"One time I was on acid, and there were voices ten fe… Read Full Bio ↴Chris Cornell:
"One time I was on acid, and there were voices ten feet behind my head. The whole time I'd be walking, they'd be talking behind me. It actually made me feel good, because I felt like I was with some people. At one point I was looking back, and I saw that one person was wearing a black shirt and jeans, and the other person was wearing a red shirt. They were always there. It was kinda like a dream, though, where I'd wake up and look and focus once in a while and realize there was no one there. I'd go, 'Oh, f--k, I'm hearing voices.' '4th of July' is pretty much about that day. You wouldn't get that if you read it. It doesn't read like, 'Woke up, dropped some acid, got into the car and went to the Indian reservation."
4th of July
Soundgarden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Clean sparks diving down
Cool in the waterway
Where the baptized drown
Naked in the cold sun
Breathing life like fire
Thought I was the only one
But that was just a lie
'Cause I heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July
Pale in the flare light
The scared light cracks and disappears
And leads the scorched ones here
And everywhere no one cares
The fire is spreading
And no one wants to speak about it
Down in the hole
Jesus tries to crack a smile
Beneath another shovel load
'Cause I heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July
Heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July
Fourth of July, July
Now I'm in control
Now I'm in the fall out
Once asleep but now I stand
And I still remember your sweet everything
Light a roman candle
And hold it in your hand
Heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July
Heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July, yeah
The lyrics to Soundgarden's song "4th of July" paint a bleak and apocalyptic picture. The song begins with the singer describing a scene where they are showering in the dark day while clean sparks dive down. The waterway is cool and refreshing, but also a place where the baptized drown. The singer is naked in the cold sun, breathing life like fire. They thought they were the only one, but this belief was just a lie. The first verse seems to be addressing feelings of isolation and loneliness.
The chorus of the song repeats the lines "Heard it in the wind, and I saw it in the sky, and I thought it was the end, and I thought it was the fourth of July." This could be interpreted as the singer hearing or seeing signs of impending doom and feeling like the end is near. The fourth of July, a holiday associated with fireworks and celebration, becomes symbolic of destruction and chaos.
The second verse of the song takes on a more ominous tone. The flares of light cause fear and eventually disappear, leading the scorched ones to the singer's location. The fire is spreading but no one wants to speak about it. The image of Jesus cracking a smile beneath another shovel load suggests a sense of hopelessness and despair. However, the final lines of the song give a glimmer of hope. The singer is now in control and standing in the fall out. They light a roman candle and hold it in their hand, perhaps symbolizing a willingness to fight back and resist destruction.
Overall, "4th of July" is a haunting song that speaks to human fear and resilience in the face of an uncertain future.
Line by Line Meaning
Shower in the dark day
Taking a shower during the day without any light
Clean sparks diving down
Clean water droplets falling from above
Cool in the waterway
Feeling relaxed in the stream of water
Where the baptized drown
A place where people go to get baptized and some may be fearful of drowning
Naked in the cold sun
Being naked out in the sun when it's cold out
Breathing life like fire
Breathing heavily like a fire-breathing dragon
Thought I was the only one
Thinking that you're the only one with a particular experience or feeling
But that was just a lie
Realizing that your previous thought was wrong
'Cause I heard it in the wind
Hearing something in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
Seeing something in the sky
And I thought it was the end
Thinking that something was ending or about to end
And I thought it was the fourth of July
Thinking that the moment or event was as significant as the Fourth of July holiday
Pale in the flare light
Appearing pale in the light of a flare
The scared light cracks and disappears
The scared light (possibly referring to emergency lighting) breaks and goes out
And leads the scorched ones here
People who are burned or hurt are led to this place
And everywhere no one cares
No one is concerned about what's happening
The fire is spreading
The danger or damage is getting worse
And no one wants to speak about it
People are unwilling to talk about what's happening
Down in the hole
Being in a difficult or dangerous situation
Jesus tries to crack a smile
A reference to feeling hopeful or finding a reason to smile during tough times
Beneath another shovel load
Being buried deeper under more problems or issues
Now I'm in control
Feeling like you're in charge or have command of the situation
Now I'm in the fall out
Being affected by the negative consequences of a situation
Once asleep but now I stand
Being unaware or passive before, but now being alert and taking action
And I still remember your sweet everything
Recalling fond memories of someone or something from the past
Light a roman candle
Lighting a type of firework that shoots colorful sparks into the air
And hold it in your hand
Holding the firework while it's lit
Fourth of July, July
Repeating the title and theme of the song
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Chris Cornell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@andrewmvenegas
Lyrics
“Shower in the dark day
Clean sparks diving down
Cool in the waterway
Where the baptized drown
Naked in the cold sun
Breathing life like fire
Thought I was the only one
But that was just a lie
'Cause I heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July
Pale in the flare light
The scared light cracks and disappears
And leads the scorched ones here
And everywhere no one cares
The fire is spreading
And no one wants to speak about it
Down in the hole
Jesus tries to crack a smile
Beneath another shovel load
'Cause I heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July
Heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July
Fourth of July, July
Now I'm in control
Now I'm in the fall out
Once asleep but now I stand
And I still remember your sweet everything
Light a roman candle
And hold it in your hand ‘cause I
Heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July
Heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July, yeah”
@allNsundry319
Haven't seen lyrics posted, so I'll do it.
Shower in the dark day
Clean sparks diving down
Cool in the waterway
Where the baptized drown
Naked in the cold sun
Breathing life like fire
I thought I was the only one
But that was just a lie
Cuz I heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
I thought it was the 4th of July
Pale in the flare-light
Scared light cracks and disappears
And leads the scorched ones here
And everywhere, no-one cares the fire is spreading
But no-one wants to speak about it
Down in the hole
Jesus tries to crack a smile
Beneath another shovel load
And I heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
I thought it was the 4th of July
Heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
I thought it was the 4th of July
July
July
Now I'm in control
Now I'm in the fallout
Once asleep but now I stand
And I still remember your sweet
Everything
Light a Roman candle
And hold it in your hand
Cuz I heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
I thought it was the 4th of July
(repeat)
@lloyddarnell5128
I once used these lyrics for a poem of my own in high school. I never got in trouble for plagiarism as I should have. Instead, I was turned into the counselor and my parents for suicidal tendencies.
@machiavellllia
Jesus😂
@brianbetsinger
In 8th grade English class I wrote stuff with tool lyrics like born of lust turn to dust and my teacher said she was worried lol
@jameseckert169
If only they knew this song is about a "bad trip" Chris had...
@livefreely255
My poetry was turned in as well my junior year. They thought I had a problem with alcohol since most my poems we're about blacking out.
@ESL-O.G.
Hahaha that's funny right there
@urbex6057
If you’re in a dark place, this song can nudge you deeper.
✌🏼
@tonyorsini5255
I'm on a dark ride now, and Christ only help me, I don't know how to make it stop.
@Ummagumarios
@@tonyorsini5255 it ends once you start to accept. dont be afraid, we are not much anyway
@friendofp.24
@@tonyorsini5255 I can't pretend to know the way out, man. I fall into the dark or the light daily. Just know that tomorrow could be different. We'll make it, hopefully.