song about abortion. Mom's having twins and doesn't know it. The procedure happens and one of the babies survives paying homage to the lost fetus who allowed it to live unbeknownst to mom or the dr.
    -----
    During the bridge of the song listen for the squeaky noise effects. Those are actually baby toys brought to studio by kurt for the recording. Notice the underwater quality of that stretch. Listen for the back and forth effect and suction sound of the vacuum. Listen to the diminishing scream of the baby as its pulled away.

    Kurt hauntingly exposes us to the actual abortion through the surviving baby's point of view. A concept song. Kurt recreates an abortion for our ears. Evil genius. It makes the babies scattered throughout his album art more chilling

  7. anonymous
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    Aug 27th 2014 !⃝

    As an ex heroin addict I say this is deffinetly about heroin.He sings to heroin like it's a person.
    "One baby to another says
    I'm lucky to have met you
    I don't care what you think
    Unless it is about me" - when you're in a turkey you don't care about anything except dope.
    "It is now my duty to completely drain you
    A travel through a tube
    And end up in your infection" - so when you "meet" heroin it will drain you for sure, tube is a needle.
    "Chew your meat for you
    Pass it back and forth
    In a passionate kiss
    From my mouth to yours
    I like you" - stickin the needle, drain blood to know you've found vein and then inject heroin, passionate because hit is really intense feeling.
    "With eyes so dialated,
    I've become your pupil
    You've taught me everything
    Without a poison apple
    The water is so yellow, I'm a healthy student
    Indebted and so grateful -
    Vacuum out the fluids"when you're in turkey your eyes are dialeted, don't have pupils after taking it, poison apple it's clear and cooked heroin is yellow (in serbian language slang for heroin is yellow).
    "Chew your meat for you
    Pass it back and forth
    In a passionate kiss
    From my mouth to yours
    Sloppy lips to lips
    You're my vitamins
    I'm like you" - sloppy lips to lips is actually about stich, and after it comes to your bloodstream you feel normal again so it's like you're without it, it's your vitamin.
    Well, maybe I'm wrong and it's a mataphore for his relationship, but it's clearly simbolism for addiction.

  8. cswan
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    Jan 18th 2014 !⃝

    I think this song is about a first born babies relationship with its mother. A baby just after birth looks into the eyes of his mother (who is also a baby in the context of taking care of someone else) and she feels instantly lucky to have him. Kurts mother was only 19 when he was born. The baby is only concerned with how he feels, constantly drains the mother of her energy. The mother teaches the child, he's become her pupil. I think talking about chewing meat, passing it back in forth, the water is yellow could be talking about living in the womb. You're floating in water (amniotic fluid) along with your urine for 9 months and she chews your food and passes it to you. I think passionate kiss, sloppy lips to lips, I like you might be talking about the thin line between dependence and the romantic attraction (Oedipus Complex) that babies feel toward the mother.

    Just my thoughts

  9. anonymous
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    Feb 25th 2012 !⃝

    i always thought the corus of this song was about smoking weed. "pass it back and forth" "from my mouth to yours"

  10. anonymous
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    Nov 12th 2011 !⃝

    Ppl, just because he was a drug addict, that doesn't mean it's everything he ever thought about. He just liked to use any sort of medical grossness as metaphors (maybe because of the drug thing, or because it just fascinated him), but its quite obviously a simple lovesong, if one with very unusual metaphors.

  11. anonymous
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    Aug 19th 2011 !⃝

    i really think that this song it's 'bout love and drugs, i mean the fact of being in love with someone else, and being an addict, is just a tormented moment if that happens, 'cuz that just don't match it up, is completely not compatible

  12. anonymous
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    Jul 23rd 2011 !⃝

    Hm, perhaps I'm just a little unimaginative, but could it be literal, like ACTUAL babies, such as, say, twins? One is weak, and the other is strong, the strong one sucks all the life out of the weak one, there are cases like that. And it makes sense. [you're my vitamin, perhaps a reference? Taking from you makes me stronger...?] Hm, maybe it's just me, but that's the most logical way for me to understand it, it doesn't make much sense if it's about using drugs. Just sayin. All his songs aren't just about drugs.

  13. anonymous
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    Feb 24th 2011 !⃝

    This song is obviously about a girl... He talking about the sexual experience he is getting from her

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  14. anonymous
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    Apr 13th 2010 !⃝

    okay, if your going to look at his music as beign related to drugs then your an idiot. every single song he made almost could be referenced to drugs, just the way he wanted it to be. he openly said in his journals that he got tired of everyone putting meaning into his work. so i made it un personal so that people could think what they want.

  15. anonymous
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    Oct 15th 2009 !⃝

    You guys are crazy getting all deep and shit it. Is definitely about doing heroin any one who. Has been addicted to heroin would know this.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  16. anonymous
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    Sep 1st 2009 !⃝

    Kurt Cobain had just escaped rehab, do you really think he would be killing himself over his band direction?

  17. boddah
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    Jun 5th 2009 !⃝

    this song is written by kurt after tobi broke his heart."One baby to another said I'm lucky have meet you"..is one of tobi's sentenves that she told to kurt.
    But...In my opiniaon,,this songs is absolutely about kurt's feeling with tobi..He syill hope that tobi would back to him.

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