Head Creeps

I believe this is a song co-written by Mark Rachuna, who used to play with Uncle Dirt Nap, a band that played with Alice here in Seattle at least once. Layne and Mark were good friends, and they hung out and wrote this song together... but unfortunately there was no credit given to Mark on the album. Mark and I are good friends, and I can ask him what the actual meaning of the lyrics are....my guess is that a lot of you are right in assuming it was about his addiction, which eventually took his life. But it may also be about his feelings towards the press. I know Mark told me what they meant at one point, but I no longer recall. I can ask him, though, if anyone is interested.

I think this song is about Layne's grudge against the media that shunned him.

The first and second verse are about how they asked the same questions, and wanted the same answers. They were just doing their job and not caring what they were REALLY DOING. "Like puppets on a string" supports this. The reporters are puppets for media companies just trying to get the story. "untangle you from me" He says he wants out of the media's mess.

The chorus speaks out how he wishes they would leave him alone. He tired of people following him so they can advertise his flaws to the world. He wants to be forgotten, so he won't be "slapped in the face again."

The third verse talks about the boring interviews. How the snake-like reporters dig at him, and don't care about the facts just the rumors.

The final verse: He feels as people hate him for his problems. He knows he will be around longer then everyone thinks he'll last. How he still has time to clean himself up. Remake himself, and get some revenge. (oh how I only wish!)

Look, this song is darkness, black. This song shoots straight from the core of Layne's being. I believe it provided Layne the opportunity to express the contempt he feels for everyone and everything including himself. He's done with everything and hopeless. He still likes getting high regardless of what anyone thinks and we're all irritating him. I can't imagine feeling as out of control as Layne must have felt at this point.

I really think Layne became fixated on what other people thought of him because of his inability to think about anything but getting high. Its a paranoid obsession. He observantly describes how irritated he is about how he's been treated and represented. I believe the fixation is reflective of the hopelessness of his addiction, as if he's aware that he's completely done himself in and is ashamed of it but accepts it knowing he can't do anything about it. So he displaces his anger and frustration other people's perceptions. It's a blame game by a junkie where, he's fucked, a slave to heroin and you're all pissing him off by paying attention to him. I think he was too burnt to have many major thoughts of his own so he focused on everyone else's. A vicious cycle which lead to anger, frustration and depression.

"One day my plane leaves, some way my head creeps" = I am going to die, sooner than later, look at how fucked I am.

Oh btw, i hate the drum production on this song. The drum pattern Sean's playing is thoroughly badass but it couldn't have been mixed to sound any smaller or flatter. I still can't figure out what they were thinking, or maybe they forgot about it. Grind has a decent drum sound, why not here? Other songs suffer from this quiet, flat sound, maybe they didn't give a shit what people thought. What do I know...

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This song absolutely was co-written by Mark Rachuna and Layne Staley. Mark and Layne were housemates for a year or more in the early/mid half of the 90's, sharing a house on the west side of Queen Anne hill. Ironically, I remember hanging out with those guys there and partying there really late at nite. We filmed that hilarious video where Layne keeps walking through a doorway with a goofy grin saying HEY! That was me on the camera, you can hear me laughing my ass off. The question that started that hilariousness was me asking everyone why is it that on comedy sitcoms everyone makes an entrance on set smiling over-enthusiastically, and never sad, or melancholie or whatever. I cant remember if I mimicked it first in the doorway or not, but we got Layne to repeatedly walk through the doorway saying HEY! We filmed it on camera and its some great archival stoney stuff.

Anyway... long story short, I ran into Mark (again) many years later after Layne died and at his place on the other side of Queen Anne he played me a tape of them writing the song and rehearsing it together. Mark and Layne were very close friends, and Layne even served as the official chaplan/priest when marrying Mark and his (now ex) wife! True story.

So now you know. I don't believe Mark Rachuna has ever been compensated by Alice in Chains for writing Head Creeps with Layne. They should do that, and should give him proper credit on the album for his role in writing the song.

The band should do that for all of the other people that co-wrote songs with Layne, including the un-named guy who wrote the majority of the lyrics and melody and first part of the guitar solo of Nutshell with Layne in 1993.

Six and a half minutes of kick you in the nuts rock n roll.

this is what i love about aic music. the meanings can take on different things. its genious. i'm sure you guys are right on in the most part, but i see this as another relationship song or an attempt at one. it sounds to me like a girl leading him on only to slide him to the side and slap him in his face again. its driving him crazy and he wants to get away(one day my plane leaves), but he is like her puppet on a string. he realizes that he is at her command.

This is my breakdown of the song, I didn't get some things and ddnt decode them: No more time (I’m out of time) Just one more time (Just want to get high one more time)

So crazy, beat the strain (So different, stray from the norm) Too lazy, shake the gray (Too lazy to shake off the unconfirmed) So, and she willed the rain (If she says it, it will happen) So let me be defamed (She attacks my reputation) Your redundancy stains (Your repetition makes people believe) Tired of infantile claims (I’m tired of your childish claims) Like puppets on a string (You control them like puppets on strings) Untangle you from me (You don’t want anything to do with me)

Time to call the doggies off (Call off the media) Tired of the shadowin (I’m tired of the rumors) Slide me to the side again (Just forget about me) Slapped in the face again (But you don’t respect that)

No more time Just one more time

Your redundancy stains Tired of infantile claims Like puppets on a string Untangle you from me So crazy, beat the strain Too lazy, shake the gray So, and she willed the rain So let me be defamed

Time to call the doggies off Tired of the shadowin Slide me to the side again Slapped in the face again

One day my plane leaves Some way my head creeps Some day my head leads Some way my head creeps

No more time Just one more time

Empty room sets the scene Pick at me slow, pain fiend Suck me through barbed screen Anger becomes our queen Tongue whipping forked black (Words become weapons) How long until you crack (I am about to crack) Surprised and set back (Surprised when rumors aren’t true) Lackeys loose talk for fact (Rumors become facts)

Time to call the doggies off ] Tired of the shadowin ] Slide me to the side again ] (2x) Slapped in the face again ]

One day my plane leaves Some way my head creeps Some day my head leads Some way my head creeps Creeps

No more time Just one more time

So crazy feel the hate (I can feel your hate) Yeah, Ive got years to wait (It will be a while before the controversy blows over) I know its not too late (But I know it isn’t too late) Lending clean hands of fate (Giving way to a new generation) Rise from the dirt Im in (Rise from the “dead”) Hide in anothers skin (Hide in plain sight) Stick black dress doll with pin Your mouth takes on my grin (You follow in my footsteps)

So crazy (3x)

Just my take on the song.

good call redsand.

thats pretty much how it goes. you wouldn't be able to tell totally from the verses but the chorus really shows it... the whole "Slide me to the side again Slapped in the face again " part speaks for itself.

Whoa, awesome interp, redsand!! I think you hit it on the head. Actually your last comment there reminded me of an article I read about Layne...it's called "Famous Last Words"... he sounds hell-bent on proving those kind of people wrong about predicting his funeral, its a really good article, very candid. Let me know if you're interested and I'll send you a link.

Here's a link to that article: adbdesign.com/aic/articles/art114.html