Kurt Cobain and the Umbilical Noose

The past week I've twice heard Nirvana's 1993 song "Heart Shaped Box" on the radio. I realised that its lyrics have a number of remarkably powerful lines. Kurt Cobain was a talented man. Here are the song's two verses.

She eyes me like a Pisces when I am weak
I've been locked inside your heart-shaped box for weeks
I've been drawn into your magnet tar pit trap
I wish I could eat your cancer when you turn black

Meat-eating orchids forgive no one just yet
Cut myself on angel hair and baby's breath
Broken hymen of your highness, I'm left black
Throw down your umbilical noose so I can climb right back

On the cover of the band's 1992 singles collection Incesticide is the above painting of Cobain's, speaking chillingly of a broken mother-son relationship. The song lyrics reinforce my impression that the man had serious mother/women issues, and was well aware of them. "Heart Shaped Box" is on an album named In Utero...

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