Status

Nirvana Song

Song Author

Kurt Cobain

Writing Period

1988

Recording Session(s)

1987/1988 Cobain Residence, Olympia, WA

January 2-3, 1990 Reciprocal Recording, Seattle, WA

April 2-6, 1990 Smart Studios, Madison WI

May-June, 1991 Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, CA

February 12-26, 1993 Pachyderm Studios - Cannon Falls, MN

Notes

The acoustic demo version of this song gets its name from a scanned set list in Come As You Are known as "mellow 4-track shit" (Cracker, Seed, & Sad).  Cracker is an early title of Polly, Seed is arguably the song that the box set labels as Don't Want it All, leaving Sad to fit the description of Sappy.

A scan of the handwritten set list from 11/09/89 reveals these unknown titles:  Trophy, New Songs 1 & 2.  Chad Channing claims Trophy is probably an early name for Sappy.  Another possible option for these unknown songs is Immodium (Breed).

There was a song title controversy surrounding this song.  Most people (pre-box set) knew this song as Verse Chorus Verse.  At the time of the song's release on the No Alternative compilation for AIDS awareness, the song appears uncredited.  Press releases called the song Verse Chorus Verse.  The No Alternative version is from the In Utero Sessions.

Verse Chorus Verse was actually the title of the song widely bootlegged as "In His Hands."  Since Cobain abandoned that song after the Nevermind Sessions, it appears that he saved the title and gave it to Sappy at some point in 1993.  One of the prospective titles for In Utero was Verse, Chorus, Verse, and Sappy was in consideration for that track list.  When the box set was released in 2004, the titles were set back to what they were in May 1991.

Availability

Releases in the Bootography

Alternate/Working Titles

Sad

Trophy

Common Mislabels

Seed

The Rocker

Happy Again

Make Him Happy

The Grasshopper

No Alternative

Laundry Room

Mislabels in the Bootography

Another Rule

Everything And Nothing

Final Flight

Happy

Happy Hour

If You Kill Yourself

Make You Happy

Mistero

Shappy

Untitled III

Verce Chorus Verse

Verse Chorus Verse

Lyrics

From Kurt Cobain's Journals

And if you save yourself
You will think you're happy
He'll keep you in a jar
Then you'll think you're happy
We'll give you breathing holes
Then you'll think you're happy
He'll cover you in grass
Then you'll think you're happy now

You're in a laundry room
Conclusion came to you ah

And if you heal yourself
You will make him happy
You'll wallow in your shit
And if you cure yourself



No Alternative version (Interpretation)

And if you save yourself, you will make him happy
He'll keep you in a jar, then you'll think you're happy
He'll give you breathing holes, then you'll think you're happy
He'll cover you with grass, then you'll think you're happy

Now
You're in a laundry room (x2)
Conclusion came to you, ohh

And if you cut yourself, you will think you're happy
He'll keep you in a jar, then you'll make him happy
He'll give you breathing holes, then you'll think you're happy
He'll cover you with grass, then you'll think you're happy

Now
You're in a laundry room (x2)
Conclusion came to you, ohh

You're in a laundry room (x2)
Conclusion came to you, ohh

And if you fool yourself, you will make him happy
He'll keep you in a jar, then you'll think you're happy
He'll give you breathing holes, then you will seem happy
You'll wallow in your shit, then you'll think you're happy

Now
You're in a laundry room (x3)
Conclusion came to you, ohh



1988 (Barnyard Session) a.k.a. "Sad"

And if you say your prayers,
you will make God happy
And if you do what's true,
you will make me happy
I'll keep you in a jar,
and you will seem happy
I'll give you breathing holes,
you will think you're happy

Now
You're in a laundry room (x3)

And if you save yourself,
you will make him happy
They'll bring you fine rewards,
and you will feel happy
He'll keep you in a room,
I'm sure you'll be happy
And if you save your soul,
you will think you're happy

Now
You're in a laundry room (x4)



1990.04.xx - Smart Studios

And if you save yourself,
you will make him happy
He'll keep you in a jar,
then you'll think you're happy
He'll give you breathing holes,
then you'll think you're happy
He'll cover you with grass,
then you'll think you're happy

Now
You're in a laundry room (x2)
Conclusion came to you, ohhh

Now if you kill yourself,
you will make him happy
He'll keep you in a jar,
then you'll think you're happy
He'll give you breathing holes,
then you'll think you're happy
He'll cover you with grass,
then you'll think you're happy

Now
You're in a laundry room (x2)
Conclusion came to you, ohhh

Now
You're in a laundry room (x2)
Conclusion came to you, ohhh

And if you save yourself,
you will make him happy
He'll keep you in a jar,
then you'll think you're happy
He'll give you breathing holes,
then you'll think you're happy
You'll wallow in your shit,
then you'll think you're happy

Now
You're in a laundry room (x3)
Conclusion came to you, ohhh



1989.11.22

And if you fuck yourself,
You will think you're happy
He'll keep you in a jar,
And you'll think you're happy
He'll give you breathing holes,
And you'll think you're happy
He'll cover you with grass,
And you'll think you're happy

Now
You're in a laundry room (x4)
ohh

And if you kill yourself,
You will think you're happy
He'll keep you in a jar,
Then you'll make you happy
He'll give you breathing holes,
Then you'll think you're happy
You'll wallow in his shit,
Then you'll think you're happy,

Now
You're in a laundry room (x2)
The clue that came to you
You're really in a laundry room,
ohh

And if you fuck yourself,
You will make him happy
He'll keep you in a jar,
Then you'll think you're happy
He'll give you breathing holes,
Then you'll think you're happy
You'll wallow in his shit,
Then you'll think you're happy,

Now
You're in a laundry room (x2)
The clue that came to you
You're really in a laundry room,
ohh