Alice in Chains – I Stay Away

General CommentThis song is very pertinent to my life because here's what I think it means. The guy has a woman in his life who has either cheated on him, or simply doesn't reciprocate his love towards her. He says that, even though this is very painful too, it is easier to simply "stay away" from her, rather than be with her and be miserable because whenever he is with her, she drives him crazy inside and he can't overcome his unrequited loving feelings for her. I have found that this song epitomizes my life, because I have been madly in love with a girl for 7 years now. She is my best friend, but that's all she sees me as, too. Even though I love her with all my heart, and I'd probably get down on bended knee right now if it were up to me, it sometimes is easier to stay away from her so the powerful romantic feelings I have for her don't drive me totally insane.

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  @speed114
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  Beautifully, beautifully, beautifully, beautifully put. Having now known that, I know a lot of people can relate to this song, including myself.

  Flagged feminist92on August 09, 2010  

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  I signed up just for this comment

  Flag coverdale11on April 03, 2012  

  +1

  @speed114 You are spot on, man. I was once madly in love with a girl for a year and would talk about getting married and she would never reciprocate the same level of commitment. I found the best thing to do was "Stay Away". The smartest decision I ever made. It's definitely hard to do but, in the long run, it saved me a lot of heart ache.

  Flag joey503on June 12, 2015  

  +1

  @speed114 You wrote this comment 11 years ago. Now I'm wondering how it all turned out.

  Flag MetalHeadSJon September 07, 2017  

Song MeaningOk people, let me break it down for you. This song was written by Layne, and I think it was about leaving on dysfunctional relationship with a pscyo bitch ex-girlfriend:

"Yeah, I want to travel south this year
Aaah, Woah, Woah
Won't prevent safe passage here"

I want to leave you, and you can't stop me.

"Why you act crazy
Not an act maybe
So close a lady
Shifty eyes shady"

You're crazy. I can see it in your eyes.

"Yeah, hey Yeah, tears that soak
A callous heart"

Your crying for show, but you don't really feel anything, cuz you're a bitch.

"Why you act frightened
I am enlightened
Your weakness builds me
So someday you'll see"

You're scared that I'm leaving, but that only empowers me, because now I see you're not just a bitch, you are weak bitch.

"I stay away"

I'm going to stay the hell away from you, because you are crazy!

Layne definitely puts it more poetically then I do. That's what I think this songs means, and I can relate it to many women in my life.

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  @Numb420
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  @Numb420 your first paragraph sums it up nicely.

  Flag sokornyon March 02, 2016  

General CommentThis song reminds me of myself... I don't get involved with things and most people just seem so stupid or crazy I prefer to "just let 'em spin" outside my door. I think the song's about "you don't get in my business and I'll stay out of yours". It may be about any number of things...definitely one of AICs best.

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  @Angry Sar

General Commentno stalkerassassin1984, few of their songs were about drugs. The only ones from DIRT being Junkhead,Godsmack,and Hate to Feel. People like yourself are the reason Layne Staley and Alice in Chains will forever be underrated, trying to tie their abstract lyrics into subject matter you can grasp your simple mind around, like a persons drug addiction for example. Go listen to some green day or something

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  @tom-van2006
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  Even Dirt's lyrics aren't so much about drugs as they are about his emotional experiences living life...Rubio described the album as depicting awaking from a nightmare.
  
  It's a shame that people label him a junkie and can only see things through that lens. I think it drove him mad at times!

  Flag musicbankon April 10, 2010  

General CommentI believe this song is about "escaping" as a result of becoming emotionally numb.

The song seems to describe the feelings between two persons, the narrator determined to just disappear with no second thoughts. While the other part is seemingly questioning the decision the narrator has made, and is left mourning a person who feels no guilt at all for going "south".

Beautiful song.

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  @hwhy

General Commentthis song could honestly be a million things....i think that it's about someone calling out for help from someone and he' can't find it so he starts slowly slipping into his own world where his own demons and fears take him over and somehow everything that was going right now starts to fall to pieces.....

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  @harmonicaplayer
  +1

  That interpretation would be consistent with his life and other lyrics, particularly "Core," in which he says
  "...
  You are blamed for all that is a mystery
  whithin myself -- Burning
  Oh, I pray that I might someday
  Throw a blanket over that angry child
  If the strength is found within the
  Core of my being
  His tears soak my heart and weight
  it down
  I am tired, I am numb, and I am so
  very, very lonely.
  I am . . ."
  
  I also think about Angry Chair's quote "Weight of my heart, not the size..."
  
  

  Flag musicbankon April 10, 2010  

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  not too mention that he feels that no matter where he goes or what he tries, the effort is always used against him...
  
  

  Flag SaintLeeon October 07, 2010  

General CommentYeah, I want to travel south this year (self exclamatory, he's going south this year)
Aaah, woah, woah (the person that asked is crying)
Wont prevent safe passage here (The author is saying this woman's crying tears sadness is not going to stop him from getting there without harm)

Why you act crazy (She's getting distressed and hysterical)
Not an act maybe (The author is getting aggressive and angry and is suggesting she is insane eventhough he preobably doesn't think so)
So close a lady (You are close to a woman but you are girlish more insults)
Shifty eyes shady (You're reasons for wanting me to stay don't seem to be the truth, come out with it and furthermore suggesting this woman is worthless)

Yeah, hey yeah, tears that soak
A callous heart (Your tears do nothing and are inconsequential to me and just furthering that she is powerless)

Why you act frightened (your fear is stupid)
I am enlightened (I'm smarter than you my choice is better than yours trust me)
Your weakness builds me (I think this implys that her lack of confidence to get out of the relationship just makes his self esteem higher because it says that even though he is treating her like crap he still is her best shot)
So someday youll see (you'll catch on your just slow, more insults)

I stay away (I'm doing what I want you couldn't stop me)


Perhaps that all is convoluted, I think its describing a relationship of sadism and complete lack of respect for the girl... come on listen to that voice it sounds twisted scathing and demented... I think Layne wants this girl to break up with him and is putting it in her face that hahhahahha you can't, you are too weak you can't live without me... who is going to want you... People idolize me, you on the other hand are a number... I think it has a moral of stick to your own kind if you are weak you better stay with the weak if you are strong you can co-exist with the strong how ever demented of a way that is of teaching a lesson... Yah, these people are extremely respectable but if you are going to be with someone who is respectable you should bring something to the table too.

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  @zbuddhaha

General CommentGr8 song, love the creepy harmonies. It's sad that some people will remember Layne purely for his heroin addiction when we should all remember and admire him for his invaluable contributions to this legendary band as one of its frontmen. He is extremely close to Kurt Cobain as a torchbearer of grunge. Grunge lives on and so do Cobain and Staley. God rest their tortured souls.

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  @feminist92
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  i appreciate what you wrote and i agree with everything you voiced. do you think their music would have been what it was if they, staley and cobain, had not had the tortured souls that they did? i wonder sometimes if they had not been in the place they were in, mentally, physically and chemically, would we be sitting here writing about somebody else. idk...i hate that they were so tortured. i hate that anybody on the face of this earth has to have an ending such as theirs...that tortures me way down deep in my soul...i think too much sometimes...i wish i could turn back the hands of time and help them through the hardest parts of their lives...but i cant...and that will torture me til the end of my existance...
  

  Flag LTSmissingyouon March 07, 2014  

My InterpretationLiving life in the same manner over time will callous a heart. Going south this year, or trying to take a vacation from the lifestyle can be unbearable at times. Tears that validate my sorrow permeate the callous willpower i try to cling to, but in the end, we are baser creatures of habit-and my addiction ultimately wins. With eyes so promising true to alleviate my pain, i believe in them, only to see them change into ardent laughter at my plight. I want to remove myself, and act upstanding-but when i look deep inside to truly clean house, an act is as close as i'll get to coping with the reality of addiction's gravity.

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  @extrauma

General CommentI think this song is not so specific and open to interpretation, it's one of those songs that can be applied to many real life experiences. For me I think Layne is having a conversation between his bottled up feelings that he's been ignoring for so long because he's afraid of seeming like a woman. But his calloused heart is soaked in tears, which is why it's calloused to begin with and it's driving him "crazy" because deep down he wants to open up to someone but is afraid of seeming weak.

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  @dane117834
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  @dane117834 well said

  Flag sokornyon May 17, 2017