Crackerman

Album: Core (1992)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • A "crackerman" is a drug dealer, and on this song, Scott Weiland sings about seeking out this dealer and killing him. The song reflects the paranoia that can result from certain drugs.
  • Core was the first Stone Temple Pilots album. They chose the title because they felt it got to the core of their essential musical elements.
  • The line, "I'm thinkin' about a boy, his name was Sue," is a reference to the Johnny Cash song "A Boy Named Sue."
  • The album was produced by Brendan O'Brien, famous for his work in Pearl Jam. According to Weiland, he had a different idea for the production - something along the lines of the Ministry song "Jesus Built My Hotrod." When Weiland performed the song with his group the Wildabouts in the '10s, they performed it more in the arrangement he originally envisioned.

Comments: 5

  • Lisa Kay from Des Moines, Ia"A Boy Named Sue" is a country song, written by Shel Silverstein and popularly sung by Johnny Cash. Years later Silverstein wrote a follow-up named "The Father of a Boy Named Sue" in which he tells the old man's point of view of the story.....Yeah I lef' home when the kid was three and it sure felt good to be fancy free

    Tho I knew it wasn't quite the fatherly thing to do

    But that kid kept screamin' and throwin' up and pissin' in his pants til I had enough

    So just for revenge I went and named him Sue

    Yeah it was Gatlinberg in mid July I was gettin' drunk but gettin' by

    Gettin' old and goin' from bad to worse

    When thru the door with an awful scream comes the ugliest queen I've ever seen

    He says my name is Sue how do you do then he hits me with his purse.....
  • Ido from Haifa, Israelif you look deeply into bouth "boy named sue" and "crackerman" lyrics, you can clearly recognize
    element of "Oedipus complex" in wich the boy want to "kill" his father but because the father is stronger then him he has to become him (like him). I think bouth songs talk about a man's struggle to become a man and to create gender identity
  • Ido from Haifa, Israelif you look deeply into bouth "boy named sue" and "crackerman" lyrics, you can clearly recognize
    element of "Oedipus complex" in wich the boy want to "kill" his father but because the father is stronger then him he has to become him (like him). I think bouth songs talk about a man's struggle to become a man and to create gender identity
  • George from Jackson, Nja boy named sue is a johny cash song that was recorded the first time he ever read it live at a prison. one of june carters friends wrote it. a man names his son sue and the father leaves him and his mother. Sue becomes tough because he was always picked on and when Sue confronted his father, his father explained that he had to leave and the only way to make his son tough was to name him sue. EVERYONE LOVES THIS SONG THAT HEARS, DOWNLOAD IT!
  • Adrian Martin from Brookings, SdReally?? That's insane! I wonder if that line about the man named Sue being a woman too ties into that at all. The dual gender identity pops up again in "Lounge Fly" and Scott Weiland certainly does show off his feminine side. Who knows??
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Loudon Wainwright III

Loudon Wainwright IIISongwriter Interviews

"Dead Skunk" became a stinker for Loudon when he felt pressure to make another hit - his latest songs deal with mortality, his son Rufus, and picking up poop.

Desmond Child

Desmond ChildSongwriter Interviews

One of the most successful songwriters in the business, Desmond co-wrote "Livin' La Vida Loca," "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)" and "Livin' On A Prayer."

David Sancious

David SanciousSongwriter Interviews

Keyboard great David Sancious talks about his work with Sting, Seal, Springsteen, Clapton and Aretha, and explains what quantum physics has to do with making music.

Jimmy Webb

Jimmy WebbSongwriter Interviews

Webb talks about his classic songs "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," "Wichita Lineman" and "MacArthur Park."

00s Music Quiz 1

00s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

Do you know the girl singer on Eminem's "Stan"? If so, this quiz is for you.

Mike Campbell

Mike CampbellSongwriter Interviews

Mike is lead guitarist with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and co-writer of classic songs like "Boys Of Summer," "Refugee" and "The Heart Of The Matter."