I know Jerry says that he wrote this song about an ex-gf but, tbh, the lyrics fit Layne’s situation at that time so well, I’ve often thought that the ex-gf story might’ve been a cover for Jerry writing a song about Layne. I mean, Jerry was watching his friend’s addiction slowly kill him and you know there were a lot of emotions there. Pair that with the fact that most of the album this song is from, “Dirt,” is about Layne and his addiction, life and death, etc. and it makes sense, thematically, that this song would also be about Layne. Maybe Jerry just didn’t want to tell Layne that, or maybe it was a touchy subject to talk about with the press at the time they wrote the album. Idk. But I think most people who hear this just assume it HAS TO be about Layne and are surprised when they find out it’s supposedly just a breakup song about a girl.
E.g. When he sings the line, “You don’t understand who they thought I was supposed to be,” it makes me think of the pressure of celebrity and the expectations put on Layne bc of how highly regarded his singing and AiC’s music was – the type of pressure that could drive someone to seek escape into drugs – more than it sounds like something you’d say to/about a girl who dumped you. Or, like, the line “I’ve eaten the sun, so my tongue has been burned of the taste” sounds, to me, WAY more like it’s about doing heroin and not being able to find enjoyment in anything else than it does about being bummed about breaking up with a girl.
I guess it’s possible that the “gf breakup” lyrics are hugely coincidental or we all read into it bc of what we know about Layne’s story, but I’m skeptical. Or maybe Jerry’s just really good at writing doubles and it’s both.
Even if it wasn’t written about Layne, though, I think part of the reason the song works so well is because he can obviously FEEL those lyrics and put himself and his situation right inside them when he sings it, regardless of what the song is allegedly “really” about.
Also, every time I watch this Unplugged, I can’t help but notice how often Jerry looks over at Layne and looks sad. It could be that he’s just making sure Layne is still sitting upright (bc, reportedly, Layne had to get a fix before the show so he could get through it, which is part of why he seems barely there), but those looks always make me think that Jerry knew this was the end and he was saying goodbye to his friend with this final performance.
