Mouthwash

This is my face
Covered in freckles
With the occasional spot
And some veins

This is my body
Covered in skin
And not all of it
You can see

And, this, is my mind
It goes over and over
The same old lines

And, this, is my brain
It's torturous analytical thoughts
Make me go insane

And I use mouthwash
Sometimes I floss
I've got a family
And I drink cups of tea

I've got nostalgic pavements
I've got familiar faces
I've got mixed-up memories
And I've got favourite places

And I'm singing "oh oh" on a Friday night
And I'm singing "oh oh" on a Friday night
And I'm singing "oh oh" on a Friday night
And I hope everything's gonna be alright
And I'm singing "oh oh" on a Friday night
And I hope everything's gonna be alright

This is my face
I've got a thousand opinions
And I've got time and time to explain

And this is my body
And no matter how you try and disable it
Yes I'll still be here

And, this, is my mind
And although you try to infringe
You cannot confine

And, this, is my brain
And even if you try and hold me back
There's nothing that you can gain

'Cause I use mouthwash
Sometimes I floss
I've got a family
And I drink cups of tea

I've got nostalgic pavements
I've got familiar faces
I've got mixed-up memories
And I've got favourite places

I'm singing "oh oh" on a Friday night
And I'm singing "oh oh" on a Friday night
And I'm singing "oh oh" on a Friday night
And I hope everything's gonna be alright
And I'm singing "oh oh" on a Friday night
And I hope everything's gonna be alright
Oh oh oh oh oh oh:


"’Mouthwash' is bit of a protest song that comes from the confusion of youth. I guess it's about not quite being there yet. About not feeling totally sure where you are going but still feeling the need to defend all the things that make you into who you are. We all have routines and things in common, that still somehow manage to be totally unique and personal to you." Kate Nash


I love songs which are unabashedly self-revelatory. This is a great song by Kate Nash, about searching for the essence of self and finding a deep core of strength in the myriad, mundane things we do, which on their own are inane and trite, but together create something unique. The song's lyrics seem jokily meaningless, but I think there's something really powerful about the image of a young girl feeling under attack ('even if you try to hold me back, there's nothing you can gain') and gaining the realisation that these little things we do make up the the story which we write.

For me this is an adolescent version of the idea that it's all invented - that we should take strength from the inanity of life, that we can write our own story, and that we don't have to be bit-parts in someone else's story, but rather enjoy the possibilities of our own - mind, body, brain, mouthwash, cups of tea, nostalgic pavements, mixed-up memories, and favourite places.

Personally I find more truth in pop than philosophy, but that's probably just 'cos Kierkegaard never owned a bass guitar. It also may be because I have a short attention span.