“He's like "every frog." He's the Jimmy Stewart of frogs.” »read more
Search for
Songfacts: You can leave comments about the song at the bottom of the page.
This is about lead singer Layne Staley's battle to overcome his heroin addiction. The band became inactive 2 years later when his drug problems became too troublesome. Staley died of a drug overdose in 2002.
Jar of Flies was the first EP (extended play, like an LP except shorter) to ever top the Billboard charts. It debuted at #1.
Alice in Chains was the third band from the Seattle grunge scene to top the charts. Pearl Jam and Nirvana were the others.
This was not released as a single, but got a lot of airplay before the EP was released.
The title of the EP was taken from a high school science project done by guitarist Jerry Cantrell.
Comments:
Get the Ringtone
Get Song @ Amazon
Get the Sheet Music
Wait, this song is about heroin? Really wow such a departure from most of Alice in Chains' songs.I would never have guessed
- brian, boston, MA
this song also makes me think of my friend Nick.
- charlie, las vegas, NV
Wait wait don't tell me.I have not read any of the song facts at the top of this page yet but I am going to try to guess the meaning of this song.All right let me think um is it about heroin? or maybe someone being addicted to heroin,or maybe someone that died of an overdose of heroin? I am just taking a wild guess.O.K. O.K we get it Alice In Chains you did heroin.Try writing about something else once in a while.
- brian, boston, MA
for some reason, back before I even knew the name of this song, I KNEW I LOVED IT. Also, this song kept playing over and over in my head when i was taking my Geometry and Spanish finals on my last day of freshman year of high school.
- charlie, las vegas, NV
"Don't Follow" is probably the best song off of 'Jar of Flies'. Better lyrics...a lot mellower, but taken as a whole, better than the others.
- Mike, Matawan, NJ
this song was written by cantrell and layne and its about their friendship and the tole layne's drug addiction takes on his friends and the band. when layne died, the saddest part was that he said he had no friends left, not even sean, mike, or jerry. but the last verse is so beautiful because i can listen to it and realize that no matter what, jerry and the band cared about him. "you my friend, i will defend, and if we change, well i love you anyway."
- Andrew, lanoka harbor, NJ
i think this song has such textured layers 2 it, the sound of the opening stumming with the groovy base behind it,makes u see the more softer,mature side of the band,also with songs like NUTSHELL, makes u wonder there's something really deep and meaningful where they're coming from.Layne once said : .....I WROTE SONGS ABOUT DRUGS,WHY ARE PEOPLE STILL USING THEM?.........
- talha, lahore, Pakistan
I'd say this songs ties Down In A Hole with my favorite song ever written. Rooster makes a close third.
- erin, tulsa, OK
It's alright
There comes a time
Got no patience to search
For peace of mind
Layin' low
Want to take it slow
No more hiding or
Disguising truths I've sold
This clearly says that he wants to quit his addiction but he doesnt have enough patience to want it, i guess. and there would be no reason to keep hiding it.
- erin, tulsa, OK
yeah they dont get the credit they deserve. they were so brilliant. with jerry's (along with layne) songwriting capabilities and laynes vocals they should have been way bigger than they were. this is one of my favs. but how can you pick one song from this group? layne was one of the greatest frontmen of all time. may he rest in peace
- joseph, Canton, GA
My favorite AIC song. For sure. But everything they did make, Nutshell, Angry Chair, Rooster, Man in the Box, Would, Heaven Beside You, and many more, got me thinking, "Wow, this is one of my very, very favorite bands. Cantrell and Staley: 2 of the greatest musicians out there. May Layne rest in peace.
- Jeremy, Lafayette, LA
i think cantrell is one of the best sogwriters there is
- Joey, Gallipolis, OK
No excuses was written by Cantrell. I think he wrote it about Layne. This was the era when Layne's addiction took over his life. Cancelled tours, rumors, backlash all focussed around Staley. I think this song is describing Cantrell's feelings about Staley and their friendship. "Drained and blue, I bleed for you . . . you're drowning in it too". He's telling Lane how frustrated he is covering his ass. Lane probably doesn't care much at this point what the fans/media think--maybe he thinks it's a joke? Cantrell recognizes the severity of Layne's problems and "you're drowning in it too" is like telling him to wake up!! Even though he's frustrated with all the grief Layne's caused the band, he finishes with "You're my friend, I will defend . . . " He's telling Layne he will always stand by his side. I can't imagine how much crap the band dealt with over Staley's addiction. I've read Staley would get clean, then come to the studio (out of nowhere) smacked out of his head--much to the chagrin of his band mates. I'm sure they still wonder what could have been.
- Kevin, Portland , OR
A main part of this song is obviously about the friendship and love between Jerry Cantrell and Layne Staley, in the unplugged you can see when he sings the line "You my friend
I will defend
And if we change, Well I
Love you anyway"
you can see Jerry Cantrell giving Layne Staley a loving glare.
- Alec, Winnipeg, Canada
Another Favorite AIC song for me. Particularly the line "Your my friend, I will defend...And if we change well I love you anyways" which has to be one of my most relatable lines from a song. This song really is from the heart and can be seen in many ways.
- Mike, St.Catharines, Canada
Sad to see that great music comes from a lot of pain;...it eventually consumed Layne. His voice is haunting.
- amzng, delhi, India
this is my favorite alice in chains song, the lyrics are from the heart just like all of the songs and it is amazing. alice in chains i feel gets lost in the shuffle of grunge bands too much. everyone talks of nirvana and pearl jam but alice in chains is every bit as talented in my opinion
- andrew, harrisburg, PA
there was a huge dispute whether the album would be released as an EP or an LP because it only contains 7 tracks. if you count the hits on the album i would count them all because they all took so much time and patience that they didnt want to write anymore songs for the album. but i dont understand the connection between the title of the album and the meaning of the album. because my impressin of the alnum was ' the life of a rockstar'. but the name of the title came from jerry cantrells high school biology project and is well talked about in the AIC music bank disk and jerry says its about over population in a nutshell( no pun intended)
- Ben, Clemmons, ND
Yes, I Stay Away is the other "hit" from the album, not as big of a hit as No Excuses, but a hit none the less.
- Kevin, a town, NJ
I don't think this was the only 'hit' from the album, the video to "I Stay Away" has the little clay-mation Alice In Chains guys in it. And I have seen it numerous times.
Anyways, "No Excuses" is such an amazingly beautiful song, if you read the lyrics you can pick up on the drug related parts("hands are bruised from breakin rocks all day").
- Brian, Paoli, IN