Top 10 Rock Songs of the 90’s that are Utterly Incomprehensible

These 90’s grunge and alternative bands changed the rock music landscape forever. Many of us lived by their records and can remember how they impacted our lives. Too bad 99% of us still have no clue what the hell they were saying or talking about. It was a good thing that most of our CD’s then came with lyrics in the jacket. Yet even still, there was an occasional song that left us to question what we were reading. These are those songs with the videos to prove it.

10. The Cranberries- Zombie

I would blame this one on her accent but if Colin Farrel and Christian Bale can sound like New Yorkers in some of their movies, is it too much to ask for some emphasis on the v’s and i’s? Shirley Manson sang for Garbage about the same time as this and she was Scottish, yet we could actually tell what she was saying. On second thought, maybe not. I don’t remember, I was too busy looking up her skirt at every performance to see if the carpet matched the drapes.

9. Jane’s Addiction- Stop

At one point towards the end of the song the lyrics read,

“Hum… along with me…
Hum along with the t.v.
oh oh, oh, on no”

That is about all you can do in this song; hum. Of all the songs on this list, the lyrics are the most baffling. And of all the singers on this list, I would pick Perry Farrell to have written them.

8. Silverchair- Israel’s Son

This was the first song on their debut album. It sent two messages, expect to rock the fuck out and expect to do a lot of reading in the CD jacket. Even more baffling than the lyrics is how the lead singer manages to sound like that considering they recorded this when he was 15. If I tried to sing this when I was 15 it would sound like someone was beating Mickey Mouse with a pitchfork. Must be all the Vegemite.

7. Alice in Chains- Them Bones

Another song that many people think they know the lyrics to the second it comes on the radio, and then quickly turn up the volume and stare out the window so their friends don’t see them mumbling shit. I thought I knew the lyrics too. I might actually, but when I tried to watch the youtube video I got scared shitless when I thought I stumbled onto one of those fake vids with the screaming witches. So I’ll go by what I remember and assume it is inaudible until someone releases a Pokemon dub on youtube that I can watch.

6. Stone Temple Pilots- Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart

God, this is just a mess. Great song sure but 2 minutes in I am trying to still decode the first 10 seconds. Scott Weiland is singing this like he is all coked up and high. Actually, he probably is.

5. Rage Against the Machine- Freedom

Seems kind of pointless to be such an outspoken band with so politically enraged songs and lyrics, yet not make any of them audible. I thought the issue was Zack de la Rocha, but then they broke up and picked up Chris Cornell who normally you can understand to form Audioslave. They released their first song with Cornell sounding like he was drunk and Zack de la Rocha suddenly sang Bob Dylan better than Bob Dylan. Must be the band.

4. The Smashing Pumpkins- Cherub Rock

The chorus reads,

” Who wants honey
As long as there’s some money
Who wants that honey?”

That leads me to believe this song was one of those cuts where they were just demoing the music and he started blurting out shit. At some point the demo got mixed with the final cut and they said fuck it and threw it out there.

3. White Zombie- More Human than Human

I am not really sure if this song is hard to understand. Usually anytime I hear the sexual moans of a woman, everything else suddenly becomes a blur. But the music video cuts out the sex cries and I still don’t understand shit. Something about an astro creep, jigsaw man, and a whole lot of yeahs are all I can make out beside the chorus. Sounds like either the theme song to Saw VII or a really cool porn.

2. Pearl Jam- Even Flow

Sure you know the chorus, but if you can honestly say you had any clue what the hell he was saying before opening the CD jacket then you should be one of those Navajo windtalkers. I hear “Freezing with Lassie sitting on the devil made of concrete, again.” Which makes perfect sense to me if the song was titled Even Blow.

1. Nirvana- School

Kurt Cobain never was very articulate with his words. Most of the time it was for the best. You would think that when you write a song with only 15 words in it, you would clue us in on one of them. Not the case here. Even though I know the true lyrics to this song, I still find myself questioning the accuracy of those.