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


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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Like a Stone song meanings
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163 Comments

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  • +42
    General Comment

    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_rockstaron February 02, 2005   Link
  • +13
    General Comment

    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.

    magicmanx9on December 30, 2004   Link
  • +9
    General Comment

    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.

    ritualmiseryon December 23, 2004   Link
  • +6
    General Comment

    CC always teeters on the edge of inspirational music in his lyrics.. is he singing about God, or a girl... Always, the charmer.

    arfarfon June 05, 2004   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    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.

    aquastarson December 07, 2004   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    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.

    dookiedude8on October 20, 2009   Link
  • +4
    My Interpretation

    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.

    popabookon June 07, 2011   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    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.

    tdlg0on August 23, 2012   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    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.

    Knotty Boyon June 27, 2004   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    depressoing but awesome song nonetheless... audioslave rocks

    mornzzzon December 22, 2004   Link

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