musically i think this is among their best songs. every member in this band contributes to the song, the bassline that thunders out at just the right moments, that fuckin solo... the contrast of verse/bridge/chorus, the way the tempo slows... it makes me want to slit my wrists.
as for the lyrics, definitely about a woman getting pregnant, i had a feeling it was the virgin mary, "dude came down" - god descended from heaven to impregnate her. it would fit with the religious theme of a lot of the songs on this album (most specifically man in the box, bleed the freak...) also the mention of a soul.
but yeah i see everyones point that its probably a song written from the point of view of a kid whose dad left them. I like the way he refers to his dad as "some dude". and it makes sense that he asks, is he like his father, "reflection"; did he catch the disease (tendency to be a bad father) genetically ("contagious"), and will he in turn defile someone with his love the way his biological father left him.
mostly i love the darkness of the word sunshine. its a name that parents often call their kids, he's using it ironically and that's accentuated by the dark music. "sweet love, my labour" - his mother loves him even though it was such a burden bringing him up alone. The word "labour" is ambiguous - it refers to his birth, but labour also means hard work, so his birth caused hard work for his mother. I like it.
very cathartic song. "set me free." "don't mind." "i don't care no more".
pure grunge...pure alice in chains...
musically i think this is among their best songs. every member in this band contributes to the song, the bassline that thunders out at just the right moments, that fuckin solo... the contrast of verse/bridge/chorus, the way the tempo slows... it makes me want to slit my wrists.
as for the lyrics, definitely about a woman getting pregnant, i had a feeling it was the virgin mary, "dude came down" - god descended from heaven to impregnate her. it would fit with the religious theme of a lot of the songs on this album (most specifically man in the box, bleed the freak...) also the mention of a soul.
but yeah i see everyones point that its probably a song written from the point of view of a kid whose dad left them. I like the way he refers to his dad as "some dude". and it makes sense that he asks, is he like his father, "reflection"; did he catch the disease (tendency to be a bad father) genetically ("contagious"), and will he in turn defile someone with his love the way his biological father left him.
mostly i love the darkness of the word sunshine. its a name that parents often call their kids, he's using it ironically and that's accentuated by the dark music. "sweet love, my labour" - his mother loves him even though it was such a burden bringing him up alone. The word "labour" is ambiguous - it refers to his birth, but labour also means hard work, so his birth caused hard work for his mother. I like it.
very cathartic song. "set me free." "don't mind." "i don't care no more".