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Soundgarden, "Black Hole Sun" and Heroin Addiction

MarylandTeacherMarylandTeacher Posts: 233
edited October 2007 in Other Music
Dear Pearl Jam Message Pit,

It has been said that music serves as a window to the soul. Weather or not the author wants the casual listener to peer into his soul is the subject of a different essay. Be that as it may, I feel that Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” has the diction, imagery, symbolism, and the mood of a person fighting a bleak and desperate addiction.

According to Wikipedia’s http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_cornell#Personal_life, Chris Cornell, the lead singer of Soundgarden, had a very rocky adolescence. He battled depression, to include alcohol abuse and truancy. This sets the stage for possible drug use and addiction.

The diction/word choice within “Black Hole Sun” includes the following: disguise, snake, disgrace, stench, scream, stuttering, cold, damp, steal, hell, hang, and drown. The following collection of words suggests a sharp, bitter tone. It is as if the narrator is peeling back the layers of his game face to show the rotten core of what exists below: a dark emptiness that demands to be filled. But with what? Heroin?

The imagery within “Black Hole Sun” is just as ugly as its tone. “In my eyes / Indisposed” suggests a deeply discouraged man who is prone to seeing himself as a failure. In his own eyes, he is weak and broken. “In disguise / As no one knows / Hides the face” suggests that he is hiding, removed from legitimate society. But hide from what? Himself? Why? Is it self-loathing that facilitates his retreat to the shadows?

The image of a black hole is the very epitome of negativity. A black hole sucks in anything unfortunate enough to get too close. This could easily be thought of as heroin use. On the other hand, the sun, which grants us warmth and life, is traditionally thought of as a very positive image. The “Black Hole Sun” could be a metaphor for heroin use in that heroin may initially have a very glamorous quality to it, and this is suggested by the Sun. But, in the end, the drug will turn on you, consuming all that you are, all that you will ever be, and this is suggested by the Black Hole. The “Black Hole Sun” is the all consuming poison that lurks just beneath a thin layer of glamour.

Disgrace, stench, and death all suggest a very unhappy man who is trapped within what he is; and he both hates his situation and himself. Perhaps he is filled with hate because of an addiction to heroin, which could be suggested through the line, “….Through the cream…” When he says,

Black hole sun
Won’t you come
And wash away the rain
Won’t you come
Won’t you come

it seems that he wants something (heroin?) to take the pain away. Does heroin take the pain away? His search for absolution though chemicals will never lead to formal forgiveness; but it may make him feel “better” for the time being. The image created is that of a wounded child who wants something to wash away his crimes, the maternal kiss on the skinned knee of life.

“Stuttering / Cold and damp / Steal the warm wind / Tired friend / Times are gone / for honest men…” denotes very bad times. Anyone who has spent time around an addicted friend knows how bad they look when they are using. I should know. Heroin killed my brother in March of 2005. I can remember what he looked like at the end: ridden hard and put away wet. He had nothing but a cold, damp existence, and he could have used a dose of warm wind. The image created is that of a homeless man who is down on his luck.

The mood within “Black Hole Sun” is dreary. The entire song’s mood can be captured within, “I pray to keep / Heaven send / Hell away. At this point in the song, the narrator is at his lowest point. Being removed from Heaven is a metaphor for his condition. He lives in Hell. There is no beauty left in his life, no Heaven to grasp for. The only respite from the hurt is that drugs keep him numb. For a while, a mainline injection will make it all go away. And for this he is packed with shame, full of self-hatred.


Black Hole Sun

In my eyes
Indisposed
In disguise
As no one knows
Hides the face
Lies the snake
The sun
In my disgrace
Boiling heat
Summer stench
’neath the black
The sky looks dead
Call my name
Through the cream
And Ill hear you
Scream again

Black hole sun
Wont you come
And wash away the rain
Black hole sun
Wont you come
Wont you come

Stuttering
Cold and damp
Steal the warm wind
Tired friend
Times are gone
For honest men
And sometimes
Far too long
For snakes
In my shoes
A walking sleep
And my youth
I pray to keep
Heaven send
Hell away
No one sings
Like you
Anymore

Hang my head
Drown my fear
Till you all just
Disappear
Dalai Lama—To say that humility is an essential ingredient in our pursuit of spiritual transformation may seem to be at odds with what I have said about the need for confidence. But there is clearly a distinction to be made between valid confidence or self-esteem, and conceit - which we can describe as an inflated sense of importance, grounded in a false image of self.
Post edited by Unknown User on

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    clarefromscotlandclarefromscotland Posts: 154
    Well, it's well-known that Chris was in rehab in 2002 (8 years after this song was written) and was treated for addiction to alcohol and oral painkillers. He's now been clean and sober for several years. I honestly don't think he was ever a junkie in the ordinary sense of the word - he's come clean about so much else in his life since he regained his health, that I think he'd probably have talked about that as well if it were true.

    I think it's sometimes tempting to read too specific a meaning into the imagery of a song. I'd agree with you that this one certainly reeks of despair, but not all despair is heroin-induced (though many people did have bad drug problems in Seattle around ths time and I'm sure Chris saw a lot of that at close quarters, as you have done - sorry to hear about your brother). He seems to have had other personal problems during the 90s, including a rotten marriage.

    For what it's worth, whatever its origins, the song has enjoyed something of a happy ending. It was the only song his second wife had heard of his when she met him - in subsequent performances, it's almost became romantic and celebratory because of that. He's used it as a kind of anthem, encouraging the audience to sing it with him. His toddler son was recently at a show wearing a "Black Hole Son" T-shirt. :) I don't think it could have ended up quite so positive if its orighinal inspiration had been quite as you suggest. But chris has often said a song of his means whatever the listener needs it to mean at the time of listening, and that that interpretation is more important than whatever he might have meant at the time of writing.

    Clare (also an ex-English teacher!)
    www.myspace.com/clareobrienwright
    www.chriscornell.org.uk
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    MarylandTeacherMarylandTeacher Posts: 233
    ...a happy ending, that is.

    I'll agree with you that the song celebrates very dark side of life....be it heroin or drinking or addiction. Also, he could have been looking around at those closest to him...band members, friends, etc. who have ruined their lives with dependency.

    Thanks for the background....I had a feeling that he had kept his hand in an evil cookie jar, if for just a while.

    Matthew

    PS...a female co-worker had a suggested a failed marriage; and you had mentioned that he had suffered through an ugly marriage...perhaps a woman's intuition is all it's cracked up to be? :)

    In any case, thanks for the empathy.

    clarefromscotland wrote:
    Well, it's well-known that Chris was in rehab in 2002 (8 years after this song was written) and was treated for addiction to alcohol and oral painkillers. He's now been clean and sober for several years. I honestly don't think he was ever a junkie in the ordinary sense of the word - he's come clean about so much else in his life since he regained his health, that I think he'd probably have talked about that as well if it were true.

    I think it's sometimes tempting to read too specific a meaning into the imagery of a song. I'd agree with you that this one certainly reeks of despair, but not all despair is heroin-induced (though many people did have bad drug problems in Seattle around ths time and I'm sure Chris saw a lot of that at close quarters, as you have done - sorry to hear about your brother). He seems to have had other personal problems during the 90s, including a rotten marriage.

    For what it's worth, whatever its origins, the song has enjoyed something of a happy ending. It was the only song his second wife had heard of his when she met him - in subsequent performances, it's almost became romantic and celebratory because of that. He's used it as a kind of anthem, encouraging the audience to sing it with him. His toddler son was recently at a show wearing a "Black Hole Son" T-shirt. :) I don't think it could have ended up quite so positive if its orighinal inspiration had been quite as you suggest. But chris has often said a song of his means whatever the listener needs it to mean at the time of listening, and that that interpretation is more important than whatever he might have meant at the time of writing.

    Clare (also an ex-English teacher!)
    Dalai Lama—To say that humility is an essential ingredient in our pursuit of spiritual transformation may seem to be at odds with what I have said about the need for confidence. But there is clearly a distinction to be made between valid confidence or self-esteem, and conceit - which we can describe as an inflated sense of importance, grounded in a false image of self.
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    justamjustam Posts: 21,395
    You're RUINING good songs. I'm not reading anymore of your threads.
    &&&&&&&&&&&&&&
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    searchlightsoulsearchlightsoul Posts: 583
    MarylandTeacher wrote:
    Dear Pearl Jam Message Pit,

    It has been said that music serves as a window to the soul. Weather or not the author wants the casual listener to peer into his soul is the subject of a different essay. Be that as it may, I feel that Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” has the diction, imagery, symbolism, and the mood of a person fighting a bleak and desperate addiction.

    According to Wikipedia’s http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_cornell#Personal_life, Chris Cornell, the lead singer of Soundgarden, had a very rocky adolescence. He battled depression, to include alcohol abuse and truancy. This sets the stage for possible drug use and addiction.

    The diction/word choice within “Black Hole Sun” includes the following: disguise, snake, disgrace, stench, scream, stuttering, cold, damp, steal, hell, hang, and drown. The following collection of words suggests a sharp, bitter tone. It is as if the narrator is peeling back the layers of his game face to show the rotten core of what exists below: a dark emptiness that demands to be filled. But with what? Heroin?

    The imagery within “Black Hole Sun” is just as ugly as its tone. “In my eyes / Indisposed” suggests a deeply discouraged man who is prone to seeing himself as a failure. In his own eyes, he is weak and broken. “In disguise / As no one knows / Hides the face” suggests that he is hiding, removed from legitimate society. But hide from what? Himself? Why? Is it self-loathing that facilitates his retreat to the shadows?

    The image of a black hole is the very epitome of negativity. A black hole sucks in anything unfortunate enough to get too close. This could easily be thought of as heroin use. On the other hand, the sun, which grants us warmth and life, is traditionally thought of as a very positive image. The “Black Hole Sun” could be a metaphor for heroin use in that heroin may initially have a very glamorous quality to it, and this is suggested by the Sun. But, in the end, the drug will turn on you, consuming all that you are, all that you will ever be, and this is suggested by the Black Hole. The “Black Hole Sun” is the all consuming poison that lurks just beneath a thin layer of glamour.

    Disgrace, stench, and death all suggest a very unhappy man who is trapped within what he is; and he both hates his situation and himself. Perhaps he is filled with hate because of an addiction to heroin, which could be suggested through the line, “….Through the cream…” When he says,

    Black hole sun
    Won’t you come
    And wash away the rain
    Won’t you come
    Won’t you come

    it seems that he wants something (heroin?) to take the pain away. Does heroin take the pain away? His search for absolution though chemicals will never lead to formal forgiveness; but it may make him feel “better” for the time being. The image created is that of a wounded child who wants something to wash away his crimes, the maternal kiss on the skinned knee of life.

    “Stuttering / Cold and damp / Steal the warm wind / Tired friend / Times are gone / for honest men…” denotes very bad times. Anyone who has spent time around an addicted friend knows how bad they look when they are using. I should know. Heroin killed my brother in March of 2005. I can remember what he looked like at the end: ridden hard and put away wet. He had nothing but a cold, damp existence, and he could have used a dose of warm wind. The image created is that of a homeless man who is down on his luck.

    The mood within “Black Hole Sun” is dreary. The entire song’s mood can be captured within, “I pray to keep / Heaven send / Hell away. At this point in the song, the narrator is at his lowest point. Being removed from Heaven is a metaphor for his condition. He lives in Hell. There is no beauty left in his life, no Heaven to grasp for. The only respite from the hurt is that drugs keep him numb. For a while, a mainline injection will make it all go away. And for this he is packed with shame, full of self-hatred.


    Black Hole Sun

    In my eyes
    Indisposed
    In disguise
    As no one knows
    Hides the face
    Lies the snake
    The sun
    In my disgrace
    Boiling heat
    Summer stench
    ’neath the black
    The sky looks dead
    Call my name
    Through the cream
    And Ill hear you
    Scream again

    Black hole sun
    Wont you come
    And wash away the rain
    Black hole sun
    Wont you come
    Wont you come

    Stuttering
    Cold and damp
    Steal the warm wind
    Tired friend
    Times are gone
    For honest men
    And sometimes
    Far too long
    For snakes
    In my shoes
    A walking sleep
    And my youth
    I pray to keep
    Heaven send
    Hell away
    No one sings
    Like you
    Anymore

    Hang my head
    Drown my fear
    Till you all just
    Disappear

    Well I always thought it was pretty clear the song was about 'stupid' people and wishing they would just disapear. Chris was pretty clear that he did'nt take heroin but definately became an alcoholic late in Soundgardens history. But the beauty of Chris' lyrics is that you can always take your own meaning from them.
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    MarylandTeacherMarylandTeacher Posts: 233
    justam wrote:
    You're RUINING good songs. I'm not reading anymore of your threads.

    that's going to require a trip to the nurse!
    Dalai Lama—To say that humility is an essential ingredient in our pursuit of spiritual transformation may seem to be at odds with what I have said about the need for confidence. But there is clearly a distinction to be made between valid confidence or self-esteem, and conceit - which we can describe as an inflated sense of importance, grounded in a false image of self.
  • Options
    MarylandTeacherMarylandTeacher Posts: 233
    searchlightsoul wrote:
    Well I always thought it was pretty clear the song was about 'stupid' people and wishing they would just disapear. Chris was pretty clear that he did'nt take heroin but definately became an alcoholic late in Soundgardens history. But the beauty of Chris' lyrics is that you can always take your own meaning from them.

    the grief behind the lyrics, be it heroin or alcohol...they are all shades of the same color...

    ...perhaps my own loss colors my perspective....I'm willing to admit that.

    Matthew
    Dalai Lama—To say that humility is an essential ingredient in our pursuit of spiritual transformation may seem to be at odds with what I have said about the need for confidence. But there is clearly a distinction to be made between valid confidence or self-esteem, and conceit - which we can describe as an inflated sense of importance, grounded in a false image of self.
  • Options
    intodeepintodeep Posts: 7,228
    searchlightsoul wrote:
    Well I always thought it was pretty clear the song was about 'stupid' people and wishing they would just disapear. Chris was pretty clear that he did'nt take heroin but definately became an alcoholic late in Soundgardens history. But the beauty of Chris' lyrics is that you can always take your own meaning from them.

    Didn't Chris Room with Andrew Wood for a bit in the 80's. I always thought that after that OD experience he stayed away from herion.

    i could be off though.
    Charlotte 00
    Charlotte 03
    Asheville 04
    Atlanta 12
    Greenville 16, Columbia 16
    Seattle 18 
    Nashville 22
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    MarylandTeacherMarylandTeacher Posts: 233
    intodeep wrote:
    Didn't Chris Room with Andrew Wood for a bit in the 80's. I always thought that after that OD experience he stayed away from herion.

    i could be off though.

    Andrew Wood's?......or Chris'? Now I'm confused.

    Matthew
    Dalai Lama—To say that humility is an essential ingredient in our pursuit of spiritual transformation may seem to be at odds with what I have said about the need for confidence. But there is clearly a distinction to be made between valid confidence or self-esteem, and conceit - which we can describe as an inflated sense of importance, grounded in a false image of self.
  • Options
    clarefromscotlandclarefromscotland Posts: 154
    Andy Wood died of an overdose...Chris wrote "Say Hello To Heaven" and (as he mentioned recently) also "Outshined" for Andy.
    www.myspace.com/clareobrienwright
    www.chriscornell.org.uk
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    intodeepintodeep Posts: 7,228
    MarylandTeacher wrote:
    Andrew Wood's?......or Chris'? Now I'm confused.

    Matthew
    Andrew Wood Overdosed of herion. As the previous poster mentioned it became the muse for much of the Temple of the Dog Album that Chris wrote and later songs.

    I just bring that up because after seeing Andrew Overdose i doubt chris would put himself in a situation with Heroin. Although people have certaintly done stranger things in this life.
    Charlotte 00
    Charlotte 03
    Asheville 04
    Atlanta 12
    Greenville 16, Columbia 16
    Seattle 18 
    Nashville 22
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    lockedlocked Boston Posts: 4,004
    I seem to recall in an old interview he intimated that it also applied to the lack of sincerity in the record / business community...

    everybody trying to screw you while they are smiling...

    In my eyes
    Indisposed
    In disguise
    As no one knows...

    Hides the face
    Lies the snake
    The sun
    In my disgrace

    Times are gone
    For honest men
    And sometimes
    Far too long
    For snakes


    The video has those same elements of an insincere world...

    distorted "happy" mom , dad and children....

    the Superunknown CD was written right about when Soundgarden was the poster child of the grunge fanfare...

    and I think, much like Eddie, Chris hated being associated with the media circus..

    Just my two cents..
    "This here's a REQUEST!"
    EV intro to Chloe Dancer / Crown of Thorns
    10/25/13 Hartford
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    MattCameronKicksButtMattCameronKicksButt Posts: 4,317
    I read somewhere that he used to hide in the woods by his house and take heroin when he was a teenager but I'm not sure if he was addicted to heroin?

    Pretty much all the songs on Superunknown mean the same thing to me - about feeling left out of society. That's how I interpret them but I think some of them may have a more specific meaning.
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    MarylandTeacherMarylandTeacher Posts: 233
    clarefromscotland wrote:
    Andy Wood died of an overdose...Chris wrote "Say Hello To Heaven" and (as he mentioned recently) also "Outshined" for Andy.

    Thanks.

    Matthew
    Dalai Lama—To say that humility is an essential ingredient in our pursuit of spiritual transformation may seem to be at odds with what I have said about the need for confidence. But there is clearly a distinction to be made between valid confidence or self-esteem, and conceit - which we can describe as an inflated sense of importance, grounded in a false image of self.
  • Options
    MarylandTeacherMarylandTeacher Posts: 233
    MattCameronKicksButt wrote:
    I read somewhere that he used to hide in the woods by his house and take heroin when he was a teenager but I'm not sure if he was addicted to heroin?

    Pretty much all the songs on Superunknown mean the same thing to me - about feeling left out of society. That's how I interpret them but I think some of them may have a more specific meaning.

    Wikipedia showed that he had a very turbulent youth. As for whether or not he did use heroin, I don't know. But I can say that "Black Hole Sun" is full of very dark imagery that suggests some from of addiction.

    Matthew
    Dalai Lama—To say that humility is an essential ingredient in our pursuit of spiritual transformation may seem to be at odds with what I have said about the need for confidence. But there is clearly a distinction to be made between valid confidence or self-esteem, and conceit - which we can describe as an inflated sense of importance, grounded in a false image of self.
  • Options
    Duder5kDuder5k Posts: 278
    I remember he said he wrote the lyrics in a car..

    That's pretty much all I've heard of him talking about the song. It's agreed up on by many fans that the song(and video) are about an end of the world, apocalyptic situation of possible biblical proportions. Sort of the mindset Travis Bickle had in Taxi Driver.

    "Thank God for the rain to wash the trash off the sidewalk."
    "Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets."

    Amazingly powerful song. Sadly people discredit the song just because it was such a huge hit and don't really give it much real appreciation.
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    Jeremy1012Jeremy1012 Posts: 7,170
    intodeep wrote:
    Didn't Chris Room with Andrew Wood for a bit in the 80's. I always thought that after that OD experience he stayed away from herion.

    i could be off though.
    true nuff
    "I remember one night at Muzdalifa with nothing but the sky overhead, I lay awake amid sleeping Muslim brothers and I learned that pilgrims from every land — every colour, and class, and rank; high officials and the beggar alike — all snored in the same language"
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    MarylandTeacherMarylandTeacher Posts: 233
    Duder5k wrote:
    I remember he said he wrote the lyrics in a car..

    That's pretty much all I've heard of him talking about the song. It's agreed up on by many fans that the song(and video) are about an end of the world, apocalyptic situation of possible biblical proportions. Sort of the mindset Travis Bickle had in Taxi Driver.

    "Thank God for the rain to wash the trash off the sidewalk."
    "Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets."

    Amazingly powerful song. Sadly people discredit the song just because it was such a huge hit and don't really give it much real appreciation.

    Duder5k,

    I know that the lyrics are rather dark in nature...makes you want to shudder if you listen closely.

    Matt
    Dalai Lama—To say that humility is an essential ingredient in our pursuit of spiritual transformation may seem to be at odds with what I have said about the need for confidence. But there is clearly a distinction to be made between valid confidence or self-esteem, and conceit - which we can describe as an inflated sense of importance, grounded in a false image of self.
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    MarylandTeacherMarylandTeacher Posts: 233
    Jeremy1012 wrote:
    true nuff


    toyed around with drugs until it stopped his heart one night. :(

    Matthew
    Dalai Lama—To say that humility is an essential ingredient in our pursuit of spiritual transformation may seem to be at odds with what I have said about the need for confidence. But there is clearly a distinction to be made between valid confidence or self-esteem, and conceit - which we can describe as an inflated sense of importance, grounded in a false image of self.
  • Options
    MarylandTeacherMarylandTeacher Posts: 233
    Thanks for making me stop and think. I agree 100% what you are saying....I just wonder if he had any problems with drugs around the time that he wrote the song.

    I'm not saying that you are wrong...not at all.

    But I do think that the song may have more than one meaning...but bravo....you made me stop and think...and that is most excellent.

    Matthew
    locked wrote:
    I seem to recall in an old interview he intimated that it also applied to the lack of sincerity in the record / business community...

    everybody trying to screw you while they are smiling...

    In my eyes
    Indisposed
    In disguise
    As no one knows...

    Hides the face
    Lies the snake
    The sun
    In my disgrace

    Times are gone
    For honest men
    And sometimes
    Far too long
    For snakes


    The video has those same elements of an insincere world...

    distorted "happy" mom , dad and children....

    the Superunknown CD was written right about when Soundgarden was the poster child of the grunge fanfare...

    and I think, much like Eddie, Chris hated being associated with the media circus..

    Just my two cents..
    Dalai Lama—To say that humility is an essential ingredient in our pursuit of spiritual transformation may seem to be at odds with what I have said about the need for confidence. But there is clearly a distinction to be made between valid confidence or self-esteem, and conceit - which we can describe as an inflated sense of importance, grounded in a false image of self.
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