Come as you are, as you were
As I want you to be
As a friend, as a friend
As an old enemy
Take your time, hurry up
The choice is yours, don't be late
Take a rest as a friend
As an old
Memoria, memoria
Memoria, memoria
Come doused in mud, soaked in bleach
As I want you to be
As a trend, as a friend
As an old
Memoria, memoria
Memoria, memoria
And I swear that I don't have a gun
No I don't have a gun
No I don't have a gun
Memoria, memoria
Memoria, memoria
(No I don't have a gun)
And I swear that I don't have a gun
No I don't have a gun
No I don't have a gun
No I don't have a gun
No I don't have a gun
Memoria, memoria
Kurt Kobain has often been touted as one of the most iconic rock musicians of all time. He was a guitarist, song writer and lead singer for Nirvana. Nirvana's song 'Come As You Are' and its lyrics may have an certain eerie 'edge' now - which it didn't have at the time - following Kurt's suicide - but the lyrics were actually very unlikely to be a foretelling of the later tragic events.
Instead, the lyrics have been interpreted in many different ways. One of the most popular ways is that they connote an acceptance and forgiveness of those who have perhaps wronged us in the past. The first verse ends in 'As an old enemy' while later in the song 'old' is always followed by repetition of 'Memoria' (latin for memory). This might denote the idea that someone was an 'old enemy' but now the idea of them being an 'enemy' is just a 'memory'. This combines with 'I don't have a gun' repetition to signify that the speaker is not going to discriminate and act upon whoever is being spoken to - showing forgiveness and acceptance.
Others would say that this is a simple minded reading - and might look further into the lyrics for different readings. Some have actually seen the lyrics as all being metaphorical for drug addiction - specifically heroin, as this was always one of Kobain's struggles. The first verse of the song makes mention someone coming 'as a friend' but also 'as an enemy'. Drugs are able to make people feel good and can often be used as even a 'friendship' but drug users are also aware that drug effects can be devastating - hence 'enemy'. You may take the meaning of 'gun' to actually mean a needle - they both are used to 'inject' harmful foreign objects into your body. Also, according to http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1931 'The lyrics, "Come doused in mud, soaked in bleach" were taken from a campaign in Seattle that encouraged heroin users to soak their needles in bleach after injecting to reduce the risk of spreading HIV.' - so you can also see that possible link made between the song being about a drug conflict.
I believe that the lyrics have been very successful in being pinpoint but also vague. You can apply it to many situations even though they might be completely different readings, but equally as valid. This allowed the song and its lyrics to capture the imagination of a very wide audience - each of whom felt that they related to the song but each in a different way.
I am able to agree with the reading of the song being about an old-friend turned-enemy coming back into your life after a past grievance, however - I would argue that the instantly contradictory nature of the lyrics 'Take your time, hurry up The choice is yours, don't be late' actually show hesitation of a welcoming attitude, which would make me distrusting of the idea that the singer has 'forgiven'. I would combine this with the repetition of 'I don't have a gun' as being an assertion which is asserted a little too much to the point where it is (The lady doth protest too much, methinks) untrustworthy - drawing more possibility to the idea that the speaker might indeed have a gun (which would be metaphorical for having an aggressive prejudice).
But, contrary to what marxists may believe - everyone seems to have taken different meanings from this song and its lyrics - a 'preferred reading' isn't clear. I suppose this post could count as my analysis of 'sound' in the clip.
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