Soundgarden are associated with grunge, a style of alternative rock that developed in Seattle. After releasing two EPs on the Seattle-based label Sub-Pop in 1987 and 1988, their debut album, Ultramega OK was released on the California-based independent label SST Records in 1989. While the album did not sell well nationally, it gained critical acclaim and was nominated for a Grammy award in 1990. They recorded their second album, Louder Than Love, independently but had signed with major label A&M Records in the interim, and released the album as their major label debut. Unlike their debut, which had failed to chart, Louder Than Love peaked at number 108 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Released the same day as fellow Seattle grunge act Nirvana's album Nevermind, their third album Badmotorfinger would bring Soundgarden to national acclaim for the first time, buoyed by the popularity of the singles "Jesus Christ Pose", "Outshined", and "Rusty Cage", the album would reach number 39 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified double-platinum by the RIAA. Soundgarden was one of the seminal creators of grunge, a style of alternative rock that developed in Seattle, and was the first of a number of grunge bands to sign to the record label Sub Pop. Soundgarden was also one of the first grunge bands to sign to a major label (A&M Records in 1989), though they did not achieve commercial success until they popularized the genre in the early 1990s with Seattle contemporaries Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana.
Soundgarden achieved its biggest success with the 1994 album Superunknown, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and yielded the Grammy Award-winning singles "Spoonman" and "Black Hole Sun". In 1996, the band experimented with new sonic textures on their follow-up album Down on the Upside, which debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 and spawned several hit singles of its own, including "Burden in My Hand" and "Blow Up the Outside World". In 1997, the band broke up due to internal strife over its creative direction and exhaustion from touring. After more than a decade of working on projects and other bands, Soundgarden reunited in 2010, and Republic Records released their sixth and final studio album, King Animal, two years later.
As of 2019, Soundgarden sold more than 14 million records in the United States, and an estimated 30 million worldwide. VH1 ranked Soundgarden at number 14 in their special 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundgarden
Studio albums
Ultramega OK (1988)
Louder Than Love (1989)
Badmotorfinger (1991)
Superunknown (1994)
Down on the Upside (1996)
King Animal (2012)
Into The Void
Soundgarden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How can you buy or sell the sky
Or the warmth of the land it's strange to us
We don't own the freshness of the air
Or the sparkle of the water
How can you buy them from us
The white man doesn't understand our ways
For he's a stranger who comes in the night
Oh yeah
He treats his brothers like his enemies
When it's completed he moves on
He leaves his father's grave and his birthright
His birthright is forgotten
The air is precious to the red man
For all things share the same breath
The white man won't notice the air he breathes
Like a man dying for many days
All right now
The whites must treat the beasts of his land
As his brothers not his enemies
Tell me what is man without the beasts
I'll bet he will die of loneliness
One thing we know that the white man will
We know our god is the same god
You may think you wish to own him
Own him as you wish to own our land
But he is the body of man
And the earth is precious to him
Continue to contaminate your bed
And you will suffocate in your waste
The song "Into the Void" by Soundgarden is not only a masterpiece of sound but also of protest poetry. The lyrics criticize the way the white man treats the natural environment and the Native American people. The first stanza addresses the commercialization and privatization of natural resources that is alien to indigenous culture. The rhetorical question "How can you buy or sell the sky" confronts the Western notion that everything has a price and that everything can be owned. The Native Americans, on the other hand, understand that the air, water, and land are not merely commodities but living entities that must be respected and cherished.
The second stanza contrasts the materialistic and exploitative mindset of the white man with the spiritual and holistic worldview of the red man. The phrase "For all things share the same breath" encapsulates the interconnection and interdependence of all creatures on the earth. The white man, however, is oblivious to this truth and treats both nature and his fellow humans as objects to be exploited and discarded. The final stanza appeals to the white man's conscience and warns him of the consequences of his actions. The metaphor "Continue to contaminate your bed/And you will suffocate in your waste" suggests that the destruction of nature will ultimately lead to the destruction of humanity.
Overall, "Into the Void" is a poignant and urgent call for ecological and cultural awareness that still resonates today.
Line by Line Meaning
Anything we should know about your change?
An irrelevant line that was mistakenly included in the original prompt and does not relate to the Soundgarden song Into the Void.
How can you buy or sell the sky
Challenges the idea of ownership over natural elements that cannot be physically possessed, like the sky.
Or the warmth of the land it's strange to us
Points out the disconnect between the concept of land ownership and the inherent value that indigenous people place on the land.
We don't own the freshness of the air
Acknowledges that humans cannot claim ownership over the air that they breathe, and that it is a shared resource.
Or the sparkle of the water
Continues to reject the idea that natural resources can be owned, highlighting the value of water as a life-sustaining element.
How can you buy them from us
Challenges the colonization that led to the exploitation of indigenous people and resources, including the idea of buying and selling natural resources.
The white man doesn't understand our ways
Addresses the cultural gap between indigenous people and colonizers that led to misunderstanding and exploitation.
For he's a stranger who comes in the night
Describes the way in which colonizers, often arriving under the cover of darkness or through deception, disrupted the lives of indigenous people.
And takes from the land just what he needs
Shows how colonizers exploited the land and resources of indigenous people for their own benefit, taking only what they deemed necessary.
He treats his brothers like his enemies
Critiques the way in which colonizers viewed and treated indigenous people, often as adversaries rather than equals or allies.
When it's completed he moves on
Addresses the disposability of resources and land to colonizers, who often used them up and then moved on to exploit other areas.
He leaves his father's grave and his birthright
References how colonizers often disregarded the cultural and familial ties that indigenous people had to the land, causing irreparable harm and loss.
His birthright is forgotten
Continues to emphasize the devastating effect that colonization had on the culture and identity of indigenous people.
The air is precious to the red man
Reiterates the viewpoint that natural resources are priceless, especially for indigenous people who place value on interdependence and shared resources.
For all things share the same breath
Further emphasizes the interconnectedness of nature and the importance of shared resources for all living creatures.
The white man won't notice the air he breathes
Points out the blindness of colonizers to the value of the environment and resources that they exploit, taking for granted what indigenous people recognize as precious.
Like a man dying for many days
Compares the suffocation caused by pollution and environmental degradation to a slow, painful death.
The whites must treat the beasts of his land
Calls for respect and compassion towards animals and wildlife that also inhabit the land that colonizers exploit.
As his brothers not his enemies
Reimagines the relationship between colonizers and nature, suggesting that coexistence and interdependence is possible in lieu of domination and exploitation.
Tell me what is man without the beasts
Questions the value and purpose of humanity without the ecosystems and wildlife that form a critical part of the planet's balance.
I'll bet he will die of loneliness
Posits that humanity cannot survive without other living creatures and the environment that sustains us, and in this position, humans will be isolated and ultimately perish.
One thing we know that the white man will
Addresses the legacy of colonization and the shared knowledge that indigenous people have of it and its continuing effects.
We know our god is the same god
Comments on the religious beliefs of both indigenous peoples and colonizers, indicating the shared belief in a higher power, despite cultural differences.
You may think you wish to own him
Confronts the idea of colonization as an attempt to own, control, or dominate other cultures, and how this interferes with the shared spiritual beliefs of different peoples.
Own him as you wish to own our land
Continues the critique of colonialism, in this case focused on the desire to possess land, as well as the people that inhabit it.
But he is the body of man
Reframes the concept of ownership to one of interdependence, highlighting how all people and beings are part of the same ecosystem.
And the earth is precious to him
Conveys the inherent value placed on the environment and the land that sustains people by indigenous cultures whose spirituality and lifestyle is so deeply interconnected with nature.
Continue to contaminate your bed
Raises a warning to colonizers that by polluting and degrading the environment around them, they are ultimately harming themselves and their own health.
And you will suffocate in your waste
Outlines one potential outcome of a lack of respect for the environment and how it can ultimately lead to devastating health consequences and suffering.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Chief Sealth
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind