Like a Stone

Very Band Much Rock

Like a Stone by Audioslave

Recommended by Uncle Manny

"This song got my attention for many reasons...first, the strong drum presence. Drums always get my attention! Nothing fancy here, just a strong, solid beat throughout. Second, Chris Cornell's vocals.  Love his voice. Third, the ridiculous guitar work by Tom Morello. This song only has one guitar part! Check out the solo, AMAZING!

Last, the lyrics. I always thought they had a religious undertone...speaking about the Bible, man's struggle with faith, Heaven, and how we might get there. I am interested to hear your thoughts on all of it...so take your time..."

Fair point about the drums - they waste no time starting that beat up, and it scarcely relents through the entire five-minute song.

Full disclosure: I wouldn't have mentioned the simple drum line if my uncle didn't call it out specifically, but it's definitely important. Because it's such a "strong, solid beat throughout," it makes it all the more powerful when the steady drum line drops out during the raw, intimate bridge.

The guitar is also powerful. "Ridiculous," if you will.

I'm about 80% sure I've heard this solo before, too. Maybe I've heard this song before, and that's the only part that stuck with me. It's entirely possible - Tom Morello is a talented dude. He's #40 on The Rolling Stones's list of the Top 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time (x).

(That list inspired me to look a bunch of other guitar solos. Like this one of all Tom Morello's best work. The guitar is actually pretty sick when it's not just being used for chords.)

(No offense to chords. Chords are very important.)

Moving onto the vocals...My Uncle and I disagreed on the Disturbed cover of The Sound of Silence because I thought it was a touch over-dramatic. In this case, I think we both like the balance that Chris Cornell strikes between passion and subtlety.

I realize that rock music isn't necessarily known for its subtlety, but Cornell finds it nonetheless.

Even in the most intense moments of Like a Stone, it sounds as if the pain is half-hidden, just below the surface, rather than out on his sleeve.

But what's the source of this pain? Let's talk about the lyrics.

Morello called Cornell's lyrics "haunted, existential poetry," and I'm inclined to agree with this assessment (x). Like a Stone is dark and lovely, and it takes a second to really grasp its meaning.

Cornell himself explains.

"It's a song about concentrating on the afterlife you would hope for, rather than the normal monotheistic approach: You work really hard all your life to be a good person and a moral persona and fair and generous, and then you go to hell anyway."(Source)

Based on this description and the lyrics themselves, I agree with my uncle's supposition that there are some religious undertones. We can probably assume that a book full of death refers to the Bible and that whenever he speaks to you, he's talking to God.

By the second verse, we're moving the religious discussion from subtext to full-blown text. Cornell outright says that he's been praying like a pagan...to the gods and the angels. He even mentions Heaven by name.

Here's my interpretation:

We're Catholic, and we're having a crisis of faith as we get closer to death. Good deeds are the way to get that seat at the right hand of the father...but what if we haven't been quite good enough?

We realize that we worship God not because we believe in His greatness but because we want to go to Heaven. We start looking around at other gods, other ways we might get into Heaven, without that caveat of Judgment Day and the potential for rejection.

The struggle is never really cleared up, but that's to be expected. Existential crises are about the unknowable. You either keep drowning in your thoughts or you train yourself not to think about it.

In dreams until my death, I will wonder on.

Overview:

Genre:
Rock

Favorite Lyrics:
And on my deathbed, I will pray to the gods and the angels,
like a pagan, to anyone who will take me to Heaven.

Verdict:
Christian God wasn't comp'ng those VIP tickets to Heaven, so they sold out to the highest bidder among the pagan gods.