Nirvana: On a Plain Meaning

Song Released: 1991

On a Plain Lyrics

I'll start this off without any words
I got so high that I scratched 'till I bled

I love myself better than you
I know it's wrong so what should I do?

The finest day that I ever had
Was when I learned to cry on command

I love myself...

1. anonymous

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   Sep 19th 2009 !⃝

   I think Kurt meant by "My Mother Died Every Night" meaning that he felt as though his Mother wasn't around much to care for him so he may as well had counted her off dead or something OR like someone said Kurt figured he had to write another song in order to get Nevermind up and running so he came up with On A Plain
2. anonymous

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   Sep 13th 2009 !⃝

   This song describes Narcissism. Self appointed grandiosity;
   "I love myself, better than you" "I know it's wrong so what should I do" describes the cycle of self-inflicted punishment, And to cry on command is a defense mechanism with the condition to displace your guiltiness in a given situation.
   Kurt could likely have been a Narcissist, It can result from unstable or dysfunctional parental relationships, which he indeed had. Also to be "on a plain" could perhaps represent the narcissist's "high horse" or feeling of superiority. Also having the "god-complex" myself I believe this to be an accurate interpretation.
3. mindreader

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   Jan 5th 2009 !⃝

   While it may be a filler, the "I got so high that I scratched 'till I bled" sets the tone for the song. The fact that a user might "love myself better than you" and take advantage of others. This fits in with the finest day was when he "learned to cry on command".
   
   I think this song is about a user that lies to get what he wants. Lies about his mother dying every night, being blackmailed and forgeting to put on a zip code on a letter.
   
   Bottom line a user that says what is needed to get what is desired.
4. anonymous

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   Jan 4th 2009 !⃝

   Nirvana Fan, go look up your history. The first anonymous was right. The song was made solely to be a filler. Just as Cherry Pie was for Warrant on that CD.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
5. JLB

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   Mar 27th 2007 !⃝

   Self-examination when your high on drugs.
   That's what killed him you know.
6. anonymous

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   Nov 16th 2006 !⃝

   first to the person who said the sell out remark: THEY HADN'T SOLD OUT SINCE THE ALBUM WASN'T OUT YET! and in an interveiw Kurt said that he wrote it in like five minutes because they needed another song for the album. and because of Kurts death? what the hell? that was three years later? how the hell did you get that?
7. anonymous

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   Oct 23rd 2006 !⃝

   This song is a throw away, it's just random poetry thrown together to make a song
   he did this with "radio friendly unit shifter" and "smells like teen spirit"
8. ilovekurtcobain

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   Oct 6th 2006 !⃝

   Actually a lot of cobains lyrics did mean sumthin for example "under the bridge" or also known as "something in the way" which he wrote wen he was living under a bridge wen he got kicked out of home. And that's only one example. Maybe this song is just Kurt writing out of his own free will but I think there has to be more then that
9. anonymous

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   Jun 15th 2006 !⃝

   hey... To that person who said the lyrics were "I'm not myself, I'm better then you," I think you should learn your lyrics better... check the CD.. The lyrics are (love myself, better then you)... and as previous said about this song.. I think its just Kurt writing a song just for writing it, I don't think there are no special meaning in this song other than that. and I know that many of Cobain's lyrics didn't have any meaning to them. He said it in an interview that he just took pieces of poetry (not in all songs) and put them together to a song.. and then the journalists wanted to know what the song ment.. and he had to come up with a meaning to it... I'm a song writer to and some songs just don't have meaning.. most of my songs don't have meanings.. after I wrote them I look at them and I may find out a reason for it... but you know.. just something to tell the press... cheers
10. anonymous

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    May 1st 2006 !⃝

    This song seems to be a complete self-mockery. "I'm not myself/I'm better than you" suggests a sort of arrogance.
    
    It also perhaps brings across his feelings of having "sold out" the Punk/Grunge ethos with the release of nevermind, evident in "To write off lines that don't make sense." Maybe it is an expression of the fact that he is misunderstood,"one more special message."

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
11. OnlyY2KDiva

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    Apr 14th 2006 !⃝

    Ok, the person who refers to themself as a Nirvana fan doesn't sound like much of a fan. Your interpretation of whether or not Dave knew something about Kurt's death based on On a Plain is completely laughable and preposterous! The second person who remained annonymous, has it right. The fact of the matter is, that the song isn't SUPPOSED to have much of a meaning and the lyrics are very straight forward and silly which was rare since most of Kurt's lyrics were deep and metaphorical. However, I believe this song just shows the kind of witty, good humored person Kurt was.
12. nirvanaFan_aromez

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    Sep 11th 2005 !⃝

    I think this song about Kurt and Dave has been explain on his journal. "One more special message to go" means the message was special before Kurt had 'gone'. It mean Dave knows some scandal about the death of Kurt.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway

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