Alice In Chains - We Die Young Meaning

Song Released: 1990

We Die Young Lyrics

Scary's on the wall
Scary's on the wall

Watch where you spit
I'd advise you wait until it's over
Then you got hit
And you shoulda known better


And we die young
Faster we run

Down, down, down you're rollin'
Watch the blood float...

1. anonymous

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   Jun 5th 2017 !⃝

   I swear I'm just so sick and tired of everyone interpreting every single Alice In Chains song as abour drugs. Truth be told people, barely any of their songs talk about drugs at all. Cantrell wrote this song in 1991 after witnessing some young kids selling drugs for local gangs: "So I was riding the bus to rehearsal and I saw these 9,10,11 year old kids with beepers dealing drugs. The sight of a ten year old kid with a beeper and a cell phone dealing drugs equaled "We Die Young" to me". It's clear from the lyrics that the song is about gang violence, "Take another hit, and bury your brother"- a friend getting shot and killed by another gang, "Another alley trip bullet seek the place to bend you over, then you got hit and you shoulda known better"- a scene in an alley way where a gun war is taking place, he gets shot, and he should have had the common sense before to not join a gang in the first place. "Watch the blood float in the muddy sewer"- clearly the aftermath of a violent gun war.
2. anonymous

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   Sep 25th 2012 !⃝

   Alice in Chains have some deep songs, but the meaning of this one's pretty obvious, it's clearly about gang violence (which in the early 90s when this was made was a huge problem). It can also be interpreted as being about suicide or euthanasia.
3. anonymous

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   Aug 3rd 2011 !⃝

   I think it's about growing up around drugs. It might have something to do with gangs. It defiently tells the truth about growing up too fast.
4. anonymous

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   Feb 7th 2011 !⃝

   It is about young gang members selling drugs. Jerry Cantrell said so - and he wrote the song, you can read about it on wikipedia or just google it.
5. dwide

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   May 30th 2010 !⃝

   this is another song about drug addiction, namely heroin and crack, layne staleys drugs of choice. it is not about gangs.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
6. anonymous

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   Jan 5th 2010 !⃝

   Its about street gangs and having the hard luck of dying early, like a lot of gang members. "Take another hit" fighting against another gang, "bury your brother" a member of the gang dying, "you should have known better" have the common sense not to join the gang in the first place.