Cover art for Smells Like Teen Spirit (Live - Top of the Pops) by Nirvana

Smells Like Teen Spirit (Live - Top of the Pops)

1 viewer28.8K views

Smells Like Teen Spirit (Live - Top of the Pops) Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Load up on drugs, kill your friends
It's fun to lose and to defend
She’s overjoyed and self-assured

Oh no, I know a dirty word

[Pre-Chorus]
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello

[Chorus]
With the lights out, it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto, an albino
I'm a Cheeto, my libido
Yeah

[Verse 2]
I’m worse at what I do best
And for this gift, I'll be incest
Our little tribe has always been

And always will until the end
[Pre-Chorus]
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello

[Chorus]
With the lights out, it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto, an albino
I'm a Cheeto, my libido

[Post-Chorus]
Hey, hey, hey

[Guitar Solo]

[Cut - Spoken Segment]
Krist Novoselic: Who's the stupid, goddamn son-of-a-bitch that had to go and rearrange everything?

Craig: It wasn't me!

Krist: It wasn't Craig. Was it you
Dave Grohl: T'wasn’t I

Krist: Was this your idea?

Roadie #1: (Shakes head)

Krist: Was this your idea?

Roadie #2: I’m the innocent. I'm the innocent

Krist: Was this your idea?

Roadie #3: Innocent

Krist: Was this your idea?

Kurt: (Burps)

Krist: I’ll find him who did it. I'll find him

Roadie #2: Was that—Russell. Russell. [?]

Krist: Russell did!

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum

About

Have the inside scoop on this song?
Sign up and drop some knowledge

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

Why did Nirvana make a joke of their performance?
Genius Answer

Kurt Cobain found it laughable that Nirvana would be asked to play a show like Top of the Pops; and, furthermore, that he would be allowed to have a live microphone while the rest of the band mimed their instruments. He decided to take advantage of this situation and sing the entire song in a mock-crooner style. The result is one of music history’s most brazen punk-rock moments.

Translations
Genius Answer
  1. 4.
    Love Buzz (Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! Version) (Missing Lyrics)
  2. 6.
    Smells Like Teen Spirit (Live - Top of the Pops)
  3. 7.
    Negative Creep (Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!) (Missing Lyrics)
  4. 8.
    Come As You Are (Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!) (Missing Lyrics)
  5. 9.
    Territorial Pissings (Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! Version) (Missing Lyrics)
  6. 10.
    Something in the Way (Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!) (Missing Lyrics)
  7. 14.
    Silver (Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!) (Missing Lyrics)
  8. 15.
    On A Plain (Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!) (Missing Lyrics)
Comments