The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
On a cobweb afternoon
In a room full of emptiness
By a freeway I confess
I was lost in the pages
Of a book full of death
Reading how we'll die alone
And if we're good, we'll lay to rest
Anywhere we want to go
In your house, I long to be
Room by room, patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
And on my deathbed I will pray
To the gods and the angels
Like a pagan to anyone
Who will take me to heaven
To a place I recall
I was there so long ago
The sky was bruised
The wine was bled
And there you led me on
In your house, I long to be
Room by room, patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
Alone
And on I read
Until the day was gone
And I sat in regret
Of all the things I've done
For all that I've blessed
And all that I've wronged
In dreams until my death
I will wander on
In your house, I long to be
Room by room, patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
Alone
In a room full of emptiness
By a freeway I confess
I was lost in the pages
Of a book full of death
Reading how we'll die alone
And if we're good, we'll lay to rest
Anywhere we want to go
In your house, I long to be
Room by room, patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
And on my deathbed I will pray
To the gods and the angels
Like a pagan to anyone
Who will take me to heaven
To a place I recall
I was there so long ago
The sky was bruised
The wine was bled
And there you led me on
In your house, I long to be
Room by room, patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
Alone
And on I read
Until the day was gone
And I sat in regret
Of all the things I've done
For all that I've blessed
And all that I've wronged
In dreams until my death
I will wander on
In your house, I long to be
Room by room, patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
Alone
Lyrics submitted by pyledrvr, edited by Crasha360, ContentCop
Like a Stone Lyrics as written by Chris Cornell Timothy Commerford
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Hipgnosis Songs Group
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well too bad it's not a love song... not every single song is about love or drugs.. Tim Commerford of Audioslave talks about Chris Cornell's lyrical style and explains Like a Stone on the Audioslave DVD: "He's [Cornell] a poet, and he fooled me with a lot of his songs and that like a song like "Like A Stone", I thought it was a love song. The chorus is "I'll wait for you there like a stone, I'll wait for you there alone." And I was like "Yo, bro what are you waiting for?" And he's like "Waiting to die." And I just went "Oh, okay." laughs That changes everything. I went back and looked at the song and I..I got kind of saddened by what he's singing about is like a guy waiting alone in a house of death, and all his friends are dying and he's just waiting there, and I'm picturing this man in a rocking chair like waiting to die. It changed everything for me. That made me go back and look at all the songs, and maybe go back and look at Temple of a Dog songs, and Soundgarden songs, and everything, and I started going "Okay, I get Cornell now, and he's a genius." He..He fooled me for..for 15 years, you know? Where maybe I thought some of the things he was singing about were slightly trivial, but they're never trivial, he's deep...he's really deep."
Maybe that was a little much but I'm sick of hearing about this song as a love song...listen to the lyrics!!
@blind_rockstar this song had me fooled for so long! I, like many others, thought it was about love. Only when I ready this did all the dots connect.
@blind_rockstar My God. I did not know that. I knew Chris Cornell was a genius writer and great singer, but the meaning of the song really did change the game. Now I got to go back to reading more of his lyrics to get the real meanings behind it. Thanks for that story.
@blind_rockstar I think he is in a hotel room, alone reading a bible, and wondering where he is going to go when he dies. " In your house I long to be (Gods house) Next he\'s thinking about all he has done in life.... ( for all that I\'ve blessed, for all that I\'ve wronged) He will dream of these things until "my death" He wonders the earth, waiting for the day when he dies alone. I wait for you there. Well that\'s what I get out of it.
I think he's praying for salvation from anyone who will give it to him.
On my death bed I will pray To the gods and the angels Like a pagan To anyone who will take me to heaven
I don't think he's accepting God, just hoping that there is one and he is forgiving.
Damn it, I have to agree with the prick lol.
You my friend have hit the nail square on the head. The book he is reading is the Bible! Although the bible is a book of praise and uplift it is also a book filled with much death. There is much pain and sadness and regret from whomever wrote this song and searches to lay down their weight.
I think the lyrics are about a man, who at the darkest period of life realizes there is a God. Along with this epiphany, he accepts his own mortality. As he waits for death, he agonizes over guilt of his past deeds and wonders if he is worthy of heavan...where he desperatly wants to go. He is afraid he can't get in.
Exactly. Perfect. Thats what i thought exactly.
@ritualmisery This is EXACTLY what I always thought as well!
@ritualmisery Agreed...In the Bible Heaven is a mansion filled with rooms and at one point he states “in your house I long to be...room by room patiently”...In addition it is clearly the Bible he is referencing...Surely many of us have come to this realization and epiphany.<br />
CC always teeters on the edge of inspirational music in his lyrics.. is he singing about God, or a girl... Always, the charmer.
I thought this song was about a person, waiting to die, to meet up with someone who has passed away already, this someone was very special and loved. So he waits there in that house in the room, awaiting death, awaiting the reunion. In the Audioslave dvd, it is said that this song is about waiting for death.
@aquastars I also agree with your viewpoint as well. I even thought that it could be choosing to haunt the place of your memories of love in life.
@aquastars It is not a person, it is God he is waiting to meet. He desires to live in the house of God.
I think that we all for the most part can agree it is about someone waiting to die. Lets get past that.
This person waiting to die, has not found God or religion again, but rather still is in that state of searching for god; as shown by "room by room, patiently". He is still SEARCHING. This can also be verified by "On my deathbed I will pray to the gods and the angels. Like a pagan to anyone who will take me to heaven" he has NOT truly found god, but rather, still believes in their presence. He just wants to go to this place that is heaven when he dies, not wanting to lose what he has enjoyed during his long experience in life (not only age, but cobwebs could also represent experience).
The searching theme is further enhanced by "To a place I recall. I was there so long ago. The sky was bruised, the wine was bled. And there you led me on" He recalls what he once had; security and spiritual affirmation of a heaven and in particular, Jesus. Apparently at some point in his life he uncovered some information or had an experience which caused him to lose faith, hence "lead me on" which proposes that god was never there for him. He does want to see him, as he still searches for him. HIS SEARCH WILL ONLY BE ENDED BY THE BITTERSWEET EVENT THAT IS DEATH.
He [the man in the song] regrets finding god earlier, even though he has still not found him. He "regrets" the life he has lived, and it was a long one ("cobwebs"). Everybody has left him, or perhaps, he has left them in his recent confrontation with approaching death
The man waiting to die is one that I think many of us can identify with. Our insecurities and fears of death; and at the same time a strong willingness to want to find out what lies on the other side. This is a very spiritual song.
@dookiedude8 Great analysis, but it's entirely possible that the cobweb is a descriptive term that simply enhances the overall image of a barren room. A room with a man inside waiting to die and nothing else. It could also be interpreted as a kind of metaphor for the unremarkable day that he is describing, as in life the day we day may not be symbolic or meaningful at all save for the fact that it is the day of our demise. I completely agree with your take on his relationship with God or spirituality in general, and the cobweb afternoon also potentially adds to the idea of a guy whose life has been empty of such meaningful things to that point. He has been devoid of something to believe in, and therefore the afternoon of his death is empty, the room or place where he is waiting to die is empty, and he waits alone because he hasn't committed himself to anything with enough sincerity to warrant any company as he waits for death to find him. He waits, hoping for death to bring with it redemption and a passage to a place akin to heaven, but his desperation is readily apparent and the only thing he is certain of is that death is coming. This in itself is very deep but unfortunately both poignant and thoroughly depressing. It encourages the idea of belief in the spiritual without the need to be given proof while at the same time reminding us that without such belief the only thing all of us can be completely certain of in this life is that it will end. Cornell is not only the greatest singer in rock music because of his absolutely phenomenal vocal range, but he is also a wordsmith whose ability to create meaningful and haunting verse is spectacular.
@dookiedude8
You got it right on...good words my friend
@dookiedude8 The room he is in at the beginning of the song is an empty church or some other house of worship, be ii buddhist, catholic, Hindu, etc. He goes to various houses of worship hoping to find god someday "Room by room , patiently"
I believe that the message of this song comes from the eyes of a person who has been sentenced to life in prison and reading the Bible for the first time. In reading he is discovering about heaven and now he wishes to be able to go so that he may experience freedom again. The lines "in a room full of emptiness" and "In dreams until my death I will wander on" signifies him being in a prison cell, trapped and not moving like a stone. The line "In your house I long to be" is a description of heaven from the Bible...a house with many rooms. And "I will pray to the gods and the angels Like a pagan to anyone who will take me to heaven" Describes his new found desperation to enter Heaven. "To a place I recall I was there so long ago" Is the prisoner remembering when he was child and last innocent enough to be able to go to Heaven.
@popabook ...With the establishment of Christianity, preaching and teaching from house to house became a prominent part of true worship. (Ac 20:20) Jesus’ followers availed themselves of the hospitality accorded them by ‘deserving ones’ or ‘friends of peace,’ and they stayed in the houses of such persons until completing their ministry in a particular city. (Mt 10:11; Lu 10:6, 7; see PREACHER, PREACHING [“From House to House”].) Often groups or congregations of Christians regularly met together in houses to consider God’s Word. (Ro 16:5; 1Co 16:19; Col 4:15; Phm 2) But any who turned away from the teaching of the Christ were not welcomed in private homes.—2Jo 10.
I read lots of the postings on here and there are very good points.
But i am surprised no one has mentioned the Tibetan Book of The Dead. I initially thought the Bible as there are references to lines in the bible. Except that religions that go against the Christian and Catholic bible use same references and change a word or two to change the meaning. The bible is about eternal life not death.
That's why if you grow up reading the bible and loose your way and read another bible you can easily feel like this.
"I was lost in the pages Of a book full of death"
Also: The bible says there is only one god, its the Devils bible, the Greek Mythology and many other that say there is more than one God.
"To the gods and the angels Like a pagan to anyone Who will take me to heaven"
No one who is reading a bible would reference themselves as a pagan. The Gods and the angels can easily be a reference to the devil and the fallen angels. And anyone that does not agree with the bible will seek one that allows for ones behavior. With out consequences.
In the book of the dead it states how dreams will manifest themselves. You see references of dreams in the bible that tell of future events.
And on I read Until the day was gone And I sat in regret Of all the things I've done For all that I've blessed And all that I've wronged In dreams until my death I will wander on
This sounds to me like he is trying to reach Karma or an enlightened state, analyzing his life.
I came to this because of this line: "For all that I've blessed" Sounds like a shaman a guru.
The songs sounded to me like he is trying to get close to God. But the more i read it, heard it and watched the video the more i think there is a lot more to it, that i am no were near qualified to comment on.
Great voice though and awesome lyrics that make you think. Just what lyrics are suppose to do.
@tdlg0 Awesome take, and your last comment is exactly what I love about rock music and what I hate about so much of the pop garbage that passes for music these days. Lyrics are supposed to make us think, feel, speculate, dream, etc. Much of today's pop needs no interpretation, no introspection or understanding, it just rhymes or pathetically copies phrases that have been used before or worse it repeats idiotic pop culture sayings that are both disgusting and ridiculous. However, your idea that a pagan can't read the bible is not realistic as anyone can read anything and choose to believe it or not. He was saying that his willingness to pray to anyone or beseech anyone for redemption is akin to the actions of a pagan. A pagan is often thought of as someone who prays to multiple deities and is willing to incorporate a number of different beliefs into their own ideals to give themselves a greater chance of a true and fulfilling afterlife. I applaud your analysis of this song and its meaning and I agree that many people commenting on here have made great points. I do think that your belief may have clouded your ability to understand the possible ideas here though, because you are very clearly a Christian who has trouble understanding that anyone could see the bible differently than you or interpret it in a negative way.
@tdlg0 I love this song and have often wondered about the meaning. I knew it was about religion and death, but after reading your suggestion on the book of the dead, its right on the money.<br /> <br /> <br /> Buddhism says that after death(if you follow the religions instructions) you can go to a realm outside of death and rebirth. And this place can be anything you want “anywhere we want to go”<br /> <br /> He is absolutely praying to other pagan gods and deities to take him somewhere in the afterlife , but ironically, the place he wants to go when he dies is to the Christian Heaven.<br /> <br /> Once in his life, he had faith in Christianity “Take me to heaven , to a place I recall, I was there so long ago. The wine was blood” Only in the Christian religion is the wine blood, representing the blood of Jesus.<br /> <br /> But at some point, something happened and he lost his faith in the Christian religion. Though he no longer believes, he wants it to be real. And he sees this as possible in the Buddhist religion.<br />
@tdlg0 Also, I read somewhere that Cornell was heavy into Buddhism.
@tdlg0 The book that he references has to be the Bible because a room by the freeway has to be a motel/hotel room and all of them have a Bible in the drawer by the bed.
@tdlg0 i think u did it wonderfully. Best ive heard
Once a great song that was ruined by a f*#k'n c#@k tease of a b#^ch i was in love with. So thanks alot b#^ch.
lol I know how you feel man.
hahaha sorry dude. That's pretty funny though.
Just found this website so this is late in coming but rejection sucks. Don't let anyone wreck an inspirational song for you.
depressoing but awesome song nonetheless... audioslave rocks