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There I was, laid out on a table
Screamin' sweat and bare feet to the floor
In my life, I'd not soften
Things that cut, and burn so often
But I sit, think of somethin'
Scared to face, the dyin' nothin'
See the cycle I've waited for
It ain't like that anymore
Where I go is when I feel I'm able
How I fight is why I'm feelin' sore
In my sight, not forgotten
Feel as though, a tooth were rotten
Behind the smile, a tongue that's slippin'
Buzzards cry, when flesh is rippin'
See the cycle I've waited for
It ain't like that anymore
Here I sit writing on the paper
Trying to think of words you can't ignore
In my eyes, what I'm lacking
Score at face, a ten for slacking
Sign the deal, set in motion
Smaller fish, so huge the ocean
See the cycle I've waited for
It ain't like that anymore
Screamin' sweat and bare feet to the floor
In my life, I'd not soften
Things that cut, and burn so often
But I sit, think of somethin'
Scared to face, the dyin' nothin'
See the cycle I've waited for
It ain't like that anymore
Where I go is when I feel I'm able
How I fight is why I'm feelin' sore
In my sight, not forgotten
Feel as though, a tooth were rotten
Behind the smile, a tongue that's slippin'
Buzzards cry, when flesh is rippin'
See the cycle I've waited for
It ain't like that anymore
Here I sit writing on the paper
Trying to think of words you can't ignore
In my eyes, what I'm lacking
Score at face, a ten for slacking
Sign the deal, set in motion
Smaller fish, so huge the ocean
See the cycle I've waited for
It ain't like that anymore
Lyrics submitted by Ice
Track duration: 04:37
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lol
There I was, laid out on a table
Screamin' sweat and bare feet to the floor
That line is obvious, and the next lines support the theory as well
In my life, I'd not soften
Things that cut, and burn so often
I'd not soften, means i don't care, i still havent quit after all this time. And, Things that cut,.... Needles hello, and burn so often..... SPOON and or needles.
Where i go is where i feel im able... after rehab safe places to stay sober like NA meetings. How i fight is why im feeling sore,..... how he fights his addiction is why hes feeling sore, either from the drugs or the actual needle its self.
In my sight, and not forgotten,....Heroin
Feel as though a tooth, a tooth were rotten....High on painkillers like a dentist would prescribe(same thing as heroin if not worse) Also heroin addicts sometimes feel pain thats in their owne head for an excuse to relapse other then for the fact that they want the feeling. Sometimes the addiction can make you think some outragous shit.
Behind the smile, a tongue that's slippin'
Buzzards cry, when flesh is rippin'
Oops he told someone he started using again or got caught in a lie about his addiction. Back to rehab, can you now see the cycle that hes waiting for?
Here I sit a writing on the paper
Trying to think of words you can't ignore
In this verse hes dead, either by OD, or what i think is suicide. It aint like that anymore, not because hes better, but in this verse because hes dead. A writing on the paper means that hes in the newspaper and he maid a headline, The media often uses catchy titles in the headlines, or words that you can't ignore so that you will read the article.
Here I sit writing on the paper
Trying to think of words you can't ignore
In my eyes, what I'm lacking
Score at face, a ten for slacking
Sign the deal, set in motion
Smaller fish, so huge the ocean
No life in his eyes or face, finally killing himself, signing a deal that was set in motion when he first started using. In other words coming to terms with the inevidable and dying or killing himself on purpose. Smaller fish, so huge the ocean.... I think this is an analogy of how small the earth is and how humans are damn near micro organisms and we think life is very important and the whole universe was made just to create the earth. Scientificaly speaking, we're life on this planet is very small and theirs no evidence that we are linked to anyhting huge or important, like god. In essence we're small fish in a huge ocean. Think about it, their 100 billion stars in the milkyway alone, and their are trillions of galaxys just like the milkyway, most of them are actually bigger. So i think this song is about drugs, if you disagree with me, dont make vague statements about how i think every AIC song is about drugs because you don't know what i think and your just a big fat doodoo head.
"In my sight, not forgotten", should be, "Goodbye mind, not forgotten." At least... I think that's right.
If we think of the song under this context instead of drugs, the first verse "There I was laid out on the table/screaming sweat and bare feet to the floor" is an exaggerated description of how nervous Jerry and the band were in a meeting with their label, and how they were demanded success. This could explain the next lines, where Jerry says he's always been strong "I'd not soften/Things that cut and burn so often", but regardless of how strong he may be, he is scared of commercial failure "Scared to face, the dyin' nothin'"
In the short documentary in the Music Bank videos, we see that the young Alice in Chains consisted of four starving guys who were eager to pursue success. Hence, the chorus "See the cycle I waited for/ It ain't like that anymore" conveys the notion that they were finally getting to the level of success that they wanted, but now it's a compeletely different world than what they expected.
The second verse manifests the fear of not being a commercial success and getting consumed by the "buzzards". The last verse emphasizes the apprehension, and the pressure to succeed, as Jerry trys to write good songs and "words you can't ignore"
Lastly, the lines "sign the deal, set in motion/smaller fish, so huge the ocean" reiterates the theme of that song, as the young Alice in Chains embraces the music industry and must deal with the new unfamiliar landscape.