At the Library

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39Smooth.jpg
At the Library
Song length: 2:28
Album: 39/Smooth (1990)
1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours (1991)
Chronology
Previous song: "The One I Want" (1989)
Next song: "Don't Leave Me" (1990)

"At the Library" is the first track on Green Day's first album 39/Smooth, and it is also the first track on the compilation album 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours. It is on Side A of the cassette releases of both albums. The song is 2:28 in length and is followed by "Don't Leave Me".

Some people say Billie wrote this song about a girl he thought was ugly but should go out with him. He saw her at the library and asked her out, but she rejected him because she already had a boyfriend.

Prior to the release of Dookie, Green Day performed this song live frequently. It was most recently played on April 16, 2015 at the House of Blues in Cleveland, Ohio, where Billie, Mike, and Al held a brief Sweet Children reunion.[1]

Song meaning[edit | edit source]

The narrator tries to talk to a girl he just met, but lacks the courage to go up to her. He notices the girl looking at him but he doesn't know if it is because she likes him or if she's just being kind. He doubts for so long, thinking about what to say, that the girl eventually leaves with her boyfriend. The narrator expresses a positive interest in the girl, he tries to figure out what it is about her that drives him mad.

Lyrics[edit | edit source]

Main article: At the Library/lyrics

References[edit | edit source]