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| 1991 |
Cobain’s lyrics convey that women who are stronger than the male that abuses them in the song “Polly”. “Polly” is a reference to a rapist holding a woman hostage and the lyrics convey the rapist as a sick person and the feminine victim as strong and elastic. Focusing on the last line of the last stanza reveals the song’s deeper meaning-- before the last chorus of “Polly” on the 1991 record, Nevermind, Cobain sings, “It amazes me the will of the instinct.” This line is the reason for the song: awe for the resilience of women.
Polly also may have been a poignant song for Kurt after the 1993 rape and murder of Mia Zapata, vocalist of Seattle band The Gits. (The Gits were a punk band but she was heavily influenced by blues and soul)
ReplyDelete"In the aftermath of her murder, friends created a self-defense group called Home Alive, which disbanded in 2010. Home Alive has organized benefit concerts and CDs with the participation of many of Seattle's music elite, such as Nirvana (one of lead singer Kurt Cobain's final public appearances)" - Wikipedia
I always thought of that last line as being the rapist reflecting on his horrible compulsions. Yours is an interesting new perspective.
I would argue that rape is not an instinct and that self preservation is the strongest instinct. "she caught me off my guard" leads me to think it's as I said above.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your perspective!