Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue

Album: Ramones (1976)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Bass player Dee Dee Ramone wrote this song, which is about sniffing glue, a cheap and easy way to kill some brain cells. This is a pastime of bored teenage boys with bad judgment.
  • Running just 1:34, this song has minimalist lyrics driven by a propulsive beat. The words are simply these lines repeated three times:

    Now I wanna sniff some glue
    Now I wanna have somethin' to do
    All the kids wanna sniff some glue
    All the kids want somethin' to do
  • The Ramones didn't really want folks to sniff glue. Tommy Ramone explained in Hey! Ho! Let's Go! The Ramones Anthology by David Fricke: "I have a feeling Dee Dee was talking about his childhood, how he actually thought it was some kind of release when he was a kid. I thought of it as a parody. He might have been a little more serious."

    Johnny Ramone added: "We couldn't write about love or cars, so we sang about this stuff, like glue sniffing. We thought it was funny. We thought we could get away with anything." >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Katie - Goulburn, for above 3
  • This is one of the tracks on the Ramones first album. On their follow-up, they included a song called "Carbona Not Glue," which is about graduating to cleaning solvent for a cheap high.

Comments: 3

  • Zero from The Abyss, NjOne of the rare times Johnny plays lead guitar. Usually it was done by Marky, producers, or session musicians.
  • Fyodor from Denver, CoAll the kids want somethin' to do, that's real life for ya!!
  • A.j. from Chicago, IlThis is in House of 1,000 Corpses.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce PavittSong Writing

The man who ran Nirvana's first label gets beyond the sensationalism (drugs, Courtney) to discuss their musical and cultural triumphs in the years before Nevermind.

Alan Merrill of The Arrows

Alan Merrill of The ArrowsSongwriter Interviews

In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer.

Five Rockers Who Rolled With The Devil

Five Rockers Who Rolled With The DevilSong Writing

Just how much did these monsters of rock dabble in the occult?

Michelle Branch

Michelle BranchSongwriter Interviews

Michelle Branch talks about "Everywhere," "The Game Of Love," and her run-in with a Christian broadcasting network.

Gary LeVox

Gary LeVoxSongwriter Interviews

On "Life Is A Highway," his burgeoning solo career, and the Rascal Flatts song he most connects with.

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"They're Playing My Song

The Nails lead singer Marc Campbell talks about those 44 women he sings about over a stock Casio keyboard track. He's married to one of them now - you might be surprised which.