I believe this song is about Chris's experience of the ups and downs of fame and how it has worn on him. He came into stardom with a message and intent. "Once upon a time, I was if the mind to lay your burden down" But he was often unheard or misinterpreted. Something that points to this is this song being titled "Shadow on the sun"... "Black Hole Sun" was at the time, the biggest commercial hit Cornell had been apart of. Yet according to him, he wrote the song just listening to the news one night and it just came together. It had no real meaning. But everyone would always put meaning to it. "I could read your thoughts. Tell you what you saw. And never say a word." Consequently, he's lost his own way though he used to feel like he had a purpose and message, "Now all that is gone. Over with and done. And never to return". He now only feels like he can "show you how people die alone/go insane."
Second verse
Staring at the loss
Looking for a cause
And never really sure
Nothing but a hole
To live without a soul
And nothing to be learned
I feel the second verse is the most direct reference to Black Hole Sun being nothing. And the rise it gave him and the band still hurts him cause he wanted to give so much more and reach people in a more meaningful way.
"And the shapes of every size "all that part. Is him describing him recalling who he used to be and where he went wrong (his biggest impact being literally nothing) and it burns him as he wishes to reclaim the man who used to encapsulate his body or "skin"
Every drop of flame
Lights a candle in
The memory of the one
Who loved inside my skin
He's now a shadow of him self
A shadow on the sun
(Black hole Sun)
I believe this song is about Chris's experience of the ups and downs of fame and how it has worn on him. He came into stardom with a message and intent. "Once upon a time, I was if the mind to lay your burden down" But he was often unheard or misinterpreted. Something that points to this is this song being titled "Shadow on the sun"... "Black Hole Sun" was at the time, the biggest commercial hit Cornell had been apart of. Yet according to him, he wrote the song just listening to the news one night and it just came together. It had no real meaning. But everyone would always put meaning to it. "I could read your thoughts. Tell you what you saw. And never say a word." Consequently, he's lost his own way though he used to feel like he had a purpose and message, "Now all that is gone. Over with and done. And never to return". He now only feels like he can "show you how people die alone/go insane." Second verse
Staring at the loss Looking for a cause And never really sure Nothing but a hole To live without a soul And nothing to be learned
I feel the second verse is the most direct reference to Black Hole Sun being nothing. And the rise it gave him and the band still hurts him cause he wanted to give so much more and reach people in a more meaningful way.
"And the shapes of every size "all that part. Is him describing him recalling who he used to be and where he went wrong (his biggest impact being literally nothing) and it burns him as he wishes to reclaim the man who used to encapsulate his body or "skin" Every drop of flame Lights a candle in The memory of the one Who loved inside my skin
He's now a shadow of him self A shadow on the sun (Black hole Sun)
[Edit: To make more complete]