Album: Nevermind (1991)

Charted: 46

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• Underneath the bridge
  The tarp has sprung a leak
  And the animals I've trapped
  Have all become my pets
  And I'm living off of grass
  And the drippings from the ceiling
  It's okay to eat fish
  'Cause they don't have any feelings
  
  Something in the way, mmm
  Something in the way, yeah, mmm
  Something in the way, mmm
  Something in the way, yeah, mmm
  Something in the way, mmm
  Something in the way, yeah, mmm
  
  Underneath the bridge
  The tarp has sprung a leak
  And the animals I've trapped
  Have all become my pets
  And I'm living off of grass
  And the drippings from the ceiling
  It's okay to eat fish
  'Cause they don't have any feelings
  
  Something in the way, mmm
  Something in the way, yeah, mmm
  Something in the way, mmm
  Something in the way, yeah, mmm
  Something in the way, mmm
  Something in the way, yeah, mmm
  Something in the way, mmm
  Something in the way, yeah, mmm Writer/s: Kurt Cobain
  Publisher: BMG Rights Management
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 103

• Alex from NcI always thought instead of meaning "something in the way" was referring to something blocking or something in his path he ment there's something beautiful in the way things were. Like the James Taylor song "something in the way she moves" its not ment as something is in his way but the way beauty/or inspiration was under that bridge.
• Rachel Moore from Seasame Streetkurt's music is so beautiful
• Jas from HerePersonally I think he was thinking deeper. It's okay to eat fish cos they don't have any feelings. Is the human condition, to justify something what we do but don't have any facts for, religion , politics. Something in the way, hell ye
• K from PtKurt was a poet who used imagery he felt was emotionally charged to paint a picture that people would find moving and mysterious. Songwriting isn’t about more than that. The mystery of the song really, is that Kurt could do it with a super simple chorus, a barely audible voice, and only a few lines of verse.
  
  Kurt created a character for himself and it intertwined with clothes, experience, cultural zeitgeist. The “Kurt” in the song is a perfectly manifested character.
  
  Make no mistake, every aspect of the song is intentional. Kurt, as a personality type is hyper self conscious, with a tendency towards narcissism.
  
  His death was about drugs and feelings of isolation as he actually wasn’t showing his inner self and thereby never truly connecting or getting needs met. Add incredible fame to this and anyone without parental guidance will struggle to maintain balance.
  
  Kurt was a great poet, very unique and his story is fascinating to us because the mystery he created sits alongside his death creating this perfect harmony for the speculator.
• Seinbeans from Anchorage AlaskaI was listening to this song with very high volume and it sounds like there is backing vocals of a teenage girl
• Kristy A. from Prosper, TexasI was literally in Aberdeen 2 weeks ago ago and went to the literal bridge he would hang out at. It is right down the street from his house. I think the song is just about his poor childhood and all his emotions. It was all just too much
• Tom from Deinze, BelgiumThis songs typifies me like no other. I have epilepsy, which has been in the way all my life and has taken away many chances. Kurt has been the artist I have related to most... I like many genres...but no other artist has had a click like he has.
• Shane Mortensen from ArkansasI lived through the Cobain era and I can tell you, in terms of Kurt's own interpretation at the time he wrote it, one can only speculate.
  
  He didn't have a good relationship with either of his parents, they passed him back and forth like luggage. When his dad kicked him out, he basically lived like a vagabond. He never really lived under a bridge, though, you all should know that was just a rumor made up by his fans back in my day.
  
  During the time he was supposed to be under the bridge, he was actually living on someone's couch. So, what's the truth?
  
  Kurt had a lot of anger, mostly at his parents, that began when they divorced. He was depressed, suicidal even. He felt betrayed by their divorce. This sense of betrayal came out through his lyrics...loud and clear.
  
  He sang about teenage angst and divorce a lot! Smells Like Teen Spirit, Scentless Apprentice, and Serve the Servants are all about teenage angst and his feelings about being the child of a broken home.
  
  This song, like all of his songs, is metaphorical...not literal. What his songs meant for him probably (hopefully) won't be the same for you.
  
  People really have to stop trying to read so much into his words. They were mostly just the ramblings of a man who simply felt too much
• Laure from GrasseThis song is about the girl in other songs teen spirit he’s in love but there’s something in the way of them being together her age! Look at the big picture “I love you I’m not going to crack” in lithium she’s his lithium and she’s the sun / light of his life in all apologies. In about a girl he says I do pick a number too I do keep a date with you waiting for her to be old enough. She’s nirvana!
• AnonymousThe bridge is actually two legs making a bridge. He’s Underneath Them. The tarp is Precum. He lived off grass..he was high all the time. He ate seamen bc sperm Or fish has no feelings
• Danny from Cincinnati, OhIt’s always amazing, people are so insecure, they will talk poorly about others. Even to people they don’t know, in front of an audience they will never know either! I’m referring to Kurt’s second cousins step-son. Everyone has the right to interpret music how ever they can... share their interpretation in a place like this. I mean, I have spent a lot of time in the same house as my stepdad, but I truly don’t understand him. I don’t have to be anyone’s second cousins step son to have the privilege of trying to learn more about them, getting to know them through the only avenues I have, like this site.
  
  The beautiful thing about Kurt’s writing style, is he loves to make you think, wonder, and possibly relate. It is difficult for us all to relate to everyone, all the time unless we have shared a similar experience.
  
  I’m a recovering junky, I’ve been kicked out of the house, beaten by stepdad, ignored by my real dad, slept under a bridge, so I think I understood this song perfectly. This is not to “one-up” anyone, just my experience, and I do not wish it on anyone.
  
  Every interpretation listed is beautiful, what an amazing thing that we’ll go to this length in an attempt to know someone better. That’s what music is about! If I put you down in the process, just to one-up you, then I damage the exact thing music does best, and that would be dishonoring to Kurt’s memory.
• Tedd from Lakeland I think this was loosely written as many are, so it means what it does to you. I think a great way it was expressed was in the movie GIA, it was in the part where her and Linda ,were at the dead end of Linda's love for her, So block out the lesbian thing, it was in the movie being applied as ,what drugs had done to a caring relationship. It was clear that heroin was in the way of that love to exist, because one was dead to human care because of the dope. But it could apply to other situations but the core is that Something is drugs, despair, etc...
• Corey from Greensboro, NcBeau, London, United Kingdom,
  I think you're right on the target for almost your entire interpretation of the song. However, there is one part that I think is incorrect. I've read Charles R. Cross's biography of Kurt Cobain, "Heavier Than Heaven," and in it he states that the title and chorus should be interpreted as an obstacle, as in "something in the way of being happy." He goes on to say that, undoubtedly, Kurt was saying that he was getting in the way of his own happiness.
• Beau from London, United KingdomIn the documentary "Kurt and Courtney" by Nick Broomfield, Kurt's aunt tells of the times his dad used to kick him out of the house and how he would sleep under the bridge, and had written this poem. I really like the heroin metaphor, and the tarp referring to the blood emanating from the vein during IV drug use, but I think if he had written that song at that young age, it is more likely to be an expression of vulnerability, as someone has said already, the leak refers to his shelter, and that he feels vulnerable. Shelter is very important to us as young kids. When I ran away from home for the first time, I slept on a skate ramp, and I remember noticing for the first time that feeling of vulnerability to the elements and to whatever lay out there. Tarp is short for tarpaulin which means "a protective covering of canvas or other material waterproofed with tar, paint, or wax" so the protection is leaking.
  
  "The animals I've trapped, have all become my pets" This is quite hard to interpret, as it depends on when the line was written. If it was written when he was a kid, before fame, it could refer (I'm just using my own experience) to creatures he came across like insects, or rabbits, rats etc. The use of the word trapped implies that he has a power over them, against their will, and the fact that they have become pets signifies that he sees this power not as something to be abused, but rather that he has a responsibility to these creatures to look after them. This could be a reflection on his father, who has Kurt as this child who is with him not through choice, and uses his power to mistreat and bully the weaker and dependant Kurt, and this enables him to be compassionate and share an understanding with animals that were dumber and weaker than him.
  
  "We're living of off grass" It could be possible that Kurt ate grass, or was perhaps referring to smoking weed. The fact that he has referred to animals previously, and then goes on to mention "drippings from the ceiling" leads me to think that he is referring to food and water. Eating grass and drinking the drips from the ceiling would be a metaphor for somebody in rather squalid living conditions that has nothing to eat or drink. Food, water, and shelter should be provided for the child by his parents out of love. In Oxfam adverts, the most shocking stories are those of kids with no food, or dirty water, because that is not how a child should live. The fact that he refers to shelter, compassion, food and water is his sorrow seeping out, because he has understood that he is not loved. The honesty of his feelings are beautiful. They are not an exercise in self pity, which would have been the case if he was crying about not getting toys or being poor, etc. He is referring to the most basic of needs. There is also this beautiful vulnerability on display, because he cannot simply feel animosity to his dad and become thick skinned. Instead, he cannot deny that he is really hurt, because he is just a kid.
  
  "It's ok to eat fish, coz they don't have any feelings". This again, I would argue, is a kid reflecting on compassion. Perhaps he came across a vegetarian that eats fish (I certainly have). This idea that certain lives are not important because they don't have our intelligence or understanding. In the documentary "About a Son", Kurt talks a lot about how his father would treat him like s--t. Kurts feelings didn't matter to his dad, because he was just some dumb little annoying kid. So I would say that he is not saying "it's ok to eat fish, because they don't have any feelings", he is saying it in a disapproving, disdain with the ignorance of human beings sort of way. Even though it is easy to say that fish do not have feelings, they do experience fear, confusion and distress. His father didn't respect the fact that he had feelings because he was just a kid. In "About a Son" Kurt refers to getting beaten by his dad all the time. He refers to social situations, or being at restaurants with his parents, and if he would accidentally spill a glass of water or something, his dad would get him in a headlock and dicg his knuckles into his head, or smack him in his face. He went on to say "I never understood why a parent would be so embarrassed or so intimidated by what other people would think of you at a restaurant just because your child spilt something by accident, to have to punish them... That's a weird psychological trick to play on a child...f--k him for that". It's ok to hurt kurt, kid's feelings aren't important.
  
  "Something in the way". I had always thought of this as being like the beatles song too. "something in the way she moves" or in this case, something in the way that his life sucks. Something in the way, to me, was a way of trying to say something but being unable to express it, just feel it. "mmmmmm mmmm" would then be an internal cry, where he is experiencing the emotion as opposed to articulating it. I love the mmmm mmm part because it is so introspective. In certain religions and traditions, the word "ommmmm" is used because it creates a nice loving vibration and feeling in the body. Om is the symbol for God, because it creates a nice warm feeling, making you feel protected. Under the bridge, Kurt could have used this to feel that love and protection which he so desperately yearned for. The H-Man
  
• Caleb from Hobart, AustraliaActually, nobody will ever understand kurt cobain, not even his family, one day i hope to come close to his truth of life..
  
  #boddah 4 life <3
• Ryan from Seattle, WaThis song is about how he got kicked out of his house for his bad behavior. The bridge he talks about is where he actually stayed until his friends took him in. The leak from the ceiling is about his addiction to heroin. Living off of grass is because like any teenager where we grew up (montesano, aberdeen, hoquium, elma, and shelton) he was high all the time because mrijuana is the only thing that gave us relief/pleasure where we lived. That's why he says he's living off of grass and the drippings. All he had yo make himself feel better were heroin and weed. He says it's okay to eat fish, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT HE ATE WHILE HE LIVED UNDER THE DAMN BRIDGE. The animals he trapped that have all become his friends, are the fans that stayed loyal to Nirvana. At first they were just people, but as his career grew Kurt realized that every fan he had, was a friend. Music is your heart's voice. Those fans are the people that connected with the lyrics that came from his heart, and somewhat understood how he felt. When he says there's something in the way, it's because he was depressed and felt like something was keeping him from being happy again. Kurt was my Uncle's nephew, my cousin's cousin; making him my second cousin. And it absolutely freaking disgusts me to see people like you all talking about him and having absolutely no idea what the F you are saying. I was a mere four years old when that part of my family passed away and I STILL know more about my cousin than any of you ever will. You people make me sick to my damn stomach. If you can't comprehend what this song is about, THEN DON'T EVEN TRY. Just appreciate Kurt's music and how incredible his mind and talent were. He may not have had the chance to live out his life, but he was a lengend and will never be forgotten. MUCH LOVE KURT, I'LL SEE YOU AGAIN SOME DAY.
• Anna from Seattle, WaI don't think the point is whether Kurt actually lived under a bridge, etc...I pick up a mood of alienation and in my mind, some of the song's images bring up very strong images involving all the senses while "illustrating the mood". I'm not saying Kurt wrote this song when he was very young, but the memories of early adolescence can remain extremely powerful throughout one's life.
  
  In Wash. St., the idea of being "cast out" as a youth has a damp, dark, cold connotation to it for many. It IS damp, dark and cold most of the year. Being stuck outside other than the main summer months can be very unpleasant. I also suspect that's why his lyrics describing feeling "good" or "as one" involve the sun in many songs. The sun feels SO intense if you grow up somewhere there is little of it.
  
  Someone said no one smokes grass under bridges? That's where EVERYONE did it when I was in 6-9th grade in my town and I don't think my town was special. (I'm the same grade/age and as Kurt, same general geographical location). We didn't have worthwhile video consuls and huge menu of cable channels available now. Not much to do in our bedrooms. Our parents preferred that we not smoke pot, but themselves being ex-hippies, were often the unwilling sources of the stuff, so doing it in their houses wasn't a good plan. This dilema had it's amusing moments too. Example: Parent says: "D*** it, you stole my oragano from my dresser drawer!", "Oregano? Mommy, r u sure?", "YESSS!!!", "Ok, mommy, sorry I stole your 'oragano' I messed up, I thought it was pot", "GRRRRR... It WAS NOT marajuana!! it was oregano!", "OH, sorry mommie, but it was GOOD organo. thank you! :D". ..then Mommie stomps off because either a)admit its not oregano and lose the moral high ground to bust daughter's ass, or b) just "let it be" as mom's generation would say.
  
  Another thing about referencing "bridges". Not only were they the places we did much of our early pot smoking. many of the creeks in Western Wash. were salmon runs. Our town's was. Not sure about Aberdeen/Hoquiam. Anyway, all my early (ages 11-14)memories of pot smoking & getting away from what little adult supervision we had (not much compared to now, I kind of feel for today's kids) seem to include fish smells along w/being under brigdes. For a portion of the year (late summer/early fall) the odor is strong & putrid odor due to the salmon runs returning. Most of the year it was just a lighter fish smell.
  
  I don't know the details about particular bridges in Aberdeen/Hoquiam. But the names of those towns (they're smushed together, its like one town) brought another association: Fathers/Dads. Especially the divorced ones. Divorce was fairly new on a huge scale and our parents didn't know how to do it. They even have classes available now ("How Do Damage Control for Your Kid During Divorce", or whatever) but not then. I only visited Aberdeen/Hoquiam six or seven times as a kid with my best friend in 8th grade cause she HAD to go once/month to see her dad due to the divorce visitation schedule. Her didn't want to SEE us, typical of "divorced dads", he just wanted 2 b sure he got "his" from the divorce. We'd literally arrive in Aberdeen Friday night, drop off excess duffel bags and not return until Sunday afternoon. Why not? he didn't care. We'd go find her friends (she grew up there) and "party" all weekend. That kind of parenting, or lack of it should I say, feels like a "score" to a kid, but deep down inside there is also the marginalized, lonely feeling that the adults in one's life can't be bothered to keep track of him/her.
  
  I am NOT out to to write my life's story. I'm trying to illustrate what some of the images in this song (and some other Nirvana songs) might bring to the mind of a person who grew up in a certain area during a certain moment in time. Bridges, fish, grass, even "dads/fathers can have different meanings, depending personal context of time, place, families. Just some ideas, maybe stupid ones, so please excuse me then.
• Sune from RudkÃ?bing, DenmarkWell i got my own little idea about what the lyrics could mean to Kurt himself, so here you go:
  What the lyrics in my oppinion could have meant to him in the last phase of his career:
  
  "Underneath the bridge" - This may be reffering to his mind; you don`t see what`s under the bridge, and you do, of course,not see whats going on in his mind either.
  
  "the Tarp has sprung a leak" - Something is wrong/broken. Kurt never wanted to be famous, nor did he want the attention. In his suicide note he describes that he no longer feels anything positive from going on stage and such. The money and fame does, for some reason, not make him feel any better (it did once, earlier in his career - or so he seems to describe it in his suicide note). "the Tarp has sprung a leak" - something has, in his oppinion, gone wrong in his mind.
  
  "And the animals I've traped
  
  have all become my pets" - That the animals he trapped, have become his pets, seems to hint towards success. The peoble which started listenning to his music, have become his fans, and well, kinda look up to him (a bit like pets).
  
  "And I'm living off of grass
  
  and the drippings from the ceiling" - Grass/drugs. As the fame no longer makes him feel any better, and the other parts of his life don`t seem to help either, he lives off of drugs. Drippings from the ceiling - The few feelings wich manage to get through to him. He may feel numb, possibly because he`s depressed.
  
  "It's okay to eat fish
  
  'cause they don't have any feelings" -
  
  "Something in the way" - Something keeps him from feeling.
  
  What it meant back when he actually wrote it, is a completely different story.
• A from D, AlMost people think it's a song about Kirt. It's not! it's a powerful story setting the listener as the main character...
  
  "Underneath the bridge" This is the location. Like any story you need to start somewhere and to set the mood. What better way to express an emotional state then under a bridge. You hear this line and you automatically think - Troll, ugly, not a fun place to be. Kirt wants us to feel this way otherwise he would of placed us in a park!
  
  "Tarp has sprung a leak" The mood goes from bad to worst. Your shelter is now deteriorating. Your shelter is suppose to be safe. It's now not safe anymore. It's cold, wet and nothing is going your way. Kirt doesn't sing about fixing the leak because he is putting us in the mood that we should not care... we have given up!
  
  "And the animals I've trap have all become my pets" This is where everyone seems to think it's Kirt under the bridge now...but again, he is telling a story. It's not Kirt but the listener who is under the bridge! We now don't have friends. The only way to have anything like us is to force it against its will. We are depressed!...this is the Troll that lives underneath the bridge and why we are placed there. So why don't we end this ugly life that we live?? Next line in the song will help with that.
  
  "And I'm living off the grass and the drippings from the ceiling" We are not smoking dope here!! I haven't heard anything yet about chasing rainbows in the song... and how many pot heads do you know of that live underneath a bridge? NONE!! they all are in there rooms stoned, playing video games and eating chips and cookies.
  This line is stating that we are surviving this depression...but just barely. We have the very basic and bare essentials of life here. Food(grass), water(drippings from the tarp), shelter(the bridge/tarp).
  
  "It's OK to eat fish 'cause they don't have any feelings" The only metaphor in the song. We are already eating grass and nothing in the song so far has implied that we are going to put any effort into anything...like catching fish to eat. The emotional context suggests that It's OK to hurt because depression isn't truly a feeling. OR maybe that the world is hurting us and it's OK with us because the depression we feel drowns our emotions...even though it's the depression that is really hurting us.
  Like any metaphor, we aren't suppose to figure out anyone else' take on it other then our own... so make it what you will that fits your life best.
  
  And the last line in the song... "Something in the way". The way it's sung is to give hope. There is an obstacle in our way that is keeping us under the bridge(depression). It sucks that we are there but we are suppose to overcome it. That is why this line is sung with a more upbeat tempo.
  
  This song isn't a producers message to the world. It's Kirts perspective(not his life) and he wants everyone to know what life feels like sometimes for him ...I just wish he would of overcame his obstacle.
• Bath from Fiji, AlIf he is literally underneath a bridge HOW DID the tarp leak??
• Kenny from Remsenburg, NyThe way Kurt sings the chorus "Something in the Way", sounds quite like the Beatles "SOMETHING", perhaps it was a tribute of some soughts.
• Krissy from Pembroke, United Kingdomwhy has noone asked him when he was alive?
• Maria Castaneda from Montclair, Ca0hh and Something In The Way can mean that no matter the situation your in there will always be something in the way...
  thats how i see life.
  something in the way.......
  
  Kurt Cobain.
• Maria Castaneda from Montclair, Cai THINK this song is song is about when Kurt spent the night under the bridge. and when he say the line about the animals he means that the only things keeping him company are the animals. and the part about living off grass can be talking about pot. and its okay to eat fish cuz they havent any feelings can be referring to him cuz he was a Pieces, i think he is trying to say "its ok dont worry about me cuz all of this doesnt affect me" but i think he says it sarcastically cuz he was very emotional.
• Brain from Seattle, Waburn out then fade away is a line in the beginning of a def lepperd song called Rock of ages it says it in the beginnging
• Alaina from Canton, Ohthis song has so much emotion. and it wasnt even recorded in the studio (technically) which makes me love it even more. it was recorded in the control room because he said it didnt sound right in the studio. he laid on his back on the couch and started playing. so they turned off all the fans and everything and recorded it like that.
• Chantal from Everywhere, CaKurt wrote Something in the Way in a sense that made you think. He didnt write it straight forward. Its mainly metaphorically. So instead of rushing to conclusion think about it.
• Justin from Salt Lake City, UtWasn't this supposed to be our thoughts about this song rather than everybody analyzing his life. FEW people if any really know what happened and nobody believes anybody else anyhow. Even if you were telling the truth. Honor him by commenting his songs,
  
  BTW I love this song because it is not like other songs for the fact its repetitive and his writing style in my opinion was a major contribution to what we have today. Thanks Cobain
• Kelsey from Clarendon, TxWhy would you say that Kurt did not want his fame? That is NOT the reason he killed himself. If he didn't want his fame, Nirvana would not be what it is today. Now I'm not really sure if he killed himself or was murdered, but if he did, this is the reason: "I'm gonna be a superstar musician, kill myself and go out in a flame of glory, just ike Jimi Hendrix." He also said it is better to burn out than fade away. He wanted to be a legend, he didn't want to be a typical musician that had a wonderful career and was then forgotten.
• Madison from Northford, CtFirst of all I agree with Noor Charlotte. Stop arguing about how Kurt died or if he lived under a bridge or not! It's the SONG we need to focus on, and really the meaning is up to the listener. What I do know is that it is one of my favorite songs, and my all time favorite Nirvana song. Like others have said, I fell in love with it the first time I heard it. It makes me so emotional every time I listen! I own the MTV Unplugged CD...regardless what people think Kurt had to have felt deeply about this song to have sung it as heartfelt as he did, whether that means personally or mentally.
• Ben from Menomonie, Wiin the movie jerry mcguire one of the characters is playing this song on his guitar
• Sagar from Bangalore, IndiaI wish I never understand this song...I like what I understand of the song. It is so depressing, dark and yet awesome.
• Sheldon from Surrey, Arbest song from nevermind, the others were to commercialised
• Lateeka from Kelowna, CanadaIs Kurt Cobain Vegan?
• Defri from Samarinda, Indonesiathis song is kurt's acknowledment as he said in pennyroyal tea lyric "i am a liar and a thief"...
  as krist novoselic stated in Heavier than Heaven "he never live under that bridge..."
• Andrew from Bartlett, TnA very sad and soft song. a song to listen to when sometimes bad or a death.
• Nicky from Southampton, EnglandThis song is beautiful. The moment I heard this song I fell in love with it. It has such a deep meaning. =] Makes me cry though. ;(
• Kathryn from Brisbane, Australia"It's ok to eat fish because they dont have any feelings," Fact: fish have a memory of 3 seconds.. maybe kurdt meant it in a literal sence.. that fish simply do not have any feelings because they forget them in 3 seconds.. he loved and respected both animals as well as women.. maybe he was saying fish are ok?? lol
• Keriah from Naples, Flthis is the most beautiful song of all time, the moment I heard this song I fell in love with it. Kurt Cobain is such a beautiful person I wish I could have known him.
• Paul Marlo from Perth, Australiaits ok to eat fish.. 'cause they dont have any feelings
• Leanne from Qld, AustraliaPost-grunge band "Seether" did a cover of this song.
• Echo from Normalville, MaI love that line with the fish.the Great Kurt Cobain never fails to add a little sarcasm in everything. brilliant.
• Natalia from Miami, FlKurt Cobain was murdered.
  
  
  
  1. There was a massive amount of morphine found in Kurt for him to even be concious within 2 seconds of his injection. It would've been impossible for him to have rolled down his sleeves, put away the heroin kit, pick up a shot gun and shoot himself.
  2. His "Suicide" note sounded more like a retirement letter from the music industry in the first parts of the note. Then the note turns suicidal at the end where his handwritting distinctly changes when it reads "Please keep going Courtney for Frances for her life which would be so much happier without me. I LOVE YOU. I LOVE YOU." Also, it was written in a different pen. This note was examined by the world's two best known leading handwritting anaylist, which both indicated that the last few sentences were, in fact, not his.
  3. THERE WAS NO EXIT WOUND. A self-inflicted shot through the inside of the mouth would definately leave an exit wound through the back of the head, although, Kurt did not have one. It would also leave his face dismanteled, investigators knew exactly who it was when they saw him on the floor, declaring no face distortion. The rumors about "Kurt's face being so dismanteled, they needed his finger prints" is completely false, its standard procedure to taken finger prints.
  4. There were no finger prints on the shotgun. The police did not do their investigation thinking that it was a open and shut case of suicide from the start. Dead men don't wipe their finger prints off their own shotgun.
  5. Kurt Cobain was strongly against the idea of suicide, he refused to wear black because of it.
  
  
  
  Incase there were any discrepencies :)
  
  
• Nattydread from Not Yet Zion, AustraliaLucas Burns, youre wrong. kurt cobain killed himself because there were some teen suicides around that time, and they were blamed on his music, not because he couldent handle fame. he just didnt want to death with either the guilt of knowing his music caused people to kill themselves, or because he didnt want to face not being able to make music or have the same life again
• Nattydread from Not Yet Zion, AustraliaSomething in the Way was about kurt's drug addiction, he talks about underneath the bridge cos thats where he did drugs, you people try to make things harder than they are, yeah, he got kicked outta him house and had to live under a bridge, but other things people be saying is not reight. it wasnt bout anyone but him. its not bout how sometimes everyone feels alone and how our emotions get in the way, its about how his decisions was in the way, his drug addiction was in thhe way of his life. living off grass was likely to be he was always stoned, and when he say "its ok to eat fish cos they dont have any feelings" he probly didnt mean he had to eat fish to stay alive, or maybe he did. but when he was talking bout how the animals tripped, it probably likely had something to do with what he saw or how things seemed when he was high
• Molly from Milwaukee, WiOk first off half of you guys only heard this song from the movie Jarhead so before going on this site and typing what you think it means study it for a while.Who are you to try to explain what this song means?Kurt wrote it Kurt knows what it meant and what it means is his secret (so make your assumptions guys)
  Oh by the way if you were even a child of the 90's you would know he was talking about living under a bridge and no the currents would not wash him away.
• Stacey from St.petersburg, FlMy favorite song right now, I love Nirvana and I have a strange obesssion with them. I think this song is just about how everyone feels sometime, Something is in the way and the Isolation we all feel that were all alone even if we have someone we care about, were thats what is means to me. R.I.P Kurt Cobain
• Sam from Portsmouth, United StatesKurt Cobain's song writing at best
• Vestyjr from Copenhagen, DenmarkThis song is about how he feels he was always in the way. Not about how he thinks everyone was in his way. As we all know, Kurt had a very low self esteem from all the bull and tyranny in his childhood - his mother's violent boyfriends and his father's crazy second wife etc. So basically Kurt was never happy. Anyway, Kurt wrote this about how he felt he was always in the way of everyone, how he felt he wasn't meant to be there. Rastafari
• Derp from Jackson, Msi think the line "It's OK to eat fish cause they don't have any feelings" parallels his life in that its OK to destroy him because he dosent matter.
• Alex from Sebastian, FlI didnt read all the others so idk if anyone posted this yet BUT NIRVANAS song something in the way is not about living under a bridge. Kurt actualy started that rumor himself. He actualy spent his nights with relatives friends and in hospital waiting rooms.If he would have lived under the bridge this is rumored about the tides of the Wishka would wash him away. anyway the song is a dark meaningfull expression of how we all feel sometimes. This is basicly all a quote from the Nevermind DVD
• K from M, ChileThere's a godawful cover of this song by the trip-hop, Bristol Sound, whatever-you-want-to-call-them group Tricky off the album "Blowback". If you're into self-harm, give it a listen.
• Alpheous from Gaia, PortugalSomething in the way. Think of this phrase not as a statement, or a cry for help. Think of it as a thought. Something you just think inside your head, and usually don't tell anybody, but for you it is true, and it is what you think.
  
  There's no reference to a "phisical" bridge in the song. Actually, he speaks of a ceiling. What he speaks of is having just enough to keep living, but nothing to live for.
  
  He has air, food (grass, OBVIOUSLLY is a metaphor), and water (in the form of another metaphor).
  
  Also, I think it's pretty obvious that "it's ok to eat fish" refers to him. Cause any other line of thought would not fit the songs purpose.
  
  It's like he is talking to himself, meditating:
  "I have no purpose here in this world, but yet God keeps me alive...I guess he must find it amusing to play with fishes (pieces)" "all, these troubles, all this pain...always....something in the way..."
• Phil from London, EnglandThis is a great song!
  First heard it last night when i was watching the film JARHEAD. I really liked it, and could tell it was Nirvana, so this morning the first thing i did was download it.
  A proper good song.
  Dark, meaningful, but catchy.
• Jordan from Shokan, Nythis is my favorite nirvana song and in my opinion, the most effective and powerful. when i first tried to play it on my guitar, i was in tears.
• Max from Austin, TxOh, Me was not a Nirvana song, but they did cover it. It's actually a Meat Puppets song. And to respond to grunge=dead's post, I don't think it was about him eating fish and then regretting it, but just finding strength in even the most desperate situation, and overcoming adversity. This is a really inspirational song to me, and every time i listen to it, I try to put myself in Kurt's shoes and just try to imagine everything he went through. When I get back to reality, I realize how much better off I am than how Kurt was, and all of my problems seem to dissolve in contrast to what he experienced. R.I.P. Kurt Donald Cobain 1967-1994
• Grunge=dead from Nowhereville, Cahey idk this might sound weird but i know the whole "under the bridge" statement, but the next line: "its ok to eat fish cause they don't have any feelings," what did this mean my ball park estimate would be that when kurt was living "underneath the bridge," he ate fish, felt bad about it, but yet comforted himself by saying, 'they don't have any feelings." I am just guessing on this, If you know what the statement "it's ok to eat fish cuz they don't have any feelings,"means, PLEASE POST COMMENT.
• Dan from City, CaThis song was played during the dream sequence in the new movie Jarhead. Film goof- Desert Storm ended by March 1991, but this song didn't come out until September of that year... woops.
• Tushar from Baroda, India'Something in the way' along with 'Oh me' are the saddest songs that I have heard and both of'em belong to nirvana. When I play these on my guitar, I feel emotionally drained and hence tend to avoid them.
• Rutgen from AntwerpHe did live under a bridge for a short while...It was his place to calm down when something was in the way... Later when he was kicked out, he stayed their for a short while, but a teacher found him their and took him into his house for a while(got it from Sandfort who wrote his biography)
• Deathangel420 from Bristol, Vawhen band members were later interviewed they said Kurt really didnt live under a bridge and kurt said that a lot of the songs he wrote weren't about him.
• Brittany from Rocky Grove, Paok first of all..I want to say that bridge was more than a "nearby bridge that he sometimes stayed under when he was kicked out of his parents home" that bridge prooved to be a crutial place in the life of kurt cobain...not only did he stay there when kicked out but its a known fact he snuck out of his many homes to the bridge..that bridge is where his suicide gun was left by an old friend..AND he wrote a majority of his songs under that bridge because of its comforting atmosphere where Kurt felt he could express his problems..he ran to the bridge after being taunted in his schools.. ultimatley I just want to stress the importance of the bridge
• Mike from St.catharines, CanadaThis song can be viewed in two ways. Obviously theres the assumption its about his experiances of living under a bridge for a short time. But I believe it's the life experiance as well as an internal message hidden beneath.
  
  Many can relate to a depressing lifestyle. Such as when something great happens.. theres always "something in the way" to ruin it and bring you back down. I believe that's what Kurt tried to say with this song and it jumped out at me more than his homelessness. Great song especially when you hear the heavier version off the BBC Collections.
• Mia from Wellston, MiI heard from a magazine article that in seattle when kurt killed himself that this song played on the radio even though it was never a single and the writer of the article said thast how he knew it was true
• Tanya from Rotterdam, NetherlandsYou're right, Matt, it's on that DVD too. But I read the story earlier in the book "Come as you are" by Michael Azerrad (you know it?). I like 'behind the scenes' story's like that;-).
• Matt from Millbrae, CaTanya...do you have that DVD Clasic Albums Nevermind? Cause I have it and that thing bout something in the way is right in there? Just wondering. (For people that don't have it...get it! It's awesome.)
• Dylan Keenen from Ojai, Cathis song always reminded of when i practicly live under a bridge near my house and "live of of grass" (smoke lotsa pot) who cares if he slept under the bridge or if he slept next to the bridge.
  if your still bord go here (its a great site all about chapstick): http://www.churchofthelivingchapstick.tk/
• Tanya from Rotterdam, Netherlands"Something in the Way" was a problematic track: "They originally wanted to cut it as a full-on band," producer Butch Vig explains. "But that proved difficult to record. It just was not happening. Kurt was not very happy. Finally he came over to me and said, 'It needs to sound like this. . .' And he picked up his old five-string acoustic guitar. [The same one used on 'Polly'.] He sat on the couch in the control room and started to sing and play."
  
  Realizing he was on to what could be a master take, Vig quickly set up some microphones: "I turned off the air conditioner and everything else and had the phones shut off. He was playing and singing so quietly. But we got it down on tape. Later on, we overdubbed drums and Kurt added some harmonies. But it was all built around the acoustic track."
  
• Christopher from City, FlYes, there is a 10 minute pause after this song, but it leads to a hidden song, titled Endless, Nameless.
  
  I always thought of this song very literally, but as with most of Kurt's music, you can interpret it many ways, and each way could make sense.
• Jared from Clarendon, ArYeah the songs pretty deep, as it should be. Does it really matter if or if not ALL the things Kurt said happened really did. That doesnt change the fact that this song may very well be the most personal song Kurt Ever wrote
• Derek from Olympia, WaKurt neber lived underneath that bridge!!!thats a fact,we drank at the bridge many a times.Yes he was "homeless"a few times but always had a floor or a couch to crash on.All you people on here from everywhere but here where he lived and grew up talking like you all knew him,how???My sister in law went to school with Kurt from elementary through highschool,I used to smoke out with him at Mikey Dees' house,drinking good ol Reinlander and Oly beer with them in the 80's.Kurt didnt commit suicide and I will not say who killed him,don't believe everything you read!!Courtney was/is a caniving b--h and paid to have him killed and no it wasnt ElDuce who did it.Yes he passed the lie detector test when asked if Courtney offered him $50,000 to off kurt.Everyone on here should just quit assuming things and get on with their lives.
• Tom from Bloomington, MnThis song is incredible. It's really a darker, deeper, almost more emotional "All Apologies". Just close your eyes and you can drown in the pool of emotion surrounding you. I'm also surprised nobody has mentioned: The song is also very Beatles-like in how it pauses for a complete 10 minutes, and then goes into a 5 minute VERY raunchy and loud instrumental. Really experimental, risky, I'm sure their label didn't want them to do that. If you burn a CD of this album, you'll see a ring near the edges that is a lighter color than the rest of the disc...that's the blank space, it has 0 sound waves. Experimental, some might call it stupid, I would call it daring and almost genius.
• Jo Beth from Centreville, MiKurt Cobain was murdered!!!!
  Go to www.indefenseofkurtcobain.com
• Matt from Millbrae, Ca"something in the way" was used as kurt's metaphor for how he always mooched off of people like Krist Novoselic when he ran away from home. To Kurt, he himself was "in the way". And by the way, Kurt never actually lived under that bridge in Aberdeen. Like many of his stories, this one made for a good rock star tale, but simply wasn't true.
• Jude from Los Angeles, Cathis song does remind of me George Harrison beautiful piece right out of the beatles "something" plus he was a huge beatles fan.
• Courtney from Lawrenceville, GaAm I the only one who was reminded of The Beatle's "Something" when listening to this song? I mean Kurt was a huge Beatles fan...
• Lane Presson from Jackson, WyFirst off the song says nothing about living underneath a bridge. Secondly how would anybody know whether or not Kurt did or didn't live underneath a bridge.
• Noor from Charlotte, NcI, for one, feel DISGUSTED that everyone is trying to justify Kurt's death. He died almost eleven years ago, people. Whether or not he killed himself, I don't know, and I probably will never. I have learned to just appreciate his music and not try to overanalyze his death. Maybe he was murdered, but there are lots of evidence from his years previous to the death that he was depressed and wanted to commit suicide. Yeah, and the suicide note helps also. But I think that a true Nirvana and Kurt fan will try to find the meaning of the songs rather than his death. I'm not saying his death is not to be mourned and remembered, but to be accepted. There is nothing we can do about it, unless anyone has found a spell to call him from the grave. Death is a part of life and I beleive Kurt realized this his entire life. He neither dreaded nor feared Death, but almost embraced it. The drug use and depression added to this, but he was a complex person with complex thoughts on Death.
• Rob from Castaic, Caben from toronto hit the target. the lyrics are obviously about the stupidity of the animal rights groups... "its ok to eat fish cuz they dont have any feelings" he says that vegetarians who dont eat meat but eat fish are hypocritical and, well, dumb.
• Dave from Brisbane, AustraliaMaybe it's about the meaning of life and maybe Kurt was sent from heaven to save your souls from all the distractions in the real world.
  
• Dave from Brisbane, AustraliaMaybe he felt like he was this thing. This burden.
  That's probably what lead to his feelings of worthlessness.
  As if he wasn't good enough to keep his parents together.
• Jason from Harbin, ChinaHello!I come from china,Could you tell me what is the mean of "something in the way "? "On the road"? or kurt's mind ?incommode?
• Tyeisha from Bucharest, Romaniafunny, but until i read these comments,i never thought of "something in the way" as..something i the way of something...
  i always thought it was "something IN the way"...like...something in the way she moves or whatever("in the way she moves "is just for you to understand, i didn't/dont think of that when listening to the song)
• Jimi from Stamford, Ctjust to mention, all i was trying to say is that he didn't acctually sleep under it, but next to to it, im not trying to say it didn't scar him or anything,just that its a physical impossiblity to sleep under it
• Chris from Madison, WiThis song is actually very straight forward and simple to understand if you just stop trying to over-analyze what the lyrics mean, and just take them almost literally. "Underneath the bridge" is extremely straight-forward because, though he may not have lived under a bridge, Kurt at least slept underneath it a few times. "Tarp has sprung a leak" may be talking about a tarp kurt used to keep warm while sleeping. "Animals I've trapped have all become my pets" this line means pretty much exactly what is says, Kurt was most likely bored and depressed under the bridge and may have trapped small animals to pass the time and keep him company. "Living off of grass and the drippings from the ceiling." This line also means what it says, you can't expect someone living underneath a bridge to be able to afford a decent meal, so Kurt most likely ate whatever he could find that was edible in order to survive. "It's ok to eat fish" is in no way eluding to Kurts sign. It simply has to do with Kurt catching and eating fish in order to survive. "'cause tehy don't have any feelings." Kurt was pretty anti-hunting and by saying that fish dont have feelings he is justifying his means for survival. Also, Kurt often said that when he used "I", or "me" in his songs it was hardly ever actually about him, and that the first person point of view was just the way he liked to write, so most of what he says may not be about him at all, but rather about things he may have wittnessed, or assumed other homeless people did. Sorry for this comment being so long, but I felt there were soem issues that needed to be cleared up.
• Keith from Ca, United StatesTo me I believe that it doesn't really matter whether Kurt actually lived under the bridge for days or weeks, but we all know that he experienced homelessness, especially in his growing up days and I guess it left a scar on him. "..And the animals I've trapped have all become my pets" shows his loneliness and the only friends are the animals he found which he relates as his "pets".
• Jon from Northern, NjYou can make fun of me if you want, but I was always under the impression that this song was about Noah's Ark. Actually, I'd rather you didn't make fun of me...
• Jimi from Stamford, Ctfirst off, thanks - alatriel, lothlorien, thanks for saying that me and kurt have the most tortured sign, and probobly im bound for the same kind of pain he felt cause we were born on the sam day (febuary 20). Secondly,if kurtactually did live under that bridge, it would be impossible, according to town folk, it is flodded underneath, but you can live next to it, which kurt either did or did not do
• Rachel from Upper Darby, PaThe reference to animals in the song isn't about animal rights activists. it's probably a reference to his anger, and all his feelings of depression. "And the animals I've trapped have all become my pets," - all the feelings he's built up inside stay there and don't leave...it's about botteling up your feelings.
• Phil from Los Angeles, CaHeavier than Heaven isnt an autobiography...its a BIography written by Charles Cross. A lot of the "facts" within the book are false and come straight from Courtney Love's murdering mouth
• Sarah from Missoula, MtKurt Cobain never lived under a bridge. If you read the autobiography Heavier than Heaven, it tells you that Kurt used to say that he lived under a bridge but he never really did. Read it for yourself
• Curtis from Colorado Springs, CoThis song really means a lot to me. It just really shows how when you try to make the best of something, there really is something in the way. It just screams out to me about how times were really hard for Kurt. But he just seemed to pull through.
• Ben from Toronto, Canadathis song is about kurdt thinking that animal rights activists are hypocritical "the animals ive trapped, have all become my pets" mean that a lot of these animal rights activists have pets at home, "living off of grass and the drippings from the ceilings" is a reference to vegetarians/vegans, as well as "its okay to eat fish cuz they dont have any feelings"
• Alatriel from Lothlorien, Otherpisces aren't the worst sign they're just the most tortured. aquarians rock though cuz we're the most intelligent and creative
• Sean from Sydney, AustraliaI agree with Erik cause pisces is the worst of all star signs and have you looked at kurts hand writing when he was a teen like at the start and end of suicide note
• Frank from Fv, CaLucas...how would you know what Kurt wanted. Until they re-open the case I refuse to beleive it was suicide. if they can re-open the case and prove it was suicide taking into account all the new evidence that has surfaced, I will accept it. Until then, I refuse to beleive ti was suicide. El Duce's Lie Detector test is enough to prove it right there...big surprise turned up dead after going out with a new 'friend'.
  
  -Frank
• Caleigh from Orange County, Cathis is a beautiful song, but is also very sad. i often shed a tear when i hear this song.
• Lucas Burns from Folsom, CaKurt comitted suicide....The fame was too much for him, and he never wanted to be a star. I know many would like to think that Kurt did not want to stop living and playing, but its true. R.I.P. Kurt.
• Terri Lynn from Heart's Desire, Canadaaccording to the "heavier than heaven" bio of kurt he only actually spent the one night (approx) under the bridge, and based this song moreso on the idea of life under a bridge. though no one can really be sure.
• Chantal from Whistler, Canadathis song was written about when kurt was kicked out of his home, and lived under a bridge. However, acording to friends of Kurt, he never "lived" under a bridge. He merely slept a couple nights under it. He was homeless for a six month period tho..
• Erik from Davis, CaAlso the line "It's OK to eat fish cause they don't have any feelings" likely has to do with him being a pisces. He used his astrological sign as an analogy in the song "Heart Shaped Box" as well.
• Luke from Leeds, EnglandThis song sends chills up my spine everytime I hear it. The reason being it's dark and tells a true story.
• Allison from Somewhere, NjThis song has two meanings. In one way, you can look at the lyrics and just see a guy under a bridge eating fish and grass. Or, you can see each lyric as having a deeper meaning. For example, "And I'm living off of grass" could be seen as a reference to Kurt's teenage drug use. Also, 'something in the way' is an interesting phrase because it can have several meanings. This song is amazing because it seems so simple and straight forward but there is a lot of depth to it.

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