Kurt Cobain explained that he had a disdain for "rednecks, macho men and abusive people." He said that this song was an attack on these types.
Growing up in Aberdeen, Washington, Cobain encountered a lot of people with very little tolerance to anyone different. He told Melody Maker in 1992: "For ages I thought I might be homosexual, because I didn't like the cheerleader type of girl or want to hang out with the jock boys. I chose to live the life of a recluse. I didn't hang out with anyone else because I couldn't handle their stupidity."
Kurt Cobain was very much aware that many people would not get the point of his songs and simply sing along with them blindly. On this song, he wrote a very sing-a-long chorus so that people would find themselves singing about not understanding the song: "He's the one who likes all the pretty songs, and he likes to sing along, but he knows not what it means."
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