Soundgarden: Spoonman Meaning

Song Released: 1993

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Spoonman Lyrics

Feel the rhythm with your hands
Steal the rhythm while you can, spoonman
Speak the rhythm on your own
Speak the rhythm all alone, spoonman

Spoonman, come together with your hands
Save me, I'm together with your plan
Save me

All my friends are...

1. anonymous

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   Oct 4th report

   When this song first came out,,,,I KNOW, it was called SPORE MAN,,,,,and that's what he sings throughout the song,,,,the lyrics,,,,,beat the rhythm with your hands,,,,,I'm together with your plan,,,,save me,,,,,all my friends, are indians,,, etc,,,cornell is wamponoag,,,native american,,,partly,,,,and the song was definitely about a native american, being treated,for something,,in a ceremony,,,by the medicine man,,,who's name is SPORE MAN,,,listen to the lyrics, in this context,,,and every word .makes total sense,,,,they must have changed it,,,for some reasonnnthat may have percieved as offensive,,,,but I'm sure it was originally called SPORE MAN,,,about a native american medicine man,,,,even the BEAT,,,is representative,,,of native american,,,,strang,,back story!!!
2. anonymous

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   Oct 4th report

   Maybe its me,,,,but for years, when this came out,,,,I could SWEAR it was called SPORE MAN,,,,and it was the name of an Indian medicine man,,,,and he says all my friends, are indian,,,,,I'm together with your plan,,,all my friends are skeletons,,,,its about a native american, getting treated by thier medicine man,,,spore man,,,,,they must have changed it,,,cause it was offensive for some reason,,,,but when you listen to the lyrics, in this context,,,every word makes total sense,,,cornell is wampanoag indian,,,partly,,,,I know he wrote it this way,,,,and they changed it for some reason,,,,,
3. anonymous

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   Aug 22nd 2020 report

   I think it's about a person who feels all alone no matter how many friends he/she has. This person feels he/she gets off by making more friends, but still ends up feeling all alone because he/she has no spirituality in their life and/or doesn't love themselves so they feel they need someone exterior to love them, or fill them up.
4. anonymous

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   Sep 28th 2019 report

   This song has more than one meaning. Yeah yeah ive heard the people saying this is a song about heroin being called stupid by others who take it all at face value when in reality the song is up to ones own interpretation of the lyrics and while the overtone of the song is about artis the spoonman,anyone who has even been a heroin addict can pick up on the undertones of the song which are undeniably about heroin.
   
   Case in point the lyrics
   
   "Come on while i get off".
   
   Blatant reference to heroin.
   
   To say this song is only about artis the spoonman is like saying the tool song stinkfist is only about shoving hands in butts. Sure thats what it sounds like....but there is a real and subtle alternative message to the song
5. anonymous

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   Jul 20th 2017 report

   Badass
6. Arizona1991

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   Oct 6th 2012 report

   Originally written for a film called 'Singles', the song was inspired by a Seattle street musician by the name of 'Artis The Spoonman'.
   
   In the track, you can hear Artis' spoons in the background. He also appears in the music video. Obviously, he would be the guy with the spoons.
   
   The song, as Chris Cornell states, is "More about the paradox of who [Artis] is and what people perceive him as. He's a street musician, but when he's playing on the street, he is given a value and judged completely wrong by someone else. They think he's a street person, or he's doing this because he can't hold down a regular job. They put him a few pegs down on the social ladder because of how they perceive someone who dresses differently. The lyrics express the sentiment that I much more easily identify with someone like Artis than I would watch him play."

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