what is the song heart shaped box by nirvanna about?

Answer 1

In many ways, "Heart-Shaped Box" represents the epitome of Cobain's fascination with the female body. In the unused In Utero liner notes - published posthumously in Journals in 2002 - Cobain writes that the song was inspired by "Camille's vaginal/flower theory," most likely referring to the American social critic Camille Paglia, of whom he was a fan. In Paglia's 1990 book Sexual Personae, she explores the prevelance of female genitals being perceived as wounds - often manifesting in diseased flower imagery - in psychoanalytic literature. She cites the ailing flower in William Blake's "The Sick Rose," the "poisonous genital flowers" in Joris-Karl Huysmans' À rebours, and a description by Tennesse Williams comparing a vagina to "a dyin' orchid." Cobain, too, was also reminded of vaginas by flowers, and in the second verse of "Heart-Shaped Box," he sings of "meat-eating orchids" that "forgive no one just yet."

Indeed, in a 2005 Spin interview, Cobain's widow, Courtney Love, claimed that "Heart-Shaped Box" was written about her vagina. Critics of Love often cite the song as proof of her domineering presence in their relationship, but Cobain refuted this in interviews. "Everyone thinks of me as this sad little spineless puppy who needs to be taken care of," he told Details in November 1993. "It sickens me."

"Courtney is my wife, and a lot of people could not accept the fact that I'm in love, and that I could be happy," he railed in his interview with Savage.

Cobain's relationship with Love may also have inspired the song's title. According to the 2001 Cobain biography Heavier Than Heaven by Charles R. Cross, Love courted Cobain by sending a small heart-shaped box to his hotel room while he was on tour. After their marriage in 1992, Cobain adopted Love's hobby, and the couple eventually accumulated a large collection of heart-shaped boxes, which lined the shelves of their many homes. According to Heavier Than Heaven, the original heart-shaped box remained in Love's possession after Cobain's death in April 1994, and contains Cobain's suicide note and a lock of his hair.

It's worth noting that the lyrics of "Heart-Shaped Box" contain references to Cobain's and Love's respective astrological signs, Pisces and Cancer.

The lyrics of "Heart-Shaped Box" may also contain a political dimension. According to Novoselic, the line "Broken hymen of your highness," from the second verse, was Cobain's direct attack on then-pending censorship bills.

"In that song, the word 'hymen' is used as a metaphor," he told Musician in 1995. "In the context of these censorship bills, if you were to discuss the hymen as a normal, natural part of the female anatomy with a teenager, you would technically be breaking the law."

Answer 2

his heart is nothing but an empty box and nothing can fill it

Answer 3

I'll have to say Turtle is correct.

Answer 4

omg