“Longview” describes intense boredom, with a title taken from a Washington town where it was first played. Lyrically, the song is about a day spent sitting around the house, doing absolutely nothing of importance, masturbating, and smoking marijuana until the days are no longer fun.
The song captur...
[Bass Solo]
[Verse 1]
I sit around and watch the tube, but nothing's on
I change the channels for an hour or two
Twiddle my thumbs just for a bit
I'm sick of all the same old shit
In a house with unlocked doors, and I'm fuckin' lazy
[Chorus]
Bite my lip and close my eyes
Take me away to paradise
I'm so damn bored I'm goin' blind
And I smell like shit
[Verse 2]
Peel me off this Velcro seat and get me movin'
I sure as hell can't do it by myself
I'm feelin' like a dog in heat
Barred indoors from the summer street
I locked the door to my own cell and I lost the key
[Chorus]
Bite my lip and close my eyes
Take me away to paradise
I'm so damn bored, I'm goin' blind
And I smell like shit
[Bridge]
I got no motivation
Where is my motivation?
No time for motivation
Smoking my inspiration (Huh)
[Verse 3]
I sit around and watch the phone, but no one's callin'
Call me pathetic, call me what you will (We will)
My mother says to get a job
But she don't like the one she's got
When masturbation's lost its fun, you're fuckin' lonely
[Chorus]
Bite my lip and close my eyes
Take me away to paradise
I'm so damn bored, I'm goin' blind
And loneliness has to suffice
Bite my lip and close my eyes
I'm slippin' away to paradise
Some say quit or I'll go blind
But it's just a myth
Longview was written by Billie Joe Armstrong & Mike Dirnt & Tré Cool.
Longview was produced by Rob Cavallo & Billie Joe Armstrong & Mike Dirnt & Tré Cool.
The song is named after the city of Longview, Washington, where it was first performed in 1992. The band had already written the song prior to arriving in the city.
Billie Joe told Billboard:
I really loved the song by the Pretenders called “Message of Love,” and wanted to write a song like that, but we needed a bass line. We are all living in this house in Richmond, California, and I think I went to a movie. Everybody back at the house had dropped acid. So I...
In an interview with Pandora Mike Dirnt said:
We did a video for this song in the house where Billie and Tré were living at the time. So that video has a special place in all of our hearts because we spent a lot of time doing nefarious things, bong rips, hanging out with friends, and writing songs....