Songfacts®:

• Linoleum is a kind of floor covering typically used in kitchens and bathrooms because it's pretty much indestructible. It is not, however, comfortable to sleep on.
  
  The song is about Mark Curry, a musician who was good friends with NOFX. "He would always be the last man standing, and he would always just sleep on the kitchen floor," NOFX frontman Fat Mike told Songfacts. "He didn't even look for a couch or carpet. And NOFX, in the '80s, we always slept on floors. Always."
  
  "I never chose linoleum," Mike continued. "I never chose a kitchen floor - but Mark would always choose a kitchen floor. So, it's about him."
• "Linoleum" is the most popular NOFX song and the one they played at their concerts most often. It's fast and loud and embodies their values in the first line:
  
  Possessions never meant anything to me
• The song defies convention by not having a chorus and only having two rhymes in the lyrics, yet it's the biggest NOFX song. "It should tell songwriters something," Fat Mike said in his Songfacts interview. "The more you rhyme, the quicker people get sick of your f--king song."
• The song is part of NOFX' fifth album, Punk In Drublic, released as punk rock was starting to creep into the mainstream. Pop radio was playing Green Day songs and record labels were on the hunt for similar bands that could cross over. NOFX got offers but decided to stay independent - they were part of Epitaph Records, a punk label run by Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion. This limited their reach but allowed them extraordinary freedom, which they used to make more loud, fast, chorus-free songs and decline most media requests - no radio station showcases for these guys. They band enjoyed a certain cachet by staying indie while bands like Green Day and The Offspring jumped to majors. They ended up on a lot of festivals, including the Warped Tour.
  
  When the punk wave petered out, NOFX remained a top draw with an exceptionally loyal fan base. Eventually, the Punk In Drublic album was certified Gold, proving that indie bands can do big things. It also provided the template for blink-182's punny album titles like Enema Of The State and Take Off Your Pants And Jacket.
• August Burns Red, Frank Turner, Streetlight Manifesto, and probably 100 different punk/garage bands you've never heard of have covered "Linoleum." NOFX had some fun with this by recording a new version called "Linewleum" with the metal band Avenged Sevenfold in 2021. In that song, they ceremonially put the song out to pasture, with Fat Mike singing, "At 25 years old it's the humane thing to do."
  
  The video shows clips of many different acts performing it, and ends with a message from Mike: "Finding and watching all these videos was such a humbling experience... to all the bands that played it... a very sincere thank you."