# Alice in Chains song "Would" - What is it about?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-chains-song-would-what-is-it-about/158295
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [March 1, 2003, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-chains-song-would-what-is-it-about/158295 "2003-03-01T02:26:39Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2003, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-chains-song-would-what-is-it-about/158295/1 "2003-03-01T02:26:39Z")
What is this song about?
Partial lyrics for Would?
> [@](#):
>
> Know Me Broken By My Master
> Teach Thee On Child Of Love Hereafter
>
> Into The Flood Again
> Same Old Trip It Was Back Then
> So I Made A Big Mistake
> Try To See It Once My Way
>
> Drifting Body Its Sole Desertion
> Flying Not Yet Quite The Notion
>
> Am I Wrong?
> Have I Run Too Far To Get Home?
> Am I Gone?
> And Left You Here Alone
> If I Would Could You?
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### Author:  [@hegel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hegel)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2003, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-chains-song-would-what-is-it-about/158295/2 "2003-03-01T03:02:11Z")
Heroin addiction.
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### Author:  [@nineiron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nineiron)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2003, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-chains-song-would-what-is-it-about/158295/3 "2003-03-01T03:10:42Z")
I believe that hegel’s response is an accurate answer to any question about Alice in Chains lyrics.
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### Author:  [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2003, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-chains-song-would-what-is-it-about/158295/4 "2003-03-01T04:06:58Z")
It’s about the importance of gathering enough Would for your fireplace.
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### Author:  [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2003, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-chains-song-would-what-is-it-about/158295/5 "2003-03-01T04:08:33Z")
IIRC, and who knows if I do, but I think this was actually written about one of Layne’s buddies who died of a heroin overdose.
And for the record, not all of Alice’s songs are about heroin addiction. Just the good ones.😉
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### Author:  [@Convict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Convict)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2003, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-chains-song-would-what-is-it-about/158295/6 "2003-03-01T04:48:13Z")
IIRC, the song was written for Andrew Wood, lead singer of Seattle based band Mother Love Bone. Wood died of a heroin addiction on March 19, 1990. One month later Mother Love Bone’s debut album (_Apple_) was released.
Wood formed Mother Love Bone with future Pearl Jammers Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament. A tribute album, _Temple of the Dog_ was released in 1992. It featured members of various Seattle based bands such as Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, as well as former members of Mother Love Bone. It reached the top ten on the Billboard charts.
Mother Love Bone was, IMO, the best band to come out of Seattle’s grunge scene. If it weren’t for Wood’s death, Mother Love Bone would have been the biggest grunge band of the 90’s, and no one would remember Nirvana (again, IMO).
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### Author:  [@tramp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tramp)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2003, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-chains-song-would-what-is-it-about/158295/7 "2003-03-01T05:59:03Z")
Convict is completely correct.
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### Author:  [@Intaglio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intaglio)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2003, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-chains-song-would-what-is-it-about/158295/8 "2003-03-01T13:49:27Z")
“Would” is one of my favorite “Alice In Chains” songs.
The vocals, the guitar work, the bassline.
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### Author:  [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2003, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-chains-song-would-what-is-it-about/158295/9 "2003-03-01T14:56:37Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Convict \*
> \*\*
> Mother Love Bone was, IMO, the best band to come out of Seattle’s grunge scene. If it weren’t for Wood’s death, Mother Love Bone would have been the biggest grunge band of the 90’s, and no one would remember Nirvana (again, IMO). \*\*
I wouldn’t call Mother Love Bone a grunge band, unless you’re using the term to mean any band from Seattle. They were great, but they were more of a neo-glam rock band. It is interesting to think how the shape of the rock scene would have been different if Wood had survived and Mother Love Bone had hit it big instead of Nirvana.
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### Author:  [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2003, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-chains-song-would-what-is-it-about/158295/10 "2003-03-01T15:01:55Z")
I agree that Mother Love Bone didn’t really sound grunge, IMO.
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### Author:  [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2003, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-chains-song-would-what-is-it-about/158295/11 "2003-03-01T19:02:00Z")
I believe Layne Staley wrote “'Would” as well, one of the few songs he wrote alone. Jerry Cantrell wrote most of the songs for the band, with Staley doing lyrics.
Other songs Staley actually wrote: “Angry Chair”, Oooh, that fifth track on the self-titled album(also abot heroin addiction).
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### Author:  [@tramp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tramp)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2003, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-chains-song-would-what-is-it-about/158295/12 "2003-03-01T20:59:58Z")
I saw Jerry Cantrell live a few months ago. Absolutely awesome show. I whole heartedly recommend you catch him if he comes to your town. He played his new stuff and alot of his old Alice stuff.
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### Author:  [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2003, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alice-in-chains-song-would-what-is-it-about/158295/13 "2003-03-02T07:48:02Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Mahaloth \*
> \*\*I believe Layne Staley wrote “'Would” as well, one of the few songs he wrote alone. Jerry Cantrell wrote most of the songs for the band, with Staley doing lyrics.
>
> Other songs Staley actually wrote: “Angry Chair”, Oooh, that fifth track on the self-titled album(also abot heroin addiction). \*\*
Sorry, but no. As referenced by my copy of **Dirt** , Jerry wrote “Would?” by himself, and “Angry Chair” was on **Dirt** as well. Layne did write that one by himself, though.