I relate to this song on such a personal level, its almost suffocating.
I understand where all the talk of Icarus, religion etc is coming from, but I think that it can distract from what I feel is the core message of the song -at least for me- which is that of utter self-loathing. He basically believes that he is a parasite, and for this reason he should exist only in silence (if at all) to protect others from himself.
Cornell was still 'coming down' off drug use at the time, and the idea of Icarus flying into the sun seemed to capture perfectly his addiction -the initial psychadelic period, followed by the terrifying fall.
The talk of being buried and forgotten hearkens back to earlier lyrics such as 4th of July, where he talked about Jesus being buried alive. This concept of martyrdom is, I feel, an important part of his lyrics. Everytime I listen to Cornell's lyrics I am reminded of a certain Demotivational poster I used to see on my classroom wall in highschool: "Mistakes: It Could Be That The Purpose Of Your Life Is To Serve Only As A Warning To Others."
Perhaps he believes he is that sinking ship? "The wreck is going down, get out before you drown"
This does not exclude the wider social commentary implied in his lyrics.
Anyway, I am glad this song was written because it puts a voice to his silence. In essence, the song itself is a victory.
I relate to this song on such a personal level, its almost suffocating.
I understand where all the talk of Icarus, religion etc is coming from, but I think that it can distract from what I feel is the core message of the song -at least for me- which is that of utter self-loathing. He basically believes that he is a parasite, and for this reason he should exist only in silence (if at all) to protect others from himself.
Cornell was still 'coming down' off drug use at the time, and the idea of Icarus flying into the sun seemed to capture perfectly his addiction -the initial psychadelic period, followed by the terrifying fall.
The talk of being buried and forgotten hearkens back to earlier lyrics such as 4th of July, where he talked about Jesus being buried alive. This concept of martyrdom is, I feel, an important part of his lyrics. Everytime I listen to Cornell's lyrics I am reminded of a certain Demotivational poster I used to see on my classroom wall in highschool: "Mistakes: It Could Be That The Purpose Of Your Life Is To Serve Only As A Warning To Others."
Perhaps he believes he is that sinking ship? "The wreck is going down, get out before you drown" This does not exclude the wider social commentary implied in his lyrics.
Anyway, I am glad this song was written because it puts a voice to his silence. In essence, the song itself is a victory.