4 Rock Songs That Hit Harder When You Really Listen to the Lyrics

Classic rock songs tend to weave narratives into their lyrics, but sometimes we don’t catch deeper meanings on a first listen. Once we listen again, and again, there can be moments when the lyrics start to make sense and hit harder. Here are four songs and their meanings that become more devastating once you really listen to the lyrics.

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Rock Songs That Hit Harder Once You Learn the Lyrics

“Like A Stone” — Audioslave

Musically, this is a great rock song already, benefitting from the incredible artists who made up Audioslave. Lyrically, it’s allegedly about a person waiting to die and be reunited with the people in his life. However, on closer inspection, it’s a little deeper than that. As Chris Cornell once explained, per an archived post from the Audioslave fansite, “It’s a song about concentrating on the afterlife you would hope for, rather than the normal monotheistic approach: You work really hard all your life to be a good person and a moral persona and fair and generous, and then you go to hell anyway.”

“The Day I Tried to Live” — Soundgarden

This was a personal song for Chris Cornell, who wrote it about his tendency to become self-isolated. “It’s about trying to step out of being patterned and closed off and reclusive, which I’ve always had a problem with,” he told Rolling Stone in 1994. “It’s about attempting to be normal and just go out and be around other people and hang out. I have a tendency to sometimes be pretty closed off and not see people for long periods of time and not call anyone.” Cornell clarified, however, that “It’s actually, in a way, a hopeful song.”

“Ten Years Gone” — Led Zeppelin

What’s interesting about “Ten Years Gone” is that this classic rock song was originally meant to be instrumental, according to Jimmy Page. However, Robert Plant later wrote lyrics that were dedicated to an old girlfriend. As Plant explained in 1975, “I was working my ass off before joining Zeppelin. A lady I really dearly loved said, ‘Right. It’s me or your fans.’ Not that I had fans, but I said, ‘I can’t stop, I’ve got to keep going.’” He added that, were they to speak now, 10 years later, they would have nothing to talk about. He said, “I could probably relate to her, but she couldn’t relate to me. I’d be smiling too much. Ten years gone, I’m afraid.”

“Run To the Hills” — Iron Maiden

“Run To the Hills” depicts the violent conflicts between Native Americans and European settlers. Interestingly, the classic song presents perspectives from both sides. Lyrics like “White man came across the sea / He brought us pain and misery” describe the Native American point of view, while the subject shifts to the settlers with lines like “Hunting and killing’s a game.” The rousing chorus of “Run to the hills / Run for your lives” is deeply rooted in the historical violence. It serves as a haunting and devastating reminder of Native American genocide.

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