Nirvana: Lithium Meaning
Song Released: 1992
Lithium Lyrics
They're in my head. I'm so ugly. But that's ok.
'Cause so are you. We've broke our mirrors.
Sunday morning. Is everyday for all I care.
And I'm not scared. Light my candles. In a daze cause I've...
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Nice people in here... :-)
some of you sound as if kurdt would have been a better man not having killed himself... Isn't it a good sign that he realized that there's something - a lot! - absolutely wrong in this world? Doesn't it show that he was a thinking and feeling a lot?
I think he did kill himself, even though I know it's not prooved (and the opposite isn't either), but I think it fits, I couldn't imagine him living today...
I thnik he'd laugh if he could hear you talking that way about his songs...
"I just noticed that people expect more of the thematic angle with our music, you know, they always wanna read into it, and before I was just using pieces of poetry and just garble, just garbage, you know, just stuff that just would spew out of me at the time, and a lot of times when I write lyrics it just at the last second because I'm really lazy... And then I find myself having to come up with explanations..." <<-- kurdt about his lyrics in 1993
don't talk too much, just listen, guys... -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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Just to clear it up, Kurt was never diagnosed with bipolar disorder and never took lithium.
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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Being a person that was only 4 years old when Kurt Cobain passed on makes this a little harder, but I think I can figure some of it out.
I believe that the opening line of this song is pure sarcastic depression. "i'm so happy 'cause today I found my friends, they're in my head"
i think when he says this he is stating it sarcasticaly. No, he isn't happy. He is actually very depressed. He is also discovering that he is mentally sick.
Thats all I'm going to say... Thnx...And imho heart shaped box is the best nirvana song ... Byebye -
I am a bipolar myself.
I can't explain exacly why, but yes, this song is exacly how I used to feel before I took my meds.
Kurt Cobain was bipolar too, it's a known fact.
At the time of his dead lithium was used to moderate the mood of bipolar (we are extremelly happy and euphoric, or so sad that we want to die - just like in the song.) but lithium wasn't so succesfull as the meds I take today. Medicin has evoluted a lot since then, and it is a shame that Kurt didn't got to today, he could have felt much better now. I fell normal now.
But before it was a hell. When I was sad I wanted to die, and when I was happy I wouldn't care for anybody's feelings, and I used to hurt them.
If Kurt died or was murdered I donno... But 20% of bipolars who don't take meds suicide... So... I really think he probably was in a terrible pain inside. This song is exacly about that weird miscelain and contradiction of feelings. -
I'm going with the whole manic/deppressed states of bipolar disorder..
..More about his suicide/murder whatever you want to call it.
I know Kurt was insanley depressed..But before he died he was injected with 3 times a lethal dose of heroin. There is no way that someone(even a serious addict) with that much heroin in their system can pick up a gun and kill themselves.
Either way..Good song..Great guy..
My uncle was in the music business and got the chance to become great friends with him...When I was a little one I had the chance to meet him and I still keep my picture with him on my nightstand. Random fact I know..But yeah. -
Alright people, let me say some stuff here.
A lot of you are saying "OMG KURT WAS MURDERED" and someone said "If you where a real nirvana fan youd know that" or whatever. No, if you where a real Nirvana fan, youd know that Kurt was EXTREMELY depressed. There ARE, however, piles of evidence to a murder, but the truth is, no one knows for sure, only him, and he's dead. Im a HUGE Nirvana fan and I'm really really interested in Kurt Cobain, and have basically studied him. I can say from experience, this man was bound to kill himself at some point.
Now for the song---
Lithium is in fact a drug used to treat madness, but the patients would somtimes haullucinate. But, I consider myself good at reading Kurt like a book, and I can say that this song may have been about depression, but not about himself on any kind of drug.
"Light my candles, in a daze cause I found God!" reffers to himself spending time with a family when he was kicked out of his house and homeless. While staying with this family, he became heavily religious. But when things kept getting worse, he gave up on that. This PART of the song must be talking about his time as a christian. But, he also could be talking about God metaphorically, saying that this medication, lithium, was a stimulant for the patients and gave them time to finally cure this insecurity and they where able to spend some time just sitting around without any problems. Theyv found god in medicine (which was a big topic of Kurt's).
"I'm so happy, because today I found my friends. Theyre in my head..."
when Kurt was a kid, he didn't have much friends because people avoided him, so he made up an imaginary friend that he used to talk to and play games with. Having this friend around always made him feel happy.
"I'm so ugly, but that's OK because so are you... we've broken mirrors" he's talking about how even if someone where to put him down, its ok because this drug (his god) makes it ok to be what you are. "cuz so are you" means that he views them in the same way, so he dosnt mind critizism.
That's just some of my views, but id say most of it is a mix of being confused at that time in his life, and being tied in some sort of God figure.
Then again, he did say in an interview that he's to lazy to make up meanings and just sits out random stuff, having to find meanings afterwards.
But Kurt was a strange guy. covering up for most of his real emotions.
id like to figure it all out, but the most obvious stuff is usually it, and the deepest stuff is usually not what you might think it is. -
To anonymous
Firstly, it is highly likely that Kurt did kill himself since he had attempted suicide before and he was a VERY ILL man. And, although it is true that no one can prove for certain either way, please stop speculating and let the guy rest in peace, it's been 12 years, ok! -
This is about kurts depression. Lithium is a form of an anti depressant drug. He took it because he was depressed and what people now call 'emo' (which is not correct), but was no suicidal at this point in his lfe. He was over depressed and under emotional...hence why he took this drug. He mixed this drug with other which may have caused hallucinations. This song is desribing what his feeling are during the time he took this drug, and through hallucinations.
This song expresses his self hate. He feels this is the only way he can express his feelings outwards. He feels as though he cannot keep it in any longer and must just let everything out, lithium helps him do this hence why it is the title of the song. -
Lithium is indeed a Group 1A (alkali) metal in the same periodic group as sodium and potassium. The drug "lithium" used to treat bipolar and other circadian disorders is actually lithium carbonate.
Nirvana (read Cobain) had a John Lennon streak. It is well documented in interviews that Lennon loved to write songs with little meaning beyond that the words sounded good together. It was a poke of fun at all the people who assigned deep, essentially fantastic meanings to Beatle songs (see "I Am The Walrus"). Neither man took themselves as seriously as did their fans. -
The song was originally titled Imodium (a drug to alleviate diarrhoea) apparently Tad Doyle suffered from this on there 1990 tour of the UK. The song name was changed during the recording of Nevermind. Therefore it has nothing to do with depression. One of the best songs ever IMHO. Most Nirvana song titles have little to do with the subject – possibly to stop people looking too deeply or confusing people with his lyrics.
The lyrics in Lithium refer to the time spent with his friends family a poke at religion - can't remember the family name look it up on any biog. They were very religious and so the song is a dig at them. He did go some where to apologies by including their name on the thank you list on In Utero. I assume he was bitter about their attitude toward him and how religion could save him, making him a better person. Either way the song still sounds amazing today.
I'm so happy 'cause today
I've found my friends ...
They're in my head
....
Sunday morning is everyday for all I care ...
And I'm not scared
Light my candles, in a daze
'Cause I've found god
The second verse is Kurt renouncing his sins.
I'm so lonely, but that's okay, I shaved my head ...
And I'm not sad
And just maybe I'm to blame for all I've heard ...
But I'm not sure
I'm so excited, I can't wait to meet you there ...
But I don't care
I'm so horny, but that's okay ...
My will is good
Think the chorus refer to him saying fuck you to religion. I’m not going to give in to religion etc…
I like it - I'm not gonna crack
I miss you - I'm not gonna crack
I love you - I'm not gonna crack
I killed you - I'm not gonna crack -
idk if this helps anyone but befor Nirvana was created and Kurt tried to start his first band with Krist.. Krist suggested they call the band "lithium"
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(for the guy who said lithuim isn't a drug)
Lithium is a naturally occurring substance. As a medication, lithium reduces chemicals in the body that cause excitation or mania.
Lithium is used to treat manic episodes of manic-depressive illness. Lithium helps to prevent and control symptoms of mania such as hyperactivity, rushed speech, poor judgment, reduced need for sleep, aggression, and anger.
from http://www.drugs.com/MTM/lithium.html
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