Audioslave: self-titled
Audioslave’s self-titled album kicks off with “Cochise,� referring back to the nineteenth century Apache leader who led his people in resistance to the troops of the United States. The song urges the subject to resist temptation and giving up, to embrace life instead, to really be free…and this is the thrust of the entire album. Chris Cornell sings that “I am not a martyr/I am not a prophet/And I won’t preach to you/But here’s a caution/You better understand/that I won’t hold your hand.� This is no self-help album, but rather one filled with hope in friendship, community, and faith.
“Show me how to live� asks a priest to help the singer’s mind sleep (because religion is the opiate of the masses or because there, he can find true rest?) I’ll opt for the second because Cornell refers to the “nail in my hand/from my Creator�: simply put, the nails were put in Jesus’ hands, the Word by which the world was made! This Creator also took on the form of the creation, and Cornell warns that the Creator should be careful “before my role defines you.� Imperfect, and self-reflective, Audioslave isn’t sure that the Creator wants to be aligned with their problems because that might dirty His image.
Both “Gasoline� and “What you are� sing about leaving past mistakes, both inflicted by others and by self, behind, as someone looks back over past mistakes. The end takes center stage in “Like a stone,� as Cornell sings about a book full of death, with options for those who are good to rest, as each dies alone. The band hedges its bets with the promise to “pray to the gods and the angels/like a pagan to anyone/who will take me to heaven/a place I recall� at death. Still, peace appears to be found walking through the many rooms of the Other’s house—referring possibly to the rooms prepared by Jesus, promised to those who followed Him.
In “Set it off,� the leader of a group of people gets shot, but his followers are urged to follow through with the plan. Cornell sings “Jesus at the back door/Everything is all right…everything you don’t know/turns into a revelation.� Once again, the option is there for sarcasm, but those who have fallen are remembered (similar to U2’s Pride.) “Shadow on the sun� implies that the burdens/missions of others are worth holding onto because “to live without a soul/and nothing to be learned� makes life meaningless. Audioslave is anti-self pity but does not lack for compassion: we might die alone, but we live in community.
The prodigal son appears in “I am the highway,� as the singer travels the road alone, running away from what is behind him. There is a second ‘voice’ in the song though, one that says ‘I’ am not the rolling wheels but the road, not the carpet but the sky. Here, the Other says that he is more integral than the wanderer has understood before, but the truth will be made known. This knowledge escapes Audioslave in “Exploder,� until the bitter end, when to escape all of the problems he faces, he kills himself. The problems are evident to Cornell and his crew, but the solutions remain an arm’s length away.
In “Bring’em back alive,� Icarus flies too close to the sun as an example of the virus who lives in silence. Cornell sings, “And just like the heathens thinking/On our feet we believe in God/And with one step, two steps/Three feet toward the graveyard/On the high road to remembering/It seems that we forget.� Have we taken our religion to a too-personal level, where we face God standing up, rather than asking Him for help on our knees? Pride killed Icarus and threatens our relationships with God and others.
Fortunately, “Light my ways� returns the band to its knees in its hour of need. “And I’m willing to listen to your answers/And I’m not ashamed to tell you I need you today,� closes out the album. With the beginnings in rebellion and tough love, and the close in prayer-like request, Audioslave travels a road paved with destiny and welcomes any who choose the road to walk along with them. God fully extends Himself—Audioslave recognizing a moment for redemption, takes the road back.
“Show me how to live� asks a priest to help the singer’s mind sleep (because religion is the opiate of the masses or because there, he can find true rest?) I’ll opt for the second because Cornell refers to the “nail in my hand/from my Creator�: simply put, the nails were put in Jesus’ hands, the Word by which the world was made! This Creator also took on the form of the creation, and Cornell warns that the Creator should be careful “before my role defines you.� Imperfect, and self-reflective, Audioslave isn’t sure that the Creator wants to be aligned with their problems because that might dirty His image.
Both “Gasoline� and “What you are� sing about leaving past mistakes, both inflicted by others and by self, behind, as someone looks back over past mistakes. The end takes center stage in “Like a stone,� as Cornell sings about a book full of death, with options for those who are good to rest, as each dies alone. The band hedges its bets with the promise to “pray to the gods and the angels/like a pagan to anyone/who will take me to heaven/a place I recall� at death. Still, peace appears to be found walking through the many rooms of the Other’s house—referring possibly to the rooms prepared by Jesus, promised to those who followed Him.
In “Set it off,� the leader of a group of people gets shot, but his followers are urged to follow through with the plan. Cornell sings “Jesus at the back door/Everything is all right…everything you don’t know/turns into a revelation.� Once again, the option is there for sarcasm, but those who have fallen are remembered (similar to U2’s Pride.) “Shadow on the sun� implies that the burdens/missions of others are worth holding onto because “to live without a soul/and nothing to be learned� makes life meaningless. Audioslave is anti-self pity but does not lack for compassion: we might die alone, but we live in community.
The prodigal son appears in “I am the highway,� as the singer travels the road alone, running away from what is behind him. There is a second ‘voice’ in the song though, one that says ‘I’ am not the rolling wheels but the road, not the carpet but the sky. Here, the Other says that he is more integral than the wanderer has understood before, but the truth will be made known. This knowledge escapes Audioslave in “Exploder,� until the bitter end, when to escape all of the problems he faces, he kills himself. The problems are evident to Cornell and his crew, but the solutions remain an arm’s length away.
In “Bring’em back alive,� Icarus flies too close to the sun as an example of the virus who lives in silence. Cornell sings, “And just like the heathens thinking/On our feet we believe in God/And with one step, two steps/Three feet toward the graveyard/On the high road to remembering/It seems that we forget.� Have we taken our religion to a too-personal level, where we face God standing up, rather than asking Him for help on our knees? Pride killed Icarus and threatens our relationships with God and others.
Fortunately, “Light my ways� returns the band to its knees in its hour of need. “And I’m willing to listen to your answers/And I’m not ashamed to tell you I need you today,� closes out the album. With the beginnings in rebellion and tough love, and the close in prayer-like request, Audioslave travels a road paved with destiny and welcomes any who choose the road to walk along with them. God fully extends Himself—Audioslave recognizing a moment for redemption, takes the road back.
3 Comments:
Jacob has provided insightful explanations for Audioslave's songs answering questions I've had about the meaning of the group's more popular songs, which seemed to me to have a spiritual dimension. Thanks, Jacob. I will now listen more closely to their other songs. One can find the presence of the divine in surprising places if one is atuned. When that occurs, it is reassuring, gratifying, and inspirational.
Thanks for your kind comments, Walter! Audioslave certainly has an introspective, spiritual side that they show in quite a few of their songs. It's nice to rock and roll to something with meaning!
I was under the impression that "Show me How to Live" was written just after Cornell's estranged mother passed away, about thier reltaionship... and he used biblical/religious phraseology to make it more meaningful. I don't think it has the direct meaning that you imply.
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