Songs of Absolute Self-Loathing

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What are the most self-loathing songs ever? Lyically, musically, what songs do the worst job of concealing their writer's hatred towards themself?

A lot of songs veil intense self-disgust with humor and irony. This is acceptable, as long as you can tell the writer really wants to die, and what not.

***Bonus points if for songs what isn't rock songs. It's the most self-loathing genre, you know.

― Keiko, Monday, 20 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Song From Under the Floorboards" strikes me immediately. And Xiu Xiu's "Suha" (tho I can't understand the words to the verse, the chorus is the ultimate in self-loathing from what I can make out.)

― Keiko, Monday, 20 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Dirt" by the Stooges, "24 Hours" and/or "Isolation" by Joy Division

― Alex in NYC, Monday, 20 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Ginny Arnell's girl-group-era "Dumb Head," in which the singer gets to declare to the world "I'm a stupid little girl... I was born with a peanut for a brain," etc.

The entire recorded output of Swans, esp. earliest and latest years. And maybe the Gothic Archies' "It's Useless to Struggle." And a lot of late-period Nirvana, of course.

Also: the Offenders' "I Hate Myself."

― Douglas, Monday, 20 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

And how could I forget Negative Approach's "Nothing"? "NOTHING'S EVER FUCKIN GONNA WORK FOR MEEEE!"

― Douglas, Monday, 20 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Not just late-period Nirvana (Negative Creep).

― Mark, Monday, 20 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Liz Phair - "Fuck And Run", The Microphones - "Headless Horseman", well all of The Glow Part 2 is kinda self loathing, um the easy answers of NIN and The Wall is either Self Loathing or Self Asorbed or Self Serving if not all at once.

― Mr Noodles, Monday, 20 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Most of 'The Great Eastern' by the Delgados.

― David Beckhouse, Monday, 20 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

parasite by nick drake

― brains, Monday, 20 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"I'm a Loser" by the Beatles
"I Hate Myself and Want to Die" by Nirvana
"I Can't Stand Myself" by the Contortions

I LOVE "Dumbhead"!

― Arthur, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The Figurehead by The Cure?

― Flowersdie, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Mind Playing Tricks on Me", Geto Boys. The (multiple) narrator speaks of his drug business and relationship going down the drain due to his own incompetence, and by the end he's reduced to stealing Halloween candy but fails even in that pursuit. I like the line "My hands were bloody from punching the concrete", encapsulates an utterly wasted life and worse, awareness of same.

How 'bout SPringsteen's "Dancing in the Dark", "Stolen Car" - maybe even "Atlantic City"

― dave q, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

There must be a lot of country songs like this, one example being noted social drinker George Jones' "A Drunk Can't Be a Man"

― dave q, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Marc Almond is one of the all-time masters of this 'genre' surely. All the way from "Chips On My Shoulder" and "Bedsitter" from 81 through to "Mother Fist" and all the others.

― Darren, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

we have a winner - ' i've been on my own for far too long... just to see a face - i'm really pleased when the gas man comes...buy all my food from the BP shop when the night kicks in...i fucked it up, shot my load...could've been somebody special'

'special/blown it' - mansun.

― piscesboy, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Elizabeth On The Bathroom Floor" by the Eels. Sample lyric:

"My name's Elizabeth, my life is shit and piss"

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The first thing that springs to mind is Big Black's "Bad Houses," esp for the line "I tell myself I will not go/even as I drive there."

Pretty much any Big Black/Rapeman/Shellac, I reckon.

― Lee G, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Hard to find examples in hip-hop, but "What's Up Fatlip" has to be one:

Blowin' like a sucka almost every day / In the back of your mind you prob'ly thinkin' I was gay / But naw, I'm just a bitch ass nigga / The type that get jacked above the ribs ass nigga / See I been a loser just about all my life / Type that try turn a ho to a housewife / What do you expect / I give respect / And feel for hoes niggas keep in check / I'm far from hard / Emotionally scarred / On Pico Boulevard / I was regarded as a retard...

― briania, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Me without clothes, a nation turns its back and gags" - Morrisey, Late Night on Maudulin St

― Queen G (no relation to Brad), Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

the crappy Mansun lyric doesnt count as it is about how like HARD it is to be a RICH FAMOUS ROCK GOD like wot Mansun aren't.

the new Pink single on the other hand plummets scary new depths of bitterness and self-loathing.

― Wyndham Earl, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Biggie's "Suicidal Thoughts"

― Mitch Lastnamewithheld, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"when I die, fuck it, I wanna go to hell/'cos I'm a piece of shit it ain't hard to fucking tell"

― Mitch Lastnamewithheld, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

another green salad, another ice tea
there's a tunic in the closet waiting just for me
I feel like I'm disappearing - getting smaller every day
but I look in your eyes - and I'm bigger in every way

- "Tunic (Song for Karen)", Sonic Youth

― o. nate, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

the last verse or so of 'Idiot Wind'.

― thom, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

X - Nausea

today you're gonna be so sick so sick you'll prop your forehead on the sink say oh christ oh jesus christ my head's gonna crack like a bank tonight you'll fall asleep in clothes—so late like a candy bar wrapped up for lunch that's all you get to taste poverty and spit poverty and spit nausea bloody red eyes go to nausea bloody red eyes go to nausea bloody red eyes go to sleep you're talking out of harmony you can't remember what you said cut it out you feel retarded take the sissors saw the head

― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"My name's Elizabeth, my life is shit and piss"

But his name isn't Elizabeth (is it?) so this is a character sketch, which is cheating.

I'd have been the shadow of your shadow, if it might have kept me by your side.

― N., Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Hate My Way by Throwing Muses.

Then again, just about the entire first album is a deep well of self loathing.

The whole first half of the song where Kristin rants through a list of things she could hate "I could be a smack freak and hate society, I could hate god, and blame death..." before deciding with utter finality and these guitar chords that just smack you in the face. "NO! I hate my way."

See also the entire Pretty On The Inside album by Hole. I listened to it again for the first time in years, and I had forgotten how powerful it was.

― speak of the devil, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

A nod of agreement to the first Throwing Muses album. You feel like you've been pummelled after listening to it. One of the best self- loathing moments is the end of "Call Me": "Here I am, what a loser, waiting for years to go by... Call me...
Call me...
Call me." Classic!

― Ernest, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

X Ray Spex-"I Can't Do Anything". "I can't love and I can't hate/I can't even hesitate."

― Arthur, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"What's Up Fatlip?" I CAN'T BELIEVE I EVER FORGOT ABOUT THAT SONG! DAMNIT! GOLDEN!

I'm very surprised no one challenged my notion that "rock is the most self-loathing genre". Considering, you know, blues and country, and stuff.

― Keiko, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Born to lose
I've lived my life in vain
Every dream I've had
Has only caused me pain
All my life, I've always been so blue
Born to lose
and now I'm losing you"

'Born To Lose' ~ Ray Charles

"Depression's... GONNA KILL MEEEEE"

'Depression' ~ Black Flag

― DavidM, Wednesday, 22 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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