In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
All dreams have died, along the way
I coughed up the price, I bought a cage
I've had a hell of a time since I went away
Don't know when I died, or where to lay down
Gone, gone away
Yeah gone, gone away
God knows I've tried, I'm dyed in pain
Strong yet simple drive, the freedom to say
I've had a hell of a time since I went away
Homing on traces of light, that distance fades
Yeah I'm gone, gone away
Yeah I'm gone, gone away
So they say with time, we slowly heal
I caught a flash of your smile, through the fog of a dream
I'll have a hell of a time, I clearly see
I can't be by your side, I'll see you when I sleep
Now you're gone? gone away
Yeah you're gone? gone away
I coughed up the price, I bought a cage
I've had a hell of a time since I went away
Don't know when I died, or where to lay down
Gone, gone away
Yeah gone, gone away
God knows I've tried, I'm dyed in pain
Strong yet simple drive, the freedom to say
I've had a hell of a time since I went away
Homing on traces of light, that distance fades
Yeah I'm gone, gone away
Yeah I'm gone, gone away
So they say with time, we slowly heal
I caught a flash of your smile, through the fog of a dream
I'll have a hell of a time, I clearly see
I can't be by your side, I'll see you when I sleep
Now you're gone? gone away
Yeah you're gone? gone away
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i have a good feeling that this song is about the passing of Layne Staley. "i coughed up the price, i bought a cage" the cage symbolizes heroin... which led to Staley's premature death. RIP Layne Staley
@SwornToTheBlack this was written and recorded before Layne's death
@SwornToTheBlack It's about Jerry himself. He "coughed up the price" (meaning, it was a cage of his own making, from the time he was young, he built it with himself with his talent and drive), and crawled into it as part of his rock n roll lifestyle. <br /> <br /> It all seemed exciting at first, but he found out that as time passed, that he was trapped in that lifestyle, where everything was offered to him on a platter (especially drugs and women), yet what he wanted most--a life with the love of his life--he couldn't have because the life he led got in the way. And he couldn't just leave his life after all he'd done to get to that point to become successful. <br /> <br /> So his life was a living Catch-22. And he discovered that the lifestyle he's caged within is constantly being watched by concert audiences, his management, the media, his family, and inevitably, the world, all watching him very closely--like a beautiful blonde bird trapped in a gilded cage performing for all to see--he couldn't escape from the cage he built around himself.