# What Is Alice in Chain's Song "Man in A Box" About? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 1, 2001, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-alice-in-chains-song-man-in-a-box-about/52751 "2001-02-01T18:52:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wildest\_Bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Wildest\_Bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wildest_Bill)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-alice-in-chains-song-man-in-a-box-about/52751/1 "2001-02-01T18:52:45Z")
Any idea? Especially, what does that one lyric mean when he says, “Jesus Christ - deny you maker”. ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-alice-in-chains-song-man-in-a-box-about/52751/2 "2001-02-01T21:35:01Z")
I recall reading an interview some time ago with Jerry Cantrell in which he said the song was about animal experimentation, but I couldn’t tell you where. No, Bill, he isn’t telling people to deny Jesus. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Blackclaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e68b1a/32.png) [@Blackclaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackclaw)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-alice-in-chains-song-man-in-a-box-about/52751/3 "2001-02-02T01:40:14Z")
The chorus that answers “deny your maker” is “he who tries will be wasted.” So I don’t think it’s an anti-Christian song. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-alice-in-chains-song-man-in-a-box-about/52751/4 "2001-02-02T02:51:32Z")
I think its Man in the Box, Wildest, and my copy of _Facelift_ says that too. I’ve always taken it to mean someone who’s been put down and hurt, abused, etc. Maybe someone who’s lost faith in his “maker”, perhaps. That’s just me though. ---
**Author:** ![honkytonkwillie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@honkytonkwillie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/honkytonkwillie)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-alice-in-chains-song-man-in-a-box-about/52751/5 "2001-02-02T07:24:13Z")
Veal. Or some other genre of animal cruelty. But I’d never let that stand in the way of such a whompin’ tune. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2001, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-alice-in-chains-song-man-in-a-box-about/52751/6 "2001-02-02T12:19:45Z")
I heard it was inspired by the process of raising veal. I had a friend who convinced his mother it was a pro-Christian song for that same reason, Blackclaw. I never interpreted it that way. I don’t think that line refers to the first one, I thought it meant ‘He who tries (at anything) will be wasted (or their effors will be)’. ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2001, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-alice-in-chains-song-man-in-a-box-about/52751/7 "2001-02-05T06:35:03Z")
They sometimes play it at hockey games when a guy gets a penalty.