Like Suicide

General CommentEveryone always thinks Chris' songs are about love. Well they are, but not THAT kind of love...

This one's about a crow. A crow that flies smack into Chris' window in the morning, breaking its neck in the process, and forcing him to finish it off with a brick in order to spare it additional pain.

A flock of crows is called a MURDER (yeah, a murder of crows; cool, no?). Hence, he sings, "She lived like a murder how she'd fly so sweetly... but she died just like suicide."

Let me explicate further:

"Heard it from another room, eyes were waking up, just to fall asleep." It's early and he's sleeping; he hears the crow smack into his window, from the other room. "Dazed out in a garden bed with a broken neck lays my broken gift." He finds the wounded crow outside, like an odd little gift, lying dazed in the garden bed below the window. "Bit down on the bullet now, had a taste so sour, had to think of something sweet... with an ounce of pain, I wield a ton of rage... and my last ditch was my last brick, leant to finish her." He bites the bullet and decides, out of humanity, to finish the crow off and end its suffering; he picks up a brick from the garden and does it. "With eyes of blood and bitter blue, how I feel for you." He feels really, really, really bad.

And decides to write a song about it.

• 1 Reply Log in to reply

General Commentyeah that bird thing seems spot on, wouldn't have guessed that on my own though - the song goes a bit deeper than that. He compares lots of things (successfully) to suicide: the bird killing itself, the harshness of love, the "ounce of pain" -depression that leads to a "ton of rage" -suicide; and the difference between the way the bird had lived - in control, like murder, and the way the bird had died - like suicide.

Thank god this song wasn't inspired by yet another "girl". Beautiful lyrics. Chris Cornell and Billy Corgan are the best songwriters of our era. Who disagrees?

• 1 Reply Log in to reply

General Commentwhat a fucken metaphor. Chris is so amazing. extremely underrated as a lyricist. If u take this song literally or metaphorically it hits u both ways like a ton of bricks. And what a way to end an album. Its like the whole album encompassed in one in a big orgasm. The drumming, the melody, the intricacies, the buildup, and the guitar solo. And of course most importantly the lyrics make this soundgarden's best song.

• No Replies Log in to reply

My InterpretationThis song has been summed up very correctly by my fellow Soundgarden fans on this here website. All I have to add is that to me, this song is about the emotional turmoil Chris faces when he must put an innocent bird out of its misery. Definitely one of the most underrated songs ever, with a stirring guitar solo and stellar vocals. I give SG a 10/10 on this one!

• No Replies Log in to reply

General CommentThe part about the bird flying into his door is true. It's written in the "making of superunknown" book. A robin flew into Chris's door and broke its neck, so to put it out of its misery, he killed it with a concrete block. He says he was then inspired to go in and write a song about the harshness of love. Either way, after reading Carlos' comment, my face is pressed firmly yo my pc screen.

• No Replies Log in to reply

General CommentI think it's about the love itself, especially the part "She lived like a murder
But she dies
Just like suicide".And the line "Eyes were waking up just to fall asleep" reminds me how at first when you do fall in love everything is great and you feel awaken but then when it goes wrong it seems like you were in for the heartbreak from the start and you ask yourself why did I need that in the first place...

• No Replies Log in to reply

General Commentit's funny how when something tragic happens (like the bird seeming to commit suicide) your mind tries to escape it by thinking of something sweeter (such as love) but in the end your mind realises how closely related the two thoughts are.

Love .............. and ............... suicide

We fly straight into love with one another, but so often it ends in heartbreak and pain - and so predictably, too. It's as if we were inflicting pain/suicide upon ourselves.

Brilliant song.

• No Replies Log in to reply

General CommentGuitar solo in the finale is sooo fcking trrrrpy

• No Replies Log in to reply

My InterpretationOh, and any SG fans MUST listen to this song's acoustic cousin.

For any other guitar players: does anyone know what kind of guitar Chris uses on the acoustic track? It sounds so amazing that I need to get one of those...

• No Replies Log in to reply

General CommentI read somewhere that this is about a bird that flew into Chris's window late at night, and Chris killed it to put it out of its misery.

• No Replies Log in to reply