Released: September 27, 2001

Songwriter: Duke Erikson Steve Marker Butch Vig Shirley Manson

Producer: Garbage

[Verse 1]
Welcome, we love you, we hate you, we love you
We want you, we need you, we wish we were like you
They say you're a saint, you're a whore, you're a sinner
That he had you, he made you, he can't live without you

Would you confess if we asked that you nurture
The urge to declare that it's time
To settle down with a man of your own
You want a baby, a family, a piece of security?

[Chorus]
Shut your mouth
Try not to panic
Just shut your mouth
If you can do it
Shut your mouth
Try not to panic
Just shut your mouth
If you can do it
Just shut your mouth

[Verse 2]
What's your opinion of the dire situation?
In our land here, our guest here, of course you'll be nice here
How do you feel about God and religion?
Are you good people? Bad people?
Guess-it-doesn't-matter people

Your place, my place, make her bring that famous face
You got some? You want some? You wanna let me get you some?
We know your music but of course we'd never buy it
It's too fake, man - right, man!
We don't give a fucking damn!

[Chorus]
Shut your mouth
Try not to panic
Just shut your mouth
If you can do it
Shut your mouth
Try not to panic
Just shut your mouth
If you can do it

[Interlude]
I hear you saying, "Play it, smart girl
Win the game, love!
Give 'em what they want
What they want to see, and you could be a big star
You could go far
Make a landmark
What have you been reading, you smart girl?
Win the game, love!
Give'em what they want
What they want to see, and you could be a big star
You could go far
Make a landmark
Make a shitload!"

[Bridge]
And the world spins by with everybody moaning
Pissing, bitching and everyone is shitting
On their friends, on their love, on their oaths, on their honor
On their graves, out their mouths, and their words say nothing

[Chorus]
Shut your mouth
Try not to panic
Just shut your mouth
If you can do it
Shut your mouth
Try not to panic
Just shut your mouth
If you can do it
Just shut your mouth

[Outro]
I waited to say something
Oh, shut your mouth
I wanted to say something
Just shut your mouth
I waited to say something
Oh, shut your mouth
I wanted to be something
Just shut your mouth

Garbage

Garbage is a Scottish-American Alternative rock band, formed April 8th 1994. Once producer Butch Vig decided to break out of the rock he had been producing ever since Nirvana’s Nevermind, he got together with his college/studio partners Duke Erikson and Steve Marker to write some demos that would basically be remixes in song form. Once someone commented that “it sounds like garbage”, Vig decided to embrace the name. Then they invited Scottish singer Shirley Manson after seeing her on MTV, and the band’s sound was completed with sly, dark and snarky lyrics delivered in a sultry way.

The band’s eponymous debut album was a surprise hit upon release in August 1995, selling more than 4 million copies worldwide. Follow-up Version 2.0 (1998) was equally successful, even receiving a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. Then the band recorded “The World Is Not Enough” to the eponymous James Bond movie, and the record industry started to bring the band down.

Beautiful Garbage (2001) was barely promoted due to a release too close to the 9/11 attacks, and underperformed at the charts. Fourth album Bleed Like Me (2005) had a troubled production where bandmembers were frequently arguing, and eventually the album’s tour was cut short and Garbage disbanded for 2 years, only regrouped in 2007 to record new tracks for greatest hits compilation Absolute Garbage.