Comin' Down

I could be wrong about this, however, to me, the song applies to the media, and people who get worked up believing anything the media tries to portray to society, based on what their opinions are, presenting them as fact to the general public.

To me, the song is about getting wrapped up in believing what the media says, but only so far, in that you still know that no matter how far wrapped up you get in believing the hype and over sensationalism, you know if it becomes just TOO much for you to believe, you can always "turn around and climb back down."

It could also refer to, not just the media, but hype put out by any sort of political or fanatic members of an organization. They consider themselves all-authoritarian and all-knowledgable, so much that they go out of their way to get people to "climb up the mountain with them."

You'll notice the various references in there, that I believe, helps support the meaning I've derrived from the song, such as:

"I have seen their information On the lighter side of dumbness I have heard the new statistics And the stomping on the ground"

"Going down to the desert To the dirty filthy desert I'll be crawling through the sand For at least a couple days Going down to the desert ther are things owrth avoiding And it always makes me cross When those things get in my way."

The desert, could refer to being forced to have to listen to the hype and such that these groups put out, in order to accomplish something for yourself, but you know they are going to put forth obstacles in your path in order to push their own agenda on you, and it can get pretty frustrating when that happens.

Thats just my interpretation though.

its about drugs<p><b><i>Edited by YtseJam on April 26 2006, at 03:40PM</i></b></p>

I've always thought this song was about how much working 9 - 5 in an office sucked. The only thing I really have to back that up is the verse:

Looking through a pile of garbage For some worthless piece of paper That's been hidden there for me To give meaning to my day

The rest of it doesn't really support what I say the song is about.

The next logical thing I guess would be that it is about drugs. Coming down from a high. Ground dissolving beneath the feet. Seeing the lofty glory and the high and mighty. Drugs makes the most sense.

I think it's about all that stuff at once. if you read interviews with Curt, you'll be amazed by how funny, poetic, free-wheeling and enlightening he is.

its funny, because i know some people, and here is why i feel this IS about drugs... lol, i party with some rednecks, and this song just fits how it sounds, when they are blitzed and trashed and you play this song, any redneck will stomp to the bass and clap to the snare, lol

Maybe it's because of personal experience, but I think it's about relapsing on drugs after a brief period of recovery.

i think it's interesting how there's such a theme of climbing and mountains in meat puppets songs (comin down, plateau, climbing, etc). that's why i agree with tjmarshal's comment because everyone knows that plateau is about fame and media. maybe mountains were just a metaphor for their career

This song is about a spiritual experience.

"Coming down from the mountain I have seen the high and mighty I will go again someday But for now I'm coming down Coming down from the mountain I have seen the lofty glory I will go again someday But for now I'm coming down"

He's gone up on the mountain and had some sort of spiritual enlightening. But something caused him to believe he's not ready for the committment just yet, so he's coming back down from the mountain.

"I have seen their information On the lighter side of dumbness I have heard the new statistics And the stomping on the ground"

Religion is the information on the 'lighter side of dumbness". Maybe whoever was enlightening him can quote the 'statistics' from the bible quite well. Maybe the stomping on the ground is those who he feels are trying to push him too quickly when he's already feeling overwhelmed.

"Picking slowly up the rockslide One thing always seems apparent If the climb becomes too much I can always turn around "

He's reminding himself that his journey toward religion is in his own hands. The mountain he's climbing seems to crumble in some places and become a 'rockslide'. He doesn't have to continue if he so chooses....if it becomes too much for him he can turn around.

"Waking up from my slumber To misunderstand another Though they call it terra firma It dissolves beneath my feet"

He's been 'asleep' to so many things in this regard, and he's having trouble understanding it. The religous may call faith their "terra firma"...solid ground, their foundation, but to him it still seems like shaky ground...new and frightening.

"Looking through a pile of garbage For some worthless piece of paper That's been hidden there for me To give meaning to my day"

I think this may be referring to how believers can find faith or hope in any random item if they choose. Even if you happen to find something symbolic on a paper in the trash...it could turn your day around as a sign sent from above. He's questioning that logic.

"Going down to the desert To the dirty filthy desert I'll be crawling through the sand For at least a couple days Going down to the desert"

Crossing the desert definately has biblical connotations, but in this instance I think he's referring to his "old ways". Before he was climbing up the mountain, now he's going down to the desert. (I'm sure you can see the reference to hell...Down...heat of the desert, just as the mountain is a reference to Heaven) But the "dirty, filthy desert" is referring to his old bad habits or lifestyle. He's taken a backslide from the 'high and mighty', and the 'lofty glory'.

"other are things worth avoiding And it always makes me cross When those things get in my way."

There are many other words he could have chosen rather than cross, so I believe it is an intentional reference to the crucifiction cross. We'll just have to figure out what things are worth avoiding when they get in the way.

He ends the song by reminding us that he has seen the light on the mountain, and he will go again someday...he's just not ready for it yet. Hopeful, rather than lamenting.

I know some people HATE religious interpretations and I mean not to offend anyone. To me, this song is fairly blatant. To sum up, I actually think that he may mean that the spiritual experience is wonderful, but the "religion" was too much for him, and had to back off a bit.

They were big into heroin. They are from Arizona (were i live) and the criminal justice teacher at my school who used to be a cop in mesa (were they lived) said that he got a call about a dead girl at their house. The criminal justice teacher said that when he got into their house there were more syringes than he had ever seen in one area. he said that chris and kurt were all fucking H'ed out and there was just shit everywhere and a dead girl on the floor somewhere who had obviously died of a heroin overdose.