The Audioslave Track That May Be One of Chris Cornell’s Best Songs

A few years after Soundgarden broke up, singer Chris Cornell and members of Rage Against The Machine formed a supergroup called Audioslave. It sounded exactly like what you would expect: Cornell’s high-powered vocals and haunted songwriting, propelled by Tom Morello’s crushing riffs and the heavy grooves of bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk.

While supergroups often live in the shadow of the giant bands that preceded them, Audioslave still felt like four musicians who hadn’t yet peaked. And one of their songs may be up there with Cornell’s best.

In a Room Full of Emptiness

Produced by Rick Rubin, “Like A Stone” appears on the band’s 2002 self-titled debut. It followed “Cochise”, a crushing album-opener that left no doubt what a Soundgarden/RATM offshoot might become.

But “Like A Stone” is a dark tune that finds Cornell contemplating the afterlife.

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 wanna go.

He awaits death, and speaks to the isolation one feels when facing mortality.

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.

Whatever, if anything, comes next, Cornell doesn’t seem to be guided here by the comfort of superstition. This isn’t a scene where loved ones get corporeally reassembled and gather for an eternity party. This is a man navigating the dark corners of being.

And on my deathbed, I will pray to the gods and the angels,
Like a pagan to anyone who will take me to Heaven.

I Will Wander On

Meanwhile, Cornell’s gothic poetry is supported by a minimalist groove. Morello’s wavering notes repeat like a life cycle: pushing the previous out to make room for the next. “Like A Stone” may be one of Cornell’s best tunes. It might also feature one of Morello’s finest guitar solos—which is saying something considering the epic catalogs of each.

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.

Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images