Mrs. Butterworth (song)
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| ""Mrs. Butterworth"" | ||
|---|---|---|
| Song by Nirvana | ||
| from the album 'With the Lights Out' | ||
| Released | November 23, 2004 | |
| Recorded | 1987 in Washington | |
| Genre | Grunge | |
| Length | 4:05 | |
| Label | Geffen | |
"Mrs. Butterworth" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana. It is survived by only one known version: a boombox-recorded rehearsal demo from 1987, which appears on the band's 2004 box set, With the Lights Out, and on the 2005 compilation album, Sliver - The Best of the Box. According to producer Jack Endino, who was consulted during the compilation of the box set, the song's actual title is unknown, and was named for release by someone in Nirvana's management. Endino also states that the drummer for this rehearsal session was most likely Aaron Burckhard, and not Dale Crover as it credits in the box set liner notes.
The lyrics of the only surviving version are indistinct and patchy and the sections you can hear include multiple repetitions of "Your life is shit", as well as a spoken section in the middle where Cobain spews random phrases, about his Mrs. Butterworth jars, fast food chain glasses and cups, an art project involving sticking shells to plywood, people buying his kids clothing, and being "able to get rid of the piss stain mattress" he claims he is sleeping on.
[edit] Rant
In the middle of the song, Cobain stops playing and begins a spoken-word rant about many different subjects while Novoselic and Burckhard continue to play:
"I'ma open myself up a flea market, I'ma open myself up a flea market, and you're gonna wish that you did. Might retire on the profits. First off, I'ma empty out all of my Mrs. Butterworth jars, I'ma put 'em on a shelf with my 800-dollar-a-month tax-free Century 21 shop. And then I am going to put my Mrs. Butterworth syrup jars on the shelf, next to all the commemorative fast food chain glasses and cups I've accumulated over the past 62 years. Then I'm going to get some plywood. I'm going to get some plywood and cut them up into two by two piece squares. Then I'm going to get some burlap and I'm going to cut them into two by two piece squares, and then I'm going to put them onto the pieces of plywood. And then I'm going to go to the beach, I'm going to go to the beach and I'm gonna collect some shells and driftwood, and then I'm gonna take the shells and driftwood and glue them onto the plywood and burlap and sell 'em for lots of money. People will be paying top dollar for my kids new... used... new toys and clothing. Then maybe someday I can get rid of that piss stained mattress I've been sleeping on."
