Nice Guys Finish Last is the opening track and the final single to be released from Green Day's fifth studio album, Nimrod. It was not intended to be released as a single until it was used in the soundtrack for the movie Varsity Blues, released on January of 1999 before it became a single two months later. Thanks to the movie, it was nominated for the best song from a movie in the 1999 MTV Movie & TV Awards.
Song Meaning[]
The song expresses the narrator's feelings that nice guys or genuine people rarely ever end up on top in life. These type of people pretend to be nice in thinking they'll get far in life, but their true nature will be revealed sooner or later when they stop believing they could profit off kindness. He knows this wouldn't work as he has past experience with being a "nice guy" and now knows that acting like you're the authority is the key to ending up with anything in life.
Music Video[]
Nice Guys Finish Last - (Green Day Official Music Video)
The music video features the band in a football team that parodies the Green Bay Packers, replacing the Green Bay with Green Day. Multiple scenes of football action happens during the video, along with other scenes that you might encounter at a usual football game, including a scene where the coach motivates the team in the locker room. The video was directed by Evan Bernard, who contributes by doing a voiceover similar to that of the actual narrator, John Facenda from the NFL films.
Fan Invitation[]
In multiple scenes of the music video, fans of Green Day are present in the stands, who were invited to take part via a message from the band's website. Initially, the message that was posted put up an exact location and time they would be playing at, before being taken down and replaced with a cancellation notice. However, the band would schedule to play at that exact location and time anyway, so the fans who didn't listen to the fake cancellation notice ended up being featured in the video.
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
Nice guys finish last
You're running out of gas
Your sympathy will get you left behind
Sometimes you're at your best
When you feel the worst
Do you feel washed up like piss going down the drain?
[Pre-Chorus]
Pressure cooker, pick my brain and tell me I'm insane
I'm so fucking happy I could cry
Every joke can have its truth, but now the joke's on you
I never knew you were such a funny guy
[Chorus]
Oh, nice guys finish last
When you are the outcast
Don't pat yourself on the back
You might break your spine
[Verse 2]
Living on command
You're shaking lots of hands
You're kissing up and bleeding all your trust
Taking what you need
Bite the hand that feeds
You'll lose your memory, and you got no shame
[Pre-Chorus]
Pressure cooker, pick my brain and tell me I'm insane
I'm so fucking happy I could cry
Every joke can have its truth, but now the joke's on you
I never knew you were such a funny guy
[Chorus]
Oh, nice guys finish last
When you are the outcast
Don't pat yourself on the back
You might break your spine
Oh, nice guys finish last
When you are the outcast
Don't pat yourself on the back
You might break your spine
Mhm!
[Interlude]
[Chorus]
Oh, nice guys finish last
When you are the outcast
Don't pat yourself on the back
You might break your spine
Oh, nice guys finish last
When you are the outcast
Don't pat yourself on the back
You might break your spine