I'm the man in the box
Buried in my shit
Won't you come and save me
Save me

[Chorus:]
Feed my eyes, can you sew them shut?
Jesus Christ, deny your maker
He who tries, will be wasted
Feed my eyes now you've sewn them shut

I'm the dog who gets beat
Shove my nose in shit
Won't you come and save me
Save me

[Chorus: Repeat x2]



Lyrics submitted by Ice, edited by Liqwd10shn

Track duration: 04:47

"Man In The Box" as written by Staley/cantrell

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Man In The Box song meanings
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135 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment:It's about censorship and manipulations in the mass media. And that's not my thought, it's Layne Staley's thought.
    Flag ManInTheBoon March 08, 2013   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:Drugs can make someone feel this way, but I feel like its just a song about feeling worthless for any reason
    Flag cultleaderon December 19, 2012   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:This is a pro-Christian song. "man in the box" is street jargon for someone in prison. The two lyrics - man in the box and dox that gets beat are metaphoric expressions for being punished for one's sins. He has done wrong and is now being punished. He needs a Savior and calls out for someone to Save him.

    Now let's look at the chorus. Feed my eyes is a reference to the Book of Genesis Chapter 3.

    2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
    4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

    This parallels the "feed my eyes". Adam and Eve ATE from the trea of knowledge of good and evil and they're EYES WERE OPENED.

    But now they know good and evil and this is a very troubling fact. They immediately realize they have disobeyed God and "denied their maker". The chorus begs to reverse the clock and "sew them [opened eyes] shut".

    "Jesus Christ" - blatently brings about the belief in which God is True. "Deny your maker, he who tries, will be wasted". The "wasted" is a reference to Hell. This sentence is a warning, for those who deny their maker.

    "Feed my eyes now you've sewn them shut". This goes back to Genesis Chapter 3. After man has eaten from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, God banishes them from the Garden and closes off their way to the Tree of Life.
    Flagged TdyYrLoveon May 27, 2012   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:Ready for a head trip...

    Forget about the whole animal abuse explaination (Which is the correct meaning) and read the lyrics with the mindset that it's about someone in a WWII Nazi Concentration Camp.

    No denying that it relates 100%.

    ***They used to remove Jews' eyes in concentration camps as experimental torture.
    Flag tmckeeon April 22, 2012   Link
  • 0
    My Opinion:I love how layne and jerrys lyrics are vague sometimes.. especially the darker songs. i think they did this to not tell too much about what exactly he is depressed or upset about and so that people who listen to it who are also depressed or upset can use it to help them, because he knows/knew what it ws like to feel that way and wanted to help people because he wasnt. all i can say is thank you layne and jerry. thank you so much.
    Flag numskull417on February 29, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Admittedly only reading 3 of the 6 pages of opinions, it's possible I missed something. Supposing I didn't, it's quite clear very few people who've posted have ever been through heroin addiction. A few posters got it pretty close to right though, however if you've never dealt with drug addiction you will never know how Layne truly felt. I did and I do, hence the meaning of the song is clear to "me".
    Flag fullfoolon November 18, 2011   Link
  • -1
    My Interpretation:ok....Layne could be speaking out to religion or any others who dilute to know all and have the power to judge for selfish gain; maybe even touting them.

    "I'm the man in the box, buried in my shit; won't you come and save me?" He may be speaking in the third person as someone who's situation is depriving them of their freedom, as we all must endure in one way or another from time to time, similar to an innocent calf being raised in a stall.

    "Feed my eyes, can you sew them shut?" Show me, or can you make me to blindly follow.

    "Jesus Christ, deny your maker; he who tries, will be wasted." Most religions promise some form of eutopia (after death) if you follow and then threaten with somekind of hell if you don't. Christianity: Believe in Jesus Christ and you will go to Heaven and live forever in a perfect world; refuse to believe and go to Hell and burn forever in fire.

    "Feed my eyes, now you've sewn them shut." Show me what you say is true, but....I don't want to go to hell, so I'll close my eyes (mind) and follow. You've closed my mind to independence with the threat of Hell.

    "I'm the dog who gets beat; shove my nose in shit!" One harsh method used by some to house-break a dog from "relieving" itself in the house is to put it's nose in the mess it made while you spank it, then put it outside for a while. This is supposed to teach the dog why it is being punished as well as train it to not do it in the house, but to go outside. Layne could be relating this to a person being mentally punished by someone(s) using this person's mistakes to lay guilt on them or maybe even laying guilt for things not true, in order to train them to accept their ways of thinking or beliefs.

    "Won't you come and save me?...Save me." If you are so powerful to know all and judge, then change me. (Something which we know only we can do for ourselves.)

    Is Layne anti-Christ? Who knows?!! It seems to me that he is speaking out against the oppression going on in our societies that benefit some other's selfish beliefs or well-being. Ingenious lyrics, extremely perceptive and hard rockin'! I wish he could have conquered his own battles within himself so he could be with us today to rock on. RIP Layne Staley.....ROCK ON.
    Flag str8shuteron October 21, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Ok you brainiacs!! Who the hell is the hooded figure walking around in the video?
    127 comments and none of you even touched on that CLEARLY IMPORTANT INDIVIDUAL. Geniuses. Hey, hey, how about that big finish? I wonder who he looks like once he takes off the hood? Why are his eyes sewn shut and not Layne's? Hmmm. You dudes got to think shit through. Tell me your theories. LEft's get some answers about the hooded guy. And don't tell me he's a veal.
    Flag Tralfazzon August 24, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The second night after my mother died (March 26, 2005, the first time I actually slept) I had an extremely LOUD dream of "Man In The Box" playing in my head. This has never happened to me before or since then. I have no idea what this meant,
    but my Mom did know how much I love Alice In Chains.

    As far as I'm concerned the men of Alice In Chains have always been "out of the box".

    Rest in peace Layne and Mike.

    Flag canadianjayneon June 02, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:omg, love this song
    Flag cassifaceon April 14, 2011   Link

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