The intimate horror of Nirvana's "Polly"

“Polly” lands right smack in the middle of Nirvana’s seminal Nevermind. For the casual listener, the acoustic track might just drift by in between the catharsis of “Lithium” and the fury of “Territorial Pissings.” Listen closely, though, and you might sense something cruel in its easygoing chorus, during which Cobain sings lines like, “got some rope” and “don’t cut yourself.” Hop online (or read an old interview with Kurt Cobain) and you’ll learn that the song was born from a 1987 incident in which a convicted sex offender abducted and raped a 14-year old in Tacoma, Washington. As Cobain’s lyrics recount, the girl was able to escape the rapist, but not before he tortured her with a blowtorch.