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| F LoBuono |
I think that it's pretty safe to say that no one would ever define me as any type of groupie. In fact, anyone who really knows me is probably laughing pretty hard at the very notion of that. Simply put, I'm not a good follower. Shit, as a kid, as much as I liked the outdoors, I never even joined the Boy Scouts!
So, it's rare for me to feel greatly moved by the loss of most public figures, especially if I see them simply as entertainers. I don't eagerly show public outpourings of grief for people that I don't REALLY know. But, this one seems different. The loss of Chris Cornell is effecting me most deeply. The fact that he choose to take his own life is devastating! Oh my god!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I actually stumbled on his work, particularly with Audioslave, only recently. As mentioned above, I'm not very trendy, so I missed the so-called Seattle Grunge Scene. So, I didn't know a lot of his early work with Soundgarden. Then one day, I think quite by accident, I heard Like a Stone. I was fucking blown away - and, with an ego as large as mine, that's pretty hard to do. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The quality of his voice, the DEPTH of his lyrics were ASTOUNDING. The minimalistic, sparse, downbeat sound of the music suited the mood PERFECTLY. But, it's more than "just" a song - it's a prayer, a plea, a lament, a search for the soul. Considering the fact that he just took his own life makes even that more prophetic.
Cornell was the driving force - as it should be. And, he was damned good looking, too! He dressed in the I don't give a shit style that makes a statement in its understatement. I love that. It's not fucking important. Life is!!
As I write this, I'm listening to Like a Stone over and over again. OH MY GOD - listen to the lyrics. It's as if he is predicting the course of action he eventually took - TEARS are streaming down my cheeks!! The guitar, as I listen, CRIES with me -
"and I sat in regret for all the things that I've done, for all that I've blessed, for all that I've wronged, in dreams, until the day I wander on".
This song has to be one of the deepest prayers I've ever heard. Here is a man in total contact with his very soul - and, he had the talent, drive, and guts to share it with us!! To think that he lost all HOPE is devastating, simply devastating. How could a man so obviously blessed with such enormous gifts simply throw it all away . . .
I am broken.
I have always seen suicide for the ENORMOUS TRAGEDY that is. I have been personally impacted by this horrible scourge. I think that we all have. And, it's the saddest thing in the world. It means that someone has no hope, sees no light, no solution or end to their suffering. Sometimes, hope is all we have left. When we lose that . . .
If there is a moral to this tragedy, it's that the curse of mental illness and the suffering it brings is a part of all of our lives - either directly or through the loss of a public figure of enormous talent like Mr. Cornell. If it can take him, it can take anyone. Friends, NEVER lose hope. There is ALWAYS a way - and, it can be found by reaching out. You are loved. We are all loved - by someone. And, never be afraid to show your love. It is the only, ultimately redeeming force.
I wait for you there, like a stone . . . ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Like+a+Stone+Lyrics&&view=detail&mid=416E5ECEF75E2142FF2C416E5ECEF75E2142FF2C&FORM=VRDGAR
Like a Stone
On a cobweb afternoon
In a room full of emptiness
By a freeway I confess
I was lost in the pages
Of a book full of death
Reading how we'll die alone
And if we're good, we'll lay to rest
Anywhere we want to go
In a room full of emptiness
By a freeway I confess
I was lost in the pages
Of a book full of death
Reading how we'll die alone
And if we're good, we'll lay to rest
Anywhere we want to go
In your house I long to be
Room by room patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
Room by room patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
On my deathbed I will pray
To the gods and the angels
Like a pagan to anyone
Who will take me to heaven
To a place I recall
I was there so long ago
The sky was bruised
The wine was bled
And there you led me on
To the gods and the angels
Like a pagan to anyone
Who will take me to heaven
To a place I recall
I was there so long ago
The sky was bruised
The wine was bled
And there you led me on
In your house I long to be
Room by room patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
Room by room patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
Alone
And on I read
Until the day was gone
And I sat in regret
Of all the things I've done
For all that I've blessed
And all that I've wronged
In dreams until my death
I will wander on
Until the day was gone
And I sat in regret
Of all the things I've done
For all that I've blessed
And all that I've wronged
In dreams until my death
I will wander on
In your house I long to be
Room by room patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
Room by room patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
Alone
Songwriters: TIMOTHY COMMERFORD, CHRIS CORNELL, TOM MORELLO, BRAD WILK
© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
For non-commercial use only.
Thanks Frank. I'm an old rock and roller and was never fond of Seattle Grunge, but I had heard a couple of Chris' best songs. The freaky thing about his death is that it was immediately following a strong performance. We may never know what demons lurked inside that drove him to end his own life. And that is the sad part. We need to continue to raise awareness about mental illness AND addiction. Until society at large accepts both as a disease and makes treatment more accessible and free if necessary, we will continue to bury our loved ones. And yes, LOVE is the answer. I don't care what anyone says. Love is the ultimate healer.
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