I created this account just to clear up some confusion. I'm highly disappointed and appalled at how much crap and how little sense is in these comments. First, props to who nailed it- Drink the Poison pretty much nailed it, and Got Me Wrong gets a 4 out of 5 from me, but everyone else is too distracted by pornography to use more than three braincells.
In General: This song provides a glimpse into the mind of a heroin addict. It is not about the drug; it's about the person and his struggles. Unlike most other AIC songs, the music AND lyrics were by Layne Staley. This is a major distinction from the other songs written by Jerry Cantrell. And what an amazing song it is.
"Sitting on an Angry Chair"- The chair that Layne sits in when he's on smack. NOT a childhood timeout chair (who the fuck sings about being in timeout??), nor an electric chair. Was Layne ever on death row? NO!
"Angry walls that steal the air"- Also heard as "stills the air". Layne's surroundings are quite hostile, and there seems to be a sense of timelessness (probably induced by the drug). Even though he describes the chair and walls to be angry, Layne is the angry one, presumably angry with himself.
"Stomach hurts and I don't care"- His stomach pain is excruciating, but he deals with it because it comes with the high.
"See myself molded in clay. Stares at me, yeah I'm afraid"- These lyrics are cryptic, but in general, think of it as a confrontation with himself, perhaps in a dream. It's creepy to see yourself, and even worse if you're made of clay and staring back at yourself.
"Changing the shape of his face"- too creepy to explain. This lyric is so dark.
"Candles red, I have a pair, Shadows dancing everywhere"- This is too simple to fuck up. He has two red candles on his chair. The dancing shadows are the flickering flames of the candles, which means there's no other light in the room. Can you connect the dots? Can you put together a good picture of what's going on? Don't forget the angry walls and no air...... very dark and gloomy lyrics, and the music matches this.
"Burning on the Angry Chair"- The riddle here is this: what's burning, the candles, or Layne? (use your noggin- answer it for yourself)
"Little boy made a mistake. Pink cloud has now turned to grey. All that I want is to play."- His mistake was using heroin for the first time, and the price was lost innocence. Layne uses the word "boy" several times in this song (why? use your noggin). On a related note, Layne reprises the "Pink cloud has now turned to grey" lyric in the song "Artificial Red" with Mad Season.
"Get on your knees, time to pray"- Cryptic lyrics again, but this definitely refers to religious and/or demonic pressures.
"I don't mind, yeah(x4), Lost my mind, Can't find it anywhere, but I don't mind"- This part of the song is the first break from the harsh stinging guitar riff. Basically, Layne feels like he's gone crazy, but there's a lot more to this...
"Corporate prison we stay, I'm a dull boy work all day, So I'm strung out anyway"- If you don't listen to these lyrics with the music, you'll never receive the full intensity of the message. This has nothing to with drugs, this is simply the same corporate pressures that we all can relate to, and he's just sick of it. Cantrell's solo that follows this line is loud, fast, and sick.
"Loneliness is not a phase, Field of pain is where I graze, Serenity is far away"- This has to do with deep depression. As someone who has experienced clinical depression where my body physically hurt for no reason, I relate to these lyrics, and can actually recall the same feelings by listening to this song and remembering that time in my life.
"Saw my reflection and cried, So little hope that I died"- What does it take for a man to cry? These lyrics mean whatever meaning you apply to them. Don't forget he saw himself molded in clay earlier.... (use your noggin)
"Weight of my heart not the size."- This powerful lyric is the only light in such a dark song. Surprisingly, it balances out.
Layne poured his deepest darkest emotions into his music. The people who so errantly attempt to interpret his music have not explored the darkness within themselves. That's where you need to go if you truly wish to understand AIC.
Almost dead on, far as I'm concerned. I wouldn't even try to offer "corrections" as much as expansions...
Almost dead on, far as I'm concerned. I wouldn't even try to offer "corrections" as much as expansions...
"I don't mind, yeah(x4), Lost my mind, Can't find it anywhere, but I don't mind" It's just poetic (brilliant) clever writing playing on the metaphor of "losing" one's mind, then not being able to find it, and then driving the metaphor home with the play on words of not "minding" - his disturbing awareness that he's destroying himself and he doesn't care. Heartbreaking stuff. I've read what his last years were like. He didn't go...
"I don't mind, yeah(x4), Lost my mind, Can't find it anywhere, but I don't mind" It's just poetic (brilliant) clever writing playing on the metaphor of "losing" one's mind, then not being able to find it, and then driving the metaphor home with the play on words of not "minding" - his disturbing awareness that he's destroying himself and he doesn't care. Heartbreaking stuff. I've read what his last years were like. He didn't go out like John Belushi who unintentionally OD'd. According to the few friends who he'd let visit, he just wasn't interested in saving himself. He just played it out until the end.
"Corporate prison we stay, I'm a dull boy work all day, So I'm strung out anyway" Again, pretty spot on. My only additional take on it is that his pain was one f the driving sources of their music and their success. Record company says, "Great album! Sales are through the roof! Give us more!" Kind of like Kurt Cobain with, "Rape me" I'm strung out if I keep this all in, I'm strung out if I make music about it.
"Saw my reflection and cried, So little hope that I died" Even thinking about this one too long gives me chills. "please say that the only reason I look this awful is that I'm dead. "
"Weight of my heart not the size." I don't think this is a "lighter" lyric. I see it as another lament. "People love me, say that I'm awesome, that I have a big heart, that I help them by expressing their pain - but inside the only truth is that my heart isn't big, it's just heavy as hell. It hurts all the time. I take heroin to escape it for a while, but that is just making it all heavier"
Props to you Noggin (3 years later) I'm sorry you had a dark enough period in your life to make some of these lyrics so obvious. I had my own dark moments, thankfully never this dark, but dark enough to also be able to see the story here so clearly. I hope that you have continued to do well and continue to move away from that dark period.
Two points. Firstly the time out chair interpretation doesn't clash with the literal interpretation. They can coexist and provide interesting counterpoints. The condescending use of "boy" certainly resonates with this.
Two points. Firstly the time out chair interpretation doesn't clash with the literal interpretation. They can coexist and provide interesting counterpoints. The condescending use of "boy" certainly resonates with this.
A second thing is that "clay" is an archaic poetic term for flesh. So that kind could be about him observing the harsh, sick reality of his body. This agrees with the reflection line.
A second thing is that "clay" is an archaic poetic term for flesh. So that kind could be about him observing the harsh, sick reality of his body. This agrees with the reflection line.
@UseYourNoggin It's fair enough to say that people really do have to explore that "darkness within themselves" to grasp the full meaning and crushing realism behind this music.
@UseYourNoggin It's fair enough to say that people really do have to explore that "darkness within themselves" to grasp the full meaning and crushing realism behind this music.
Whilst people who flag AIC as just a "grunge band with some easy riffs" their music has always been something more. It's music like this that people overlook. The difference between the simple death-row interpretation and your description is what separates those who understand, and can live the music, from those who only hear it.
Whilst people who flag AIC as just a "grunge band with some easy riffs" their music has always been something more. It's music like this that people overlook. The difference between the simple death-row interpretation and your description is what separates those who understand, and can live the music, from those who only hear it.
I don't know as much as you, and I've certainly got a lot...
I don't know as much as you, and I've certainly got a lot of my own darkness left to go through, but everything you've said is true. The lyrics that hit home the most for me are "Loneliness is not a phase, Field of pain is where I graze, serenity is far away." Knowing inside yourself that the darkness isn't going to end soon, accepting that you have to feed off of your own sadness just to get by, just to feel something.
"See myself molded in clay. Stares at me, yeah I'm afraid." is another set that really digs deep. Sometimes i would just sit in a room for hours on end, just staring at myself in a piece of glass, confronting that face. Staring through the reflection into the vast emptiness behind my eyes. It's not the same, but the lyrics remind me of this.
I could go on a little more but I'm just too drained from everything to delve into it...
Never tried heroin, and thanks to the songs from the "dirt" album -among others-, I don't intend to. Song like "Dumb" by Nirvana remind me how tired I am of having to find shortcuts around my own misery just to face daily life, adding drugs to that list wouldn't help and I don't want to give up, not yet...
"Serenity is far away" but maybe, just maybe, I can get close... I have to, not just for me, hell maybe not even for me at all. But I have to try... I have to...
@UseYourNoggin "Weight of my heart not the size" is not a happy lyric at all. The ancient Egyptian's believed that when you went to the afterlife, your heart was weighed to see your worthiness. As most know, today a heavy heart means that you are unhappy. Layne played with these two ideas to create this lyric.
@UseYourNoggin "Weight of my heart not the size" is not a happy lyric at all. The ancient Egyptian's believed that when you went to the afterlife, your heart was weighed to see your worthiness. As most know, today a heavy heart means that you are unhappy. Layne played with these two ideas to create this lyric.
@UseYourNoggin Man I agree on everything you said becouse that's mostly what Layne idea of this song was. But even he said that meaning of the lyirics of any song from them is relative to listener. For me this song speaks about view of life. Angry chair - me and my perception about the world around me. Angry walls- people around me witch are judging and limiting me to be the way I want to be. The rest of the song goes on to explain the stugles of living in this world, and how people want to change you to...
@UseYourNoggin Man I agree on everything you said becouse that's mostly what Layne idea of this song was. But even he said that meaning of the lyirics of any song from them is relative to listener. For me this song speaks about view of life. Angry chair - me and my perception about the world around me. Angry walls- people around me witch are judging and limiting me to be the way I want to be. The rest of the song goes on to explain the stugles of living in this world, and how people want to change you to be the way they want you to be, and ofc your feelings. As U said, U conect to some lyrics becouse the expirience U had with some things, as for me this song has diferent meaning becouse I'm disapointed in human rase, and thus think that nothing good can come from it. We're all diferent, with diferent perception of the world around us. But I to get your anger becouse people dont even try to understand.
@UseYourNoggin I don't think the stomach pain comes with the drug, I think the pain came from some sort of withdraw, or from something maybe even deeper.
@UseYourNoggin I don't think the stomach pain comes with the drug, I think the pain came from some sort of withdraw, or from something maybe even deeper.
I created this account just to clear up some confusion. I'm highly disappointed and appalled at how much crap and how little sense is in these comments. First, props to who nailed it- Drink the Poison pretty much nailed it, and Got Me Wrong gets a 4 out of 5 from me, but everyone else is too distracted by pornography to use more than three braincells.
In General: This song provides a glimpse into the mind of a heroin addict. It is not about the drug; it's about the person and his struggles. Unlike most other AIC songs, the music AND lyrics were by Layne Staley. This is a major distinction from the other songs written by Jerry Cantrell. And what an amazing song it is.
"Sitting on an Angry Chair"- The chair that Layne sits in when he's on smack. NOT a childhood timeout chair (who the fuck sings about being in timeout??), nor an electric chair. Was Layne ever on death row? NO!
"Angry walls that steal the air"- Also heard as "stills the air". Layne's surroundings are quite hostile, and there seems to be a sense of timelessness (probably induced by the drug). Even though he describes the chair and walls to be angry, Layne is the angry one, presumably angry with himself.
"Stomach hurts and I don't care"- His stomach pain is excruciating, but he deals with it because it comes with the high.
"See myself molded in clay. Stares at me, yeah I'm afraid"- These lyrics are cryptic, but in general, think of it as a confrontation with himself, perhaps in a dream. It's creepy to see yourself, and even worse if you're made of clay and staring back at yourself.
"Changing the shape of his face"- too creepy to explain. This lyric is so dark.
"Candles red, I have a pair, Shadows dancing everywhere"- This is too simple to fuck up. He has two red candles on his chair. The dancing shadows are the flickering flames of the candles, which means there's no other light in the room. Can you connect the dots? Can you put together a good picture of what's going on? Don't forget the angry walls and no air...... very dark and gloomy lyrics, and the music matches this.
"Burning on the Angry Chair"- The riddle here is this: what's burning, the candles, or Layne? (use your noggin- answer it for yourself)
"Little boy made a mistake. Pink cloud has now turned to grey. All that I want is to play."- His mistake was using heroin for the first time, and the price was lost innocence. Layne uses the word "boy" several times in this song (why? use your noggin). On a related note, Layne reprises the "Pink cloud has now turned to grey" lyric in the song "Artificial Red" with Mad Season.
"Get on your knees, time to pray"- Cryptic lyrics again, but this definitely refers to religious and/or demonic pressures.
"I don't mind, yeah(x4), Lost my mind, Can't find it anywhere, but I don't mind"- This part of the song is the first break from the harsh stinging guitar riff. Basically, Layne feels like he's gone crazy, but there's a lot more to this...
"Corporate prison we stay, I'm a dull boy work all day, So I'm strung out anyway"- If you don't listen to these lyrics with the music, you'll never receive the full intensity of the message. This has nothing to with drugs, this is simply the same corporate pressures that we all can relate to, and he's just sick of it. Cantrell's solo that follows this line is loud, fast, and sick.
"Loneliness is not a phase, Field of pain is where I graze, Serenity is far away"- This has to do with deep depression. As someone who has experienced clinical depression where my body physically hurt for no reason, I relate to these lyrics, and can actually recall the same feelings by listening to this song and remembering that time in my life.
"Saw my reflection and cried, So little hope that I died"- What does it take for a man to cry? These lyrics mean whatever meaning you apply to them. Don't forget he saw himself molded in clay earlier.... (use your noggin)
"Weight of my heart not the size."- This powerful lyric is the only light in such a dark song. Surprisingly, it balances out.
Layne poured his deepest darkest emotions into his music. The people who so errantly attempt to interpret his music have not explored the darkness within themselves. That's where you need to go if you truly wish to understand AIC.
This makes sense..
This makes sense..
I figured the stomache pain was from him not eating, cause when you're high, you won't eat for shit man
I figured the stomache pain was from him not eating, cause when you're high, you won't eat for shit man
Almost dead on, far as I'm concerned. I wouldn't even try to offer "corrections" as much as expansions...
Almost dead on, far as I'm concerned. I wouldn't even try to offer "corrections" as much as expansions...
"I don't mind, yeah(x4), Lost my mind, Can't find it anywhere, but I don't mind" It's just poetic (brilliant) clever writing playing on the metaphor of "losing" one's mind, then not being able to find it, and then driving the metaphor home with the play on words of not "minding" - his disturbing awareness that he's destroying himself and he doesn't care. Heartbreaking stuff. I've read what his last years were like. He didn't go...
"I don't mind, yeah(x4), Lost my mind, Can't find it anywhere, but I don't mind" It's just poetic (brilliant) clever writing playing on the metaphor of "losing" one's mind, then not being able to find it, and then driving the metaphor home with the play on words of not "minding" - his disturbing awareness that he's destroying himself and he doesn't care. Heartbreaking stuff. I've read what his last years were like. He didn't go out like John Belushi who unintentionally OD'd. According to the few friends who he'd let visit, he just wasn't interested in saving himself. He just played it out until the end.
"Corporate prison we stay, I'm a dull boy work all day, So I'm strung out anyway" Again, pretty spot on. My only additional take on it is that his pain was one f the driving sources of their music and their success. Record company says, "Great album! Sales are through the roof! Give us more!" Kind of like Kurt Cobain with, "Rape me" I'm strung out if I keep this all in, I'm strung out if I make music about it.
"Saw my reflection and cried, So little hope that I died" Even thinking about this one too long gives me chills. "please say that the only reason I look this awful is that I'm dead. "
"Weight of my heart not the size." I don't think this is a "lighter" lyric. I see it as another lament. "People love me, say that I'm awesome, that I have a big heart, that I help them by expressing their pain - but inside the only truth is that my heart isn't big, it's just heavy as hell. It hurts all the time. I take heroin to escape it for a while, but that is just making it all heavier"
Props to you Noggin (3 years later) I'm sorry you had a dark enough period in your life to make some of these lyrics so obvious. I had my own dark moments, thankfully never this dark, but dark enough to also be able to see the story here so clearly. I hope that you have continued to do well and continue to move away from that dark period.
Two points. Firstly the time out chair interpretation doesn't clash with the literal interpretation. They can coexist and provide interesting counterpoints. The condescending use of "boy" certainly resonates with this.
Two points. Firstly the time out chair interpretation doesn't clash with the literal interpretation. They can coexist and provide interesting counterpoints. The condescending use of "boy" certainly resonates with this.
A second thing is that "clay" is an archaic poetic term for flesh. So that kind could be about him observing the harsh, sick reality of his body. This agrees with the reflection line.
A second thing is that "clay" is an archaic poetic term for flesh. So that kind could be about him observing the harsh, sick reality of his body. This agrees with the reflection line.
@UseYourNoggin It's fair enough to say that people really do have to explore that "darkness within themselves" to grasp the full meaning and crushing realism behind this music.
@UseYourNoggin It's fair enough to say that people really do have to explore that "darkness within themselves" to grasp the full meaning and crushing realism behind this music.
Whilst people who flag AIC as just a "grunge band with some easy riffs" their music has always been something more. It's music like this that people overlook. The difference between the simple death-row interpretation and your description is what separates those who understand, and can live the music, from those who only hear it.
Whilst people who flag AIC as just a "grunge band with some easy riffs" their music has always been something more. It's music like this that people overlook. The difference between the simple death-row interpretation and your description is what separates those who understand, and can live the music, from those who only hear it.
I don't know as much as you, and I've certainly got a lot...
I don't know as much as you, and I've certainly got a lot of my own darkness left to go through, but everything you've said is true. The lyrics that hit home the most for me are "Loneliness is not a phase, Field of pain is where I graze, serenity is far away." Knowing inside yourself that the darkness isn't going to end soon, accepting that you have to feed off of your own sadness just to get by, just to feel something.
"See myself molded in clay. Stares at me, yeah I'm afraid." is another set that really digs deep. Sometimes i would just sit in a room for hours on end, just staring at myself in a piece of glass, confronting that face. Staring through the reflection into the vast emptiness behind my eyes. It's not the same, but the lyrics remind me of this.
I could go on a little more but I'm just too drained from everything to delve into it...
Never tried heroin, and thanks to the songs from the "dirt" album -among others-, I don't intend to. Song like "Dumb" by Nirvana remind me how tired I am of having to find shortcuts around my own misery just to face daily life, adding drugs to that list wouldn't help and I don't want to give up, not yet...
"Serenity is far away" but maybe, just maybe, I can get close... I have to, not just for me, hell maybe not even for me at all. But I have to try... I have to...
@UseYourNoggin I made an account, just so I could say, well spoken, Noggin!
@UseYourNoggin I made an account, just so I could say, well spoken, Noggin!
@UseYourNoggin "Weight of my heart not the size" is not a happy lyric at all. The ancient Egyptian's believed that when you went to the afterlife, your heart was weighed to see your worthiness. As most know, today a heavy heart means that you are unhappy. Layne played with these two ideas to create this lyric.
@UseYourNoggin "Weight of my heart not the size" is not a happy lyric at all. The ancient Egyptian's believed that when you went to the afterlife, your heart was weighed to see your worthiness. As most know, today a heavy heart means that you are unhappy. Layne played with these two ideas to create this lyric.
@UseYourNoggin
@UseYourNoggin
@UseYourNoggin Man I agree on everything you said becouse that's mostly what Layne idea of this song was. But even he said that meaning of the lyirics of any song from them is relative to listener. For me this song speaks about view of life. Angry chair - me and my perception about the world around me. Angry walls- people around me witch are judging and limiting me to be the way I want to be. The rest of the song goes on to explain the stugles of living in this world, and how people want to change you to...
@UseYourNoggin Man I agree on everything you said becouse that's mostly what Layne idea of this song was. But even he said that meaning of the lyirics of any song from them is relative to listener. For me this song speaks about view of life. Angry chair - me and my perception about the world around me. Angry walls- people around me witch are judging and limiting me to be the way I want to be. The rest of the song goes on to explain the stugles of living in this world, and how people want to change you to be the way they want you to be, and ofc your feelings. As U said, U conect to some lyrics becouse the expirience U had with some things, as for me this song has diferent meaning becouse I'm disapointed in human rase, and thus think that nothing good can come from it. We're all diferent, with diferent perception of the world around us. But I to get your anger becouse people dont even try to understand.
@UseYourNoggin I don't think the stomach pain comes with the drug, I think the pain came from some sort of withdraw, or from something maybe even deeper.
@UseYourNoggin I don't think the stomach pain comes with the drug, I think the pain came from some sort of withdraw, or from something maybe even deeper.
i think when he talks about his face moving I think he's just taking a better look at himself
i think when he talks about his face moving I think he's just taking a better look at himself
@UseYourNoggin for somebody so confident in their understanding of AiC you really made an ass of yourself lol.
@UseYourNoggin for somebody so confident in their understanding of AiC you really made an ass of yourself lol.