Frozen in the place I hide
Not afraid to paint my sky with
Some who say I've lost my mind
Brother try and hope to find

You were always so far away
I know that pain so don't you run away
Like you used to do

Roses in a vase of white
Bloodied by the thorns beside the leaves
That fall because my hand is
Pulling them hard as I can

You were always so far away
I know that pain and I won't run away
Like I used to do

Pictures in a box at home
Yellowing and green with mold
So I can barely see your face
Wonder how that color taste

You were always so far away
I know the way so don't you run away
Like you used to do
Like you used to do


Lyrics submitted by Ice

Brother song meanings
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28 Comments

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  • +4
    General Comment

    Directly from the linear notes of the Music Bank box set (written by Cantrell):

    "Ours was a divorced family, I was the older brother and we had a sister Cheri in the middle. As you know, when you're a kid there's no way you wanna hang out with your four-year-younger brother. You'll take care of the guy if someone's trying to kick his ass, but other than that you don't wanna know. I think I was really hard on him, especially without my father around. David had nbody, he split to live with my Dad and we didn't see much of each other for a good 6 or 7 years. That song was about the time we were apart, and like 'Rooster' was my dad, it was a way of trying to build a bridge."

    HeihachiMushroomon April 22, 2004   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    I wish I would've seen the reaction to 'Sap' when it was released.......'Facelift' is a heavy album - it never even hints at the beautiful, soulful, acoustic music we hear in 'Sap.' After this sideswipe, it should've been a call to the world just how special these guys were. They weren't just about heavy metal riffs, screaming, and loud music.

    hoppingbunnyon January 01, 2011   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    This song means alot to me because I feel this way with my own brother. Thanks for the meaning Heihachimushroom.

    Got Me Wrongon December 28, 2005   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    Pictures in a box at home Yellowing and green with mold So I can barely see your face Wonder how that color taste

    The last part "Wonder how that color taste" makes me wonder if he is referring to a deceased brother who is molding and decaying. Or maybe the brother is dead to him in his mind. If his brother was alive or not so distant, he wouldn't have to look at pictures to see his brother. That's what I love about songs. They give enough substance to let the imagination take over.

    msstateguy18on April 29, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    me being a learner in life and also when it come to guitars,this was the first ever song that i had cracked all by myself.so this song means a lot to me ...

    cj19on February 21, 2002   Link
  • +1
    My Opinion

    This song is a great song, but does not mean much to me because of my own brother. I think more just about friends in general. Too many people forget or just don't realizw that friendship is a two way street.

    MMQCon June 08, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Hah...After not being able to sleep, I decided to pick up a guitar and I ended up learning this song. Must have been 3am and I dont think I ever did get to sleep that night.

    Anyway, Cantrell wrote the song about (duh) his brother, Howard. I recall Cantrell saying that he didnt always treat his brother as well as he should have and this was an attempt to reconcile with him.

    PaperFaceon July 12, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Btw this is a great song, when they performed it on Unplugged... whoa it gave chills up and down my spine.

    Got Me Wrongon December 28, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    And by "Facelift" I mean "Sap."

    w4nn4b3p07h34don January 21, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Jerry played this at Dimebag's tribute, at his house the night he died. " This song is called Brother and i am proud to call Dimebag my brother."

    Hellbound9281on February 03, 2006   Link

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