Mother Love Bone was established in 1988 by former Green River members Jeff Ament, Bruce Fairweather and Stone Gossard, former Malfunkshun frontman Andrew Wood and former Ten Minute Warning and Skin Yard drummer Greg Gilmore. Initially, the group was formed in 1987 out of the cover band Lords of the Wasteland which featured Wood, Gossard, Ament and Malfunkshun drummer Regan Hagar. By early 1988 the band had added Fairweather, replaced Hagar with drummer Greg Gilmore and changed its name to Mother Love Bone.
This new line-up quickly set about recording and playing area shows and by late 1988 had become one of Seattle's more promising bands. Wood's exuberant on-stage personality, outlandish clothes and dreamy lyrics helped bring attention to the band. In the 1996 grunge documentary, Hype!, Seattle engineer Jack Endino called Wood "the only stand-up comedian frontman in Seattle," a reference to Wood's playful style of interacting with Mother Love Bone fans.
In early 1989, the band signed to PolyGram subsidiary Mercury Records. As part of its contract PolyGram also created the Stardog Records imprint exclusively for the band. In March 1989, the group issued its debut EP, Shine, becoming the first of the new crop of Seattle bands to have a release on a major label. The record sold well and rapidly increased the hype surrounding the band. John Book of Allmusic said the "record contributed to the buzz about the Seattle music scene."
In late 1989, the group returned to the studio (this time in San Francisco, California) to record its debut album, Apple. Despite some initial difficulties, the record was on-time for its projected March 1990 release. By this point interest in the band had hit a fever pitch and it seemed destined that the band were going to make it big. Only days before Apple was slated to be released, however, frontman Andrew Wood, who had a long history with drug problems, overdosed on heroin. After spending a few days in the hospital in a coma, Wood died, effectively bringing the group to an end. The album would see release later that year on July 19, 1990. Kim Neely of Rolling Stone said that the album "succeeds where countless other hard rock albums have failed, capturing the essence of what made Zep immortal – dynamics, kids! – and giving it a unique Nineties spin."
Chloe Dancer / Crown Of Thorns
Mother Love Bone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Chloe just like me, only beautiful
A couple of years of difference
But those lessons never learned
Chloe danced the tables in the french quarter
She always been given so I can't always make her laugh
But I'm proud to say
And I won't forget
Time spent laying by her side
And dreams like this must die
And dreams like this must die
And dreams like this must
You ever heard the story of Mr.Faded Glory?
Say he who rides a pony must someday fall
Been talkin' to my alter
Say life is what you make it
And if you make it death well then rest your soul away
Away away yeah child
It's a broken kind of feeling
She'd have to tie me to the ceiling
A bad moon's a comin' better say your prayers, child
I want to tell her that I love you
But does it really matter?
I just can't stand to see you dragging down Again
Again
My baby again, oh, yeah
So I'm singing
And this is my kinda love
It's the kind that moves on
It's unkind and leaves me alone
Yes it does
And this is my kinda love
It's the kind that moves on
It's unkind that leaves me alone
I uses to treat you like a lady
Now you're a substitute teacher
This bottle's not a pretty, not a pretty sight
I owe the man some money so I'm turnin' over honey
You see Mr.Faded Glory is once again doin' time, oh yeah
And this is my kinda love
It's the kind that moves on
It's the kind the leaves me alone
Yes, it does
And this is my kinda love
It's the kind that moves on
It's the kind that, it's the kind that
It leaves me alone, yeah
Like a crown of thorns
It's all who you know, yeah
So don't burn your bridges woman
'Cause someday, yeah
Kick it, oh yeah
And this is my kinda love
It's the kind that moves on
It's the kind that leaves me alone, yeah
This is my kinda love
It's the kind that moves on
It's the kind that, it's the kind that, yeah, yeah
Baby
I said com' on, com' on, com' on com' on yeah
I said baby
Don't burn your bridges, woman
Don't come back here
I said good times, tu tu tu
Tu tu tu
I said tu tu tu
The song "Crown of Thorns" by Mother Love Bone is an emotional and heartfelt tribute to a woman named Chloe. The song opens with the verse "Chloe don't know better, Chloe just like me, only beautiful." This very first line suggests that Chloe is someone who is carefree and naive, similar to the singer of the song. The following lines, "A couple of years of difference, but those lessons never learned," imply that the two people are close in age, but Chloe is someone who has never learned from her mistakes. The stanza ends with a description of Chloe's carefree nature and how the singer is happy to be around her.
The second part of the song is about a man named Mr. Faded Glory, who is described as someone who rides a pony and must someday fall. This line is a metaphor for a person who is proud and overconfident but will eventually face a downfall. The singer then talks about how life is what you make it, and if you make it death, then you will rest your soul away. This line suggests that the choices people make in life ultimately determine their fate. The stanza ends with the singer wanting to tell Chloe that he loves her but is unsure if it really matters.
The chorus of the song is a repeated phrase that talks about the singer's kind of love. It's the kind that moves on, leaves him alone, and is unkind. The last lines of the song talk about burning bridges and how it's all about who you know.
Line by Line Meaning
Chloe don't know better
Chloe is clueless and doesn't have the knowledge to make good decisions
Chloe just like me, only beautiful
Chloe and I are similar, but she is more attractive than me
A couple of years of difference
We have a slight age gap
But those lessons never learned
Despite our age difference, we both make the same mistakes
Chloe danced the tables in the french quarter
Chloe danced on tables in the French Quarter
She always been given so I can't always make her laugh
Chloe is privileged, so I can't always make her happy
But I'm proud to say
Despite our differences, I am proud to say
And I won't forget
I will always remember
Time spent laying by her side
We spent time laying next to each other
And dreams like this must die
Our dreams cannot become a reality
You ever heard the story of Mr.Faded Glory?
Have you heard of Mr. Faded Glory?
Say he who rides a pony must someday fall
It is inevitable that those who are successful will fail in the future
Been talkin' to my alter
I have been speaking to my alter ego
Say life is what you make it
Life is how you choose it to be
And if you make it death well then rest your soul away
If you choose to live life poorly, you might as well be dead
Away away yeah child
Far, far away
It's a broken kind of feeling
It's a feeling of being broken
She'd have to tie me to the ceiling
She'd have to keep me restrained if she wants to be with me
A bad moon's a comin' better say your prayers, child
A bad situation is coming, and we better prepare by praying
I want to tell her that I love you
I want to tell her that I love her
But does it really matter?
But does it make a difference if I do?
I just can't stand to see you dragging down Again
I hate to see you bringing me down
Again
Again
My baby again, oh, yeah
My love, once again
So I'm singing
So I am singing
And this is my kinda love
This is the way I like to love
It's the kind that moves on
My love is the type that moves on from one person to another
It's unkind and leaves me alone
My love is not kind and leaves me alone
Yes it does
Yes, it truly does
I uses to treat you like a lady
I used to treat you politely
Now you're a substitute teacher
Now you work as a substitute teacher
This bottle's not a pretty, not a pretty sight
This liquor bottle is not a pleasant sight
I owe the man some money so I'm turnin' over honey
I owe someone money, so I am giving up my woman to pay off the debt
You see Mr.Faded Glory is once again doin' time, oh yeah
Mr. Faded Glory is serving time in jail again
Like a crown of thorns
Like a symbol of torture and pain
It's all who you know, yeah
It is about the people you know
So don't burn your bridges woman
Don't ruin your chances and connections
'Cause someday, yeah
Because it will matter someday
Kick it, oh yeah
Start it up
This is my kinda love
This is the way I like to love
Baby
My love
I said com' on, com' on, com' on com' on yeah
I urge you to follow me and come on closer
I said baby
My love
Don't burn your bridges, woman
Don't ruin your chances and connections
Don't come back here
Don't return to me or this place
I said good times, tu tu tu
I say, it has been good times
Tu tu tu
I say
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANDREW WOOD, BRUCE IAN FAIRWEATHER, GREG A. GILMORE, JEFFREY ALLEN AMENT, STONE C. GOSSARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@peterdente6826
There will never be anything that compares to being a teenager in the early 90's. At almost 50 now, my life is amazing, but I miss the simpler days of no cell phones, no social media, no distractions; just great times and great music!
@jameslannon9788
hit the nail on the head right there.. great times, great music... miss those days.
@serabera0
Agreed!
@nathanricepriv
I wish i was around to see those days. I was born in 2001, i missed by two years.
@trippenwizard
54
@JT-vm7oz
For sure LFG in the 90's
@mixedplate7080
We are all 50-55 who listen this song, welcome soulmates! Yes amazing, old good days..
@smdinkel77
The 90's were a simpler time. I know every generation says the had the "best" music, but 90's were awesome
@kathrynrippley2395
Who's listening to this masterpiece in 2023?
@TuajanaNicholaswshC
Me right now