Nirvana - Dumb (BBC Session) [Lyrics]

Details

Description

Songwriter: Kurt Cobain
Writing Period: 1990
Recording Session: 03/09/91 BBC Maida Vale Studios, London, UK
Alternate/Working Titles: I Think I'm Dumb; I'm Not Like Them - I Think I'm Dumb and Not Like Them
Common Mislabels: Womb - Ain't Over - Come as You Are - Just Happy

NIRVANA's third and final Peel session was recorded using MV5 as the control room and MV4 as the studio. The band had arrived from the continent and were very tired.

Session producer Dale Griffin recalls, "Dave and Krist were in another world. They looked drained, zombified, tired beyond all help. But Kurt looked far, far worse. I made a bee-line for him. I had worried after session two about how would cope with The Big Time and he looked to me like something about The Big Time wasn't agreeing with him."

"I stood two inches from his his face and spoke to him, but his eyes didn't see me, nor did his ears hear me. He hadn't a clue who the hell I was. We decided to let the guys rest, whilst their crew assembled their equipment and Fred (who is a woman) and Mike set up mics and inserted cables and plugged-up compressors, limiters, effects units, reverb, delays, repeats... fairy dust as it's called in the trade. Kurt fell asleep on the big couch at the back of the recording console."

But talking with Cobain proved difficult, "For a start, he obviously had no idea who the old fart talking to him could possibly be—so I brought up our previous sessions/meetings—but to no avail. The look of him—his eyes, his pallor, his lack of focus worried me greatly, since it reminded me so keenly and, in retrospect, so poignantly, of the later days of Paul Kossoff's life [lead-guitarist with '60s British rock band, Free]; It was a hateful thing to see a young man like Koss wishing his life away on the dross of drugs. I hated to think that the same thing was happening to this likeable and highly talented young American, who was standing so unsteadily just inches from my gaze. I started to ask him whether he felt able to attempt the session today. 'Sure, why not!' was his swift reply, though his words were not backed-up by his body's language, like his legs uncertain ability to hold him up for any great period of time. The more we spoke, the more concerned I became that it wasn't fatigue alone that had rendered Kurt almost helpless."

from Disc 2 of "With the Lights Out"

Lyrics

I'm not like them, but I can pretend
The sun is gone, but I have a light
The day is done, but I'm having fun
I think I'm dumb, or maybe just happy

Think I'm just happy
Think I'm just happy
Think I'm just happy

My heart is broke, but I have some glue
Help me inhale, and mend it with you
We'll float around, and hang out on clouds
Then we'll come down, and have a hangover

Have a hangover
Have a hangover
Have a hangover

Skin the sun
Fall asleep
Wish away
Soul is cheap
Lesson learned
Wish me luck
Soothe the burn
Wake me up

I'm not like them, but I can pretend
The sun is gone, but I have a light
The day is done, but I'm having fun
I think I'm dumb, or maybe just happy

Think I'm just happy
Think I'm just happy
Think I'm just happy

I think I'm dumb
I think I'm dumb
I think I'm dumb
I think I'm dumb
I think I'm dumb
I think I'm dumb
I think I'm dumb
I think I'm dumb
I think I'm dumb
I think I'm dumb
I think I'm dumb
I think I'm dumb