I think the entire album's lyrics have a spiritual focus, this song is no different.
I was on my way
to the center of the sun
when i lost my wings
and i fell into the crowd
and they carried me
to a hole in the ground
and they buried me
where no one can see
and no one would be around
It's clearly related to the Icarus story, and the buried part seems to be about dying and being buried in a casket. Maybe he tried to do too much, go too far, and died for his trouble?
I was on my way
to a city in the clouds
when i lost my mind
and i had to settle down
then i had a dream
of an island in the sea
where the lepers die
where no one survives
where no one can hear the cries
If you just saw, "city in the clouds," you'd think of heaven. So let's go from there: he was on his way to heaven, but he lost his mind (his faith?) and had to settle down (into the secular world). Then he dreams of a place where the lepers die. What do lepers remind you of? For most Christians it's the mny times in the bible Jesus heals leprosy. So then a place "where the lepers die" would be where Jesus wasn't there to help him. So to counter the previous verse about heaven, maybe this one is about hell?
just like heathens thinking on our feet
believe in god
we're one step
two step
three steps toward the graveyards
on the high road to remembering
it seems that we forgot
The first part of this is about how people who aren't Christian can "become" believers when they are threatened with death (the "graveyard"). The last two lines don't seem connected with that - something about how we've all lost our connection to true religion as we try to seek it.
(I corrected some lyrics.)
I think the entire album's lyrics have a spiritual focus, this song is no different.
I was on my way to the center of the sun when i lost my wings and i fell into the crowd and they carried me to a hole in the ground and they buried me where no one can see and no one would be around
It's clearly related to the Icarus story, and the buried part seems to be about dying and being buried in a casket. Maybe he tried to do too much, go too far, and died for his trouble?
I was on my way to a city in the clouds when i lost my mind and i had to settle down then i had a dream of an island in the sea where the lepers die where no one survives where no one can hear the cries
If you just saw, "city in the clouds," you'd think of heaven. So let's go from there: he was on his way to heaven, but he lost his mind (his faith?) and had to settle down (into the secular world). Then he dreams of a place where the lepers die. What do lepers remind you of? For most Christians it's the mny times in the bible Jesus heals leprosy. So then a place "where the lepers die" would be where Jesus wasn't there to help him. So to counter the previous verse about heaven, maybe this one is about hell?
just like heathens thinking on our feet believe in god we're one step two step three steps toward the graveyards on the high road to remembering it seems that we forgot
The first part of this is about how people who aren't Christian can "become" believers when they are threatened with death (the "graveyard"). The last two lines don't seem connected with that - something about how we've all lost our connection to true religion as we try to seek it.
Overall Chris Cornell's lyrics kick immense ass.