Frogs

Actually it could very easily be an allusion to both. Many, addicts become so deeply codependent on the drugs that in their minds, they attribute the euphoria with a relationship and come to view them almost as a friend. When that friend eventually starts to kill you, you can't feel to an altered mind, that wouldn't feel like a betrayal?

@agginym I don’t think that everybody thinks that about all of their songs, at all. And by the way, when someone is having a hell of a struggle trying to get clean from heroin, of which Layne really wanted and tried many times to do, but unfortunately was unsuccessful. What does that have to do with giving Layne some credit? Besides the fact that Jerry wrote by far most of their stuff, anyway, but that’s not my point. My point is- the whole group had a huge heroin problem at that time. In addition, people don’t seek help to get off of a drug unless overall it’s not working for them, so to speak. It is a common reality that often people write songs about their life and what they are going through. What would be so crazy if Layne, and/or Jerry wrote songs about about how they reached a dream, that many people dream of btw, but very few attain (becoming a well known, well liked, and well respected rock band), then the band’s life goes crazy and out of control due to all the band mates addictions. Then everyone gets clean but Layne. Keep in mind, they are all still young and a “relatively” newer band compared to like Classic Rick groups, so bottom line, they still have many great years still ahead of them to put out good shit. But they can’t, because Layne’s heroin addiction and the irresponsibility that goes with it in his case, prevents the band from continuing on with their dream that they worked so hard for. I mean, AIC’s is just plain lucky they found William and they are not as successful as AIC was with Layne, but they are still able to put out decent music and make money. When Layne couldn’t get his shot together, I really questioned whether Jerry was going to be able to make a go of AUC’s w/o Layne. So I mean, wrt the emotion involved with everyone, we are talking huge! Their life long dream, their livelihood/ability to make money was all up
in the air- not minor issues. It would be normal yo write about something that they ALL know is destroying their lives. If that’s their reality or Layne’s reality at the time and they write about it, and it has to do with heroin, how does that make the song like “less than” or whatever you were saying about giving Layne credit. If the song is about the band’s and/or Layne’s struggle with heroin, why is that bad? Or mean somehow Layne doesn’t write as well if it is about heroin? I guess I just don’t get your point. I don’t see what Layne’s addiction to heroin and the fact that he tried hard to kick it but couldn’t and if he or the band writes songs about it, what tgst has anything whatsoever to do with giving Layne credit. Like you feel like Layne writing a song about it is a negative thing. What it is is a very sad thing. Addiction doesn’t discriminate my friend, it can happen to anyone. It has nothing to do with judgement of good or bad which is what your comment about people need to give Layne more credit was saying to me. Layne got a hell of a lot of credit for the incredible singer he was. Am I making any sense to you?!? I tried. Bottom line, singing and writing songs about stuff going on in your life is normal. Addiction isn’t like- oh they are a horrible or bad or not good person because he was addicted to heroin and try as he did, he couldn’t beat it. Addiction unfortunately is one of the many different painful illnesses in life thst not everyone recovers from. Ie., it is a fact of life, not a judgement of the person issue once you reach about 28-30. Ie., you are the one interpreting it as bad Layne! Not others, or set omit seems by you feeling the need to defend their music saying it is not all about heroin. When I’ve never heard such an accusation. But it definitely would not be a true statement to say that some of their songs directly or indirectly were about heroin.

I really like what you have to say here. I'm not an addict, at least not to something like heroin, yet I know what he is talking about because I made a lot of bad decisions in my life, and I have come to realize just how rare friendship is. I think that his poems/lyrics always mean more than one thing. For him, his situation may be partially caused by heroin, but this is almost incidental. I mean, what caused him to want to take it to begin with? Why was he so addicted? I ask myself those questions. I think that you are right more that he is coming to realizations, quite painful ones, about his own life.

I just hate like everything that he was not able to turn his life around. But I am thankful for what we do have from him. RIP Layne.