Lyric discussion by Got Me Wrong 

Cover art for Angry Chair lyrics by Alice in Chains

My interpretation of this song is about drug abuse and loss of innocence. Alot of AIC songs dealt with drug use and this song is no different.

Sitting on an angry chair Angry walls that steal the air Stomach hurts and I don't care

Layne is sitting on a chair either already high or going to shoot up. It's an angry chair because he is angry at himself because of using drugs in the first place.

What do I see across the way, hey See myself molded in clay, oh Stares at me, yeah I'm afraid, hey Changing the shape of his face, aw yeah

He really sees himself for the first time and doesnt even recongize the person he has become due to drugs (which really begins to terrify him). It says it clearly when he sings, "Stares at me, yeah I'm afraid, hey/Changing the shape of his face, aw yeah"

Candles red I have a pair Shadows dancing everywhere Burning on the angry chair

He's probably just sitting there and wasting away high, or reflecting back on his life with drug usage or just has nothing else better to do.

Little boy made a mistake, hey Pink cloud has now turned to gray, oh All that I want is to play, hey Get on your knees, time to pray, boy

He says how he made the mistake of using drugs and how his addictions are tearing himself apart. In alot of AIC songs, he uses pink turns to gray which is a symbolism of drug abuse and how everything has gone downhill. Pink is a color that looks pleasant and happy but then it turns to gray which looks horrible and depressing. I'm not sure on how to interpret this part: "All that I want is to play, hey/Get on your knees, time to pray, boy" Maybe he wants to get rid of his addictions and just be carefree like a little kid but he cant because its so hard to do. Therefore, he has to pray to God to help him through it.

I don't mind, yeah I don't mind, I-I-I Lost my mind, yeah But I don't mind, I-I-I Can't find it anywhere I don't mind

This is the effect of using drugs, he lost himself and everything else important in life. He reaches a point where everything is so bad and unrepairable that he just gives up. He is delusional and he doesn't care anymore.

Corporate prison, we stay, hey I'm a dull boy, work all day, oh So I'm strung out anyway, hey

Corporate prison = job. He works all day and that makes me him feel dull. So he is high at work or/either he does drugs to take him out of his current state. Strung out = high on drugs.

Loneliness is not a phase Field of pain is where I graze Serenity is far away

All I have to say is wow these 3 lines are so powerful. I wish I could write like that. Yeah anyways... basically I think these 3 lines are self explainatory. He believes loneliness is not a phase and he spends his life in so much pain that he doesn't think anything will ever get better.

Saw my reflection and cried, hey So little hope that I died, oh Feed me your lies, open wide, hey Weight of my heart, not the size, oh

I love these 4 lines as well. Basically he sees how his drug addictions affects himself and how it deteriorates him and his relationships with everyone else that is in his life. He has no hope because there is no way he can fix things or fix himself because his addiction is so bad its beyond repair. I'm not sure how to interpret this part, "Feed me your lies, open wide, hey/Weight of my heart, not the size, oh"

RIP Layne. AIC made great music and it is a loss that Layne is not with us today. IMO, AIC is so underrated and the media never gave proper recognition (of his music and death) and proper respect that he deserves. You will missed Layne, keep on rockin wherever you are.

@Got Me Wrong I think that last line is kind of a mockery of people telling him "its gonna be ok" and shit like that. He's not saying "weight of my heart not the size" as himself, hes kind sarcastically quoting all of the positive people who dont really understand drug abuse.

@Got Me Wrong great assessment. Just a FYI, the “ pink cloud has now turned to grey” is referencing the term “pink cloud” that’s a recovery or rehab term describing the joy an addict feels after kicking the substance and feeling normal and starting to enjoy real life again. They say your riding the pink cloud. The fact that it’s turned to grey means he’s using again regularly after a relapse or the person is sick of being sober and sobriety is getting to be a chore. When you feel you need a break from the mental effort it takes...