Reply #32: I'd almost say Down in a Hole or Them Bones, but THE song is

[Elidor]

Would?

A song about a young, up-and-coming rock singer who killed himself with heroin - sung by another young, up-and-coming rock singer who killed himself with heroin (and cocaine). Layne Staley wrote his own epitaph with Would. I wonder if the other guys in the band, hearing it for the first time, had to finally realize that Layne was a dead man walking.

Into the flood again
Same old trip it was back then
So I made a big mistake
Try to see it once my way

"Angry Chair" was always my personal fave. Jerry's harmonies show his deep interest in chant, and the disembodied pain of the lyrics is sublime. I always thought Jerry Cantrell was the standout musician of the group.

Layne's final interview should be must-reading for anyone who has ever considered using heroin:

"I know I'm dying," he rasped through missing teeth. "I'm not doing well. Don't try to talk about this to my sister Liz. She will know it sooner or later."

"This f---ing drug use is like the insulin a diabetic needs to survive," he said. "I'm not using drugs to get high like many people think. I know I made a big mistake when I started using this sh--. It's a very difficult thing to explain. My liver is not functioning and I'm throwing up all the time and sh---ing my pants. The pain is more than you can handle. It's the worst pain in the world. Dope sick hurts the entire body."

The most chilling passage of the interview reads like a suicide note.

"I know I'm near death," he said. "I did crack and heroin for years. I never wanted to end my life this way. I know I have no chance. It's too late. I never wanted (the public's) thumbs' up about this f---ing drug use."