| Alice in Chains – Nutshell Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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It's one of -- if not *the* most personal song of Layne's. To me, it expresses the lowest and deepest point of sorrow and isolation; and also tells of society in general taking a common, false path, while the individual suffers, alone, aware of truths about the world and its shallowness. He feels alienated, and perhaps deems it as necessary yet at the same time dwells in a forlorn state; feeling nothing will change and this is what he must be subjected to. When I ponder why the title is "Nutshell", I hold to the possibility that this brilliant title was another one of Layne's play-on-words, having a double meaning. The term "nutshell" not only implies that he is enclosed and completely alone, but also gives an air of insanity (a "nutcase" is a common term for someone thought of as a lunatic); the way he is seen by the shallow, farce society he speaks so truthfully about. The music does a lot to speak for the song, as well...the low, haunting base, and the continual harmony of the acoustic guitar melding together express these two ideas of "nutshell"; the guitar bearing the pains brought upon him by people; and the base expressing his underlying, never-ending sorrow and despair. A masterpiece. |
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