Down In A Hole

While I know that Cantrell has gone on the record saying that this song is about his girlfriend, I believe he's fibbing for personal reasons. I believe that, just like "Rooster" is Jerry's song for his father, "Down in a Hole" is Jerry's song to his departed mother, who died of cancer just before Facelift came out.

"Bury me softly in this womb I give this part of me for you"

Jerry's mother speaking. This is a reference to childbirth. The mother carries the child in her womb, and goes through the intense pain and suffering associated with childbirth. The mother gives herself away so that the child can be born.

"Sand rains down and here I sit Holding rare flowers In a tomb...in bloom"

Jerry's mom continues by saying that now she lays in a grave, lifeless.

"Down in a hole and I don't know if I can be saved See my heart I decorate it like a grave"

This is Jerry speaking to his mother (although Layne is singing, Jerry wrote the lyrics). He feels lost without the guidance of his departed mother. He is saddened by her loss and is deeply depressed by her death, hence his heart is "decorated like a grave." Her grave. It has been documented that during the recording of this album Jerry was suffering deep depression from his mother's loss.

"You don't understand who they Thought I was supposed to be Look at me now I'm a man Who won't let himself be"

Jerry's explaining to his mother that he regrets not being able to spend more time with her growing up. He's torturing himself over her loss, constantly second-guessing.

"Down in a hole, feeling so small Down in a hole, losing my soul I'd like to fly, But my wings have been so denied"

His cry to his mother. An infant bird must at some point learn to fly by watching its mother/father. But that bird must also be nurtured by its family before it can reach that point. Because his mother isn't there he feels like he is "malnourished," unable to reach his fullest potential. Basically, there's a deep void in his life.

"Down in a hole and they've put all The stones in their place"

Again referring to the fact that she has died.

"I've eaten the sun so my tongue Has been burned of the taste"

This is his bitterness with success. Despite reaching "rock star" status, he is somewhat "burned" by the problems fame can bring.

"I have been guilty Of kicking myself in the teeth I will speak no more of my feelings beneath"

He regrets his current stature, and would rather his mother be alive then him be famous. More than likely, he received a large sum of money after his mother died, and that money probably went towards equipment/promotion in the pre-Facelift era. For what he has now, the problems that come with fame, he would trade all of that in to be with her but he can't, so he'll speak no more of it.

Lastly, the refrain...

"Bury me softly in this womb Oh I want to be inside of you I give this part of me for you Oh I want to be inside of you Sand rains down and here I sit Holding rare flowers (Oh I want to be inside of you) In a tomb...in bloom Oh I want to be inside..."

Pretty obvious. Again his mother is speaking to him, but Jerry interjects with "I want to be inside of you." He wants to be with his mother again. He wants to retreat from reality and go back inside of his departed mother's womb so that he can again be with her.

It's worth noting that while the entire band was going through major drug and alcohol issues during the recording of this album, Jerry was taking Xanax to treat clinical depression which he had been suffering since his mother died. Since many of these wrongs were written while the band was touring for Facelift, it's likely that when this song was written, the death of Jerry's mother was still fresh on his mind.

I honestly believe that a lot of these songs that Jerry claims to be about "break-ups" and "girlfriends" aren't really about what he says they are. He's clearly a sensitive and intuitive guy, and I doubt he would want to publicize the true meaning of a song with subject matter as deep as this.

Discuss.