The band released its only album, the self-titled Temple of the Dog, in April 1991 through A&M Records. The recording sessions took place in November and December 1990 at London Bridge Studios, in Seattle, Washington with producer Rakesh "Rick" Parashar. Although earning praise from music critics at the time of its release, the album was not widely recognized until 1992, when Vedder, Ament, Gossard, and McCready had their breakthrough with Pearl Jam. Cameron would later join Pearl Jam, serving as drummer since 1998.
The band toured in 2016 in celebration of the 25th anniversary of their self-titled album.
Temple of the Dog was started by Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell, who had been a roommate of Andrew Wood, the lead singer of Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone. Wood died on March 19, 1990, of a heroin overdose, the day Cornell got back from a tour. As he went on to tour Europe a few days later, he started writing songs in tribute to his late friend. The result was two songs, "Reach Down" and "Say Hello 2 Heaven", which he recorded as soon as he returned home from touring.
The recorded material was slow and melodic, musically different from the aggressive rock music of Soundgarden. Cornell approached Wood's former bandmates, Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament—who were still figuring out how to continue without Mother Love Bone—with the intention of releasing the songs as a single. Ament described the collaboration as "a really good thing at the time" for Gossard and him that put them into a "band situation where we could play and make music." The band's lineup was completed by the addition of Soundgarden (and later Pearl Jam) drummer Matt Cameron and future Pearl Jam lead guitarist Mike McCready. They named themselves Temple of the Dog, a reference to a line in the lyrics of the Mother Love Bone song "Man of Golden Words".
Times Of Trouble
Temple of the Dog Lyrics
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And the needle's sharp
And you drift away
Oh, oh I can hear you say
That the world in black
Is upon your back
And your body shakes
So you ditch away
Don't try to do it
Don't try to kill your time
Oh, oh
Yeah, yeah you might do it
Then you can't change your mind
You've got a hold on to your time
Till your break through these Times of
Trouble
When you try to talk
And the words get hard
And they put you down
Don't you stay
Don't you ditch away
I saw you swinging
Yeah swinging your mother's sword, oh
Yeah, yeah I know you're playing
Sometimes the rules get hard, oh
But if somebody left you out on a ledge
If somebody pushed you over the edge
You got to hold on to your time till you break
Through these times of
Trouble
I saw you swinging
Yeah, swinging your mother's sword oh
Yeah yeah I know you're playing
Sometimes the rules get harder oh oh
But if somebody left you out on a ledge
If somebody pushed you over the edge
If somebody loved you and left you for dead
You got to hold on to your time till you break
Through these times of
Trouble
The lyrics to Temple of the Dog's "Times of Trouble" paint a vivid picture of a person struggling with addiction, depression, and feelings of hopelessness. The first verse references drug use, with "the spoon is hot" suggesting heroin use and "the needle's sharp" referring to injecting it. The person is trying to escape the difficulties of life by "drifting away" but they can feel the weight of the world on their shoulders ("the world in black is upon your back"). Their body trembles from the addiction and they try to hide from the world ("so you ditch away and you close the shades").
The chorus urges the person not to give up, not to "try to kill your time" because it could be the end ("then you can't change your mind"). The singer reminds the person of the preciousness of time and the need to hold on through the tough times ("you've got to hold on to your time till you break through these Times of Trouble"). The second verse speaks of the difficulties of expressing oneself when the words are hard and people are quick to criticize ("they put you down"). But the singer urges the person to keep fighting, not to give in to despair ("don't you ditch away").
The bridge of the song comes across as a pep talk, reminding the person of their strength and courage ("I saw you swinging, yeah swinging your mother's sword"). The lyrics suggest that rules can be tough, but there's always a way to overcome them, and if someone has pushed you too far, you have to hold on even tighter to the time you have ("you got to hold on to your time till you break through these times of trouble").
Line by Line Meaning
When the spoon is hot
When you're in the midst of addiction or temptation
And the needle's sharp
When you're using a needle to inject drugs
And you drift away
When you lose yourself in addiction
Oh, oh I can hear you say
Oh, I can hear the cries for help
That the world in black
When you feel consumed by darkness
Is upon your back
When the weight of the world is weighing you down
And your body shakes
When your addiction takes control of your body
So you ditch away
When you try to run away from your problems
And you close the shades
When you shut yourself off from the world
Don't try to do it
Don't try to give in to addiction
Don't try to kill your time
Don't waste your time with addiction
Yeah, yeah you might do it
Yes, you might give in to addiction
Then you can't change your mind
Then it may be too late to turn back
You've got a hold on to your time
You need to be in control of your own life
Till your break through these Times of Trouble
Until you overcome your addiction and struggles
When you try to talk
When you reach out for help
And the words get hard
When it's difficult to express your feelings
And they put you down
When others invalidate or dismiss your struggles
Don't you stay
Don't let them bring you down
Don't you ditch away
Don't run away from your problems
I saw you swinging
I saw you fighting your battles
Yeah swinging your mother's sword, oh
Using the strength and skills passed down by your mother
Yeah, yeah I know you're playing
I know you're doing your best
Sometimes the rules get hard, oh
Sometimes life is tough
But if somebody left you out on a ledge
If someone put you in a dangerous or vulnerable position
If somebody pushed you over the edge
If someone caused you to hit your breaking point
If somebody loved you and left you for dead
If someone betrayed and hurt you deeply
You got to hold on to your time till you break
You need to hold on and fight until you overcome your struggles
Through these times of Trouble
Through difficult times of struggle
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Stone C. Gossard, Christopher J. Cornell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind