So all things considered, Cobain faithfully portrays what would have likely been Gerald Friend’s general frame of thought throughout the entire criminal ordeal. However, in the third verse the story flips. Now the singer is aware that “Polly” is “just as bored” as he is. So at some point, the joy the singer was deriving from the situation apparently started to wane down. Then much to his surprise she “ caught (him) off guard” and ‘amazed’ him with “ the will of instinct”. This likely alludes to the fact that in real life, Gerald Friend’s victim was able to escape his clutches, unexpectedly of course, while the two of them were at a gas station. When the girl was with Friend, one of the means he used to torture her was via blowtorch. And the tone of that particular line can definitely be read as if Kurt Cobain is mocking or making light of the situation. Moreover the second verse and the symbolism used throughout the chorus share a similar vulgar yet playful tone. This conclusion can be verified by the next lines, in which he states “ she wants some water to put out the blow torch”. Simply put, he is joking about her being hungry (Gerald Friend is said to have starved the girl while she was in his custody). But instead of feeding her he decides to “ get off her first”, meaning to sexually gratify himself at her expense. This phrase is actually a colloquial term which in its most-common usage refers to feeding a parrot.

This song has logically raised the eyebrows of some listeners. From the onset it would appear that Kurt is mocking the victim of the aforementioned incident. Indeed the titular “Polly” is the name given to her throughout the song. And he begins by stating “ Polly wants a cracker”. Cobain became privy of this story via the newspaper. And this is his own personal take on the events which transpired, again being relayed by him taking on the persona of the kidnapper.

Nirvana nevermind cover bedeutung