Fine Art - Metaphors - Lyrics

Carrying on with the metaphors we then looked at songs and what metaphors are within them. I picked the song "Fell on black days" by Soundgarden. The reason I picked this song is because I felt it had really strong metaphors within it and is a song that actually has a lot of meaning. 

Whatsoever I've feared has come to life
Whatsoever I've fought off became my life
Just when everyday seemed to greet me with a smile
Sunspots have faded and now I'm doing time
Cause I fell on black days

Whomsoever I've cured I've sickened now
Whomsoever I've cradled I've put you down
I'm a search light soul
They say but I can't see it in the night
I'm only faking when I get it right
Cause I fell on black days
How would I know that this could be my fate

So what you wanted to see good has made you blind
And what you wanted to be yours has made it mine
So don't you lock up something that you wanted to see fly
Hands are for shaking
Not tying, no not tying

I sure don't mind a change
But I fell on black days
How would I know that this could be my fate

Firstly the song title itself is a metaphor which could be quite ambigious. At first it made me just thing of going through struggles, bad time or dark times. But then as I started to delve more into the song and researched a little I found out about how it's also an analogy for heroin addiction "Black" days. Black tar heroin... with this in mind the song unfolded differently to the first interpretation I had of it. "Whatsoever I've feared has come to life, Whatsoever i've fought off became my life" Keeping the addiction idea in mind these lyrics make me think it's about fearing addiction but addiction becoming your life. You can't just be an addict and have a normal life, it becomes your life. The use of personification is interesting in the next line "Just when everyday seemed to greet me with a smile" As if to say he was happy, things were going great before they took a turn for the worst.

The idea of incarceration is an on going theme throughout the song as well. "Now i'm doing time" . The idea that your trapped, your guilty and your stuck there now. The idea that there is nothing you can do about the situation. 

"Whomsoever I've cured I've sickened now. Whomsoever I've cradled I've put you down" This makes me think of the effect an addiction or depression has on family. These people that you've looked after, brought up your now hurting. Your not capable of being a spouse or a parent or even a friend.