This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Shower in the dark day
Clean sparks diving down
Cool in the waterway
Where the baptized drown
Naked in the cold sun
Breathing life like fire
Thought I was the only one
But that was just a lie
'Cause I heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July
Pale in the flare light
The scared light cracks and disappears
And leads the scorched ones here
And everywhere no one cares
The fire is spreading
And no one wants to speak about it
Down in the hole
Jesus tries to crack a smile
Beneath another shovel load
'Cause I heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July
Heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July
Fourth of July, July
Now I'm in control
Now I'm in the fall out
Once asleep but now I stand
And I still remember your sweet everything
Light a roman candle
And hold it in your hand
Heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July
Heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July, yeah
Clean sparks diving down
Cool in the waterway
Where the baptized drown
Naked in the cold sun
Breathing life like fire
Thought I was the only one
But that was just a lie
'Cause I heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July
Pale in the flare light
The scared light cracks and disappears
And leads the scorched ones here
And everywhere no one cares
The fire is spreading
And no one wants to speak about it
Down in the hole
Jesus tries to crack a smile
Beneath another shovel load
'Cause I heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July
Heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July
Fourth of July, July
Now I'm in control
Now I'm in the fall out
Once asleep but now I stand
And I still remember your sweet everything
Light a roman candle
And hold it in your hand
Heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July
Heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July, yeah
Lyrics submitted by jt, edited by Mellow_Harsher
4th Of July Lyrics as written by Chris Cornell
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Hipgnosis Songs Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I don't really see it as anything about religion or drugs or a nuclear holocaust, but about war and the irony of American pride.
Now follow me on this, but if you think of a war veteran with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, what do you think they feel on the 4th of July? Fireworks are a little cliched of being reminiscent of gunfire. The noise will often take a soldier right back to those awful days:
"And I heard it in the wind And I saw it in the sky"
this would make this veteran consider the similarities between the sound of gunfire and the sound of fireworks. But is the relationship just physical?
Fireworks are THE symbol of American pride. They stand for all American values. i.e. freedom and justice.
On the other hand, guns are a symbol of war, which is seen as having the qualities of oppresion and unjust killing.
These two symbols are contrasted against eachother.
Back to the veteran, when he's hearing the fireworks, he's thinkinng of war
"And I thought it was the end, I thought it was the 4th of July"
He's thinking: "I thought I heard war, but I really just heard American Pride."
And that's where the irony comes from. America, and all its core values are built on the exact opposite OF those values. America derives its peace from unnecessary bloodshed, and its justice from its unjustified violence.
So from the perspective of the veteran(and who should understand Amercan pride better?), these two symbols have a remarkable resemblance both aurally, AND in their meaning.
that's why I like this song. because the symbols are both aural, they lend themselves well to some intense imagery.
but anyway, that's what I get from the lyrics. If Chris Cornell says it's about an acid trip then that's what it is.
Very good interpretation....too bad I only get 1 vote...
@mitchgustavtherobot <br /> I think this is exactly what he's writing about. The imagery is clear. A nuclear war or some type of war where there is a hail of missiles raining down on a people. However, this is clearly the literal meaning.<br /> <br /> Anyway, he says once he released a song it is about whatever the listener thinks it's about. He was such an inspiration. RIP.
Cornell said this again on Friday at the show in LA, "This song is about being on acid and having 2 cop cars pull up next to you with their lights flashing".
Like "mitchgustavtherobot" said, "If Chris Cornell says it's about an acid trip then that's what it is."<br /> <br /> However, that having been said, it would not only be a little bit disappointing to me, it wouldn't always make sense with the lyrics.<br /> <br /> "Down in the hole, Jesus tries to crack a smile, beneath another shovel load" just REALLY REALLY sounds deeper than some random acid song like "Look at all the happy creatures dancing on the lawn" ("Looking Out My Backdoor" by Creedence Clearwater Revival). Also, the aforementioned 4th of July line, doesn't seem to fit with acid, other drugs, or especially cops.<br /> <br /> If the song is, indeed, what you stated, then that is that, for sure, but it won't stop me from interpreting this song another way, it's just deeper and better that way, AND that is the glory of such good lyrics. Half the art is what it means to the listener.
@pr4mojo Sad to know that Cornell said that... This makes me think if the same applies to the universe.... Maybe there's no creator after all, maybe we are random indeed. The lesser cool story :(
This song is fucking mindblowing. I smell gunpowder and see sparks when I hear it. The lyrics point incredibly strongly to an apocalypse, acid or no. Jesus dead, Hell freezing over (COLD sun), plus the fucking fact that he mentions that he thought it was the end. He uses the 4th of july as an allegory for the apocalypse- fire, explosions..it also first well with the summer theme of the album.
My favorite part is "Light a roman candle and hold it in your hand"- If you've ever held a Roman candle at fourth of July, you're basically shooting flames from your hand. Very cool mental image.
And goddamn that riff. It makes my throat itch.
Bruce almighty, this should have been a single from Superunknown. Perhaps it was because they already had five beauties from it already. This is scary stuff and one of Chris Cornell's best and most underrated pieces of songwriting. He is a star; in fact he's five *****
Always took it as a chaotic, end-time scenario caused by over-population, mass/uncontrolled consumerism and then global war brought upon us by greed and inflexibility. Where we've taken ourselves to the very brink, the world (or what's left of it) falling apart around us, while the people who are suppose to be representing good, wholesome values (the Christians in this instance) hide behind the reasoning they've never done anything wrong and that their faith will provide for them right up until it's far too late to reverse the damage done.
haha, if this really is about acid trip then it actually makes some sense... if thats possible lol. great song!
This song has some apocalyptic themes & very dark lyrics ("Jesus tries to crack a smile beneath another shovel load"). Chris Cornell explained the song in an interview with RIP magazine, April 1994: "One time I was on acid, and there were voices ten feet behind my head. The whole time I'd be walking, they'd be talking behind me. It actually made me feel good, because I felt like I was with some people. At one point I was looking back, and I saw that one person was wearing a black shirt and jeans, and the other person was wearing a red shirt. They were always there. It was kinda like a dream, though, where I'd wake up and look and focus once in a while and realize there was no one there. I'd go, 'Oh, f--k, I'm hearing voices.' '4th of July' is pretty much about that day. You wouldn't get that if you read it. It doesn't read like, 'Woke up, dropped some acid, got into the car & went to the Indian reservation.'"
its about a nuclear war and the aftermath of it
I don't really see it as anything about religion or drugs or a nuclear holocaust, but about war and the irony of American pride.<br /> <br /> Now follow me on this, but if you think of a war veteran with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, what do you<br /> think they feel on the 4th of July? Fireworks are a little cliched of being reminiscent of gunfire. The noise will often take a soldier right back to those awful days:<br /> <br /> "And I heard it in the wind<br /> And I saw it in the sky"<br /> <br /> this would make this veteran consider the similarities between the sound of gunfire and the sound of fireworks. But is the relationship just physical?<br /> <br /> Fireworks are THE symbol of American pride. They stand for all American values. i.e. freedom and justice. <br /> <br /> On the other hand, guns are a symbol of war, which is seen as having the qualities of oppresion and unjust killing.<br /> <br /> These two symbols are contrasted against eachother. <br /> <br /> Back to the veteran, when he's hearing the fireworks, he's thinkinng of war<br /> <br /> "And I thought it was the end,<br /> I thought it was the 4th of July"<br /> <br /> He's thinking: "I thought I heard war, but I really just heard American Pride."<br /> <br /> And that's where the irony comes from. America, and all its core values are built on the exact opposite OF those values. America derives its peace from unnecessary bloodshed, and its justice from its unjustified violence.<br /> <br /> So from the perspective of the veteran(and who should understand Amercan pride better?), these two symbols have a remarkable resemblance both aurally, AND in their meaning.<br /> <br /> that's why I like this song. because the symbols are both aural, they lend themselves well to some intense imagery.<br /> <br /> but anyway, that's what I get from the lyrics. If Chris Cornell says it's about an acid trip then that's what it is.
i thought it was about mushrooms/lsd
Chris Cornell, from an interview with RIP magazine, April 1994 : “One time I was on acid, and there were voices ten feet behind my head. The whole time I’d be walking, they’d be talking behind me. It actually made me feel good, because I felt like I was with some people. At one point I was looking back, and I saw that one person was wearing a black shirt and jeans, and the other person was wearing a red shirt. They were always there. It was kinda like a dream, though, where I’d wake up and look and focus once in a while and realize there was no one there. I’d go, ‘Oh, fuck, I’m hearing voices.’ ‘4th of July’ is pretty much about that day. You wouldn’t get that if you read it. It doesn’t read like, ‘Woke up, dropped some acid, got into the car and went to the Indian reservation.”