Long time coming
It seemed to take me through
Long time coming
Many served the few
And long to taste the shame
That bows down before you

Long time coming
It seemed to get me by
Long time coming
It seemed to satisfy
You longed to taste the shame
That everybody tries

Shame shame
Throw yourself away
Give me little bits of more than I can take
If it sits upon your tongue or naked in your eyes
Give me little bits of more than I can try

Throw yourself away
Throw yourself away

Long time coming
It seemed to take me through
Long time coming
Many served the few
And long to taste the shame
That bows down before you

Yeah

Shame shame
Throw yourself away
Give me little bits of More than I can take
If it sits upon your tongueOr naked in your eyes
Give me little bits of More than I can try

(Throw yourself away)

Long time coming, long time coming


Lyrics submitted by jt

Fresh Tendrils Lyrics as written by Chris Cornell Matthew Cameron

Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Hipgnosis Songs Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Fresh Tendrils song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

37 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +7
    General Comment

    It's beautiful and disgusting what women can do to you.

    Aqueous Dispositionon October 05, 2004   Link
  • +5
    General Comment

    !

    Definitely fitting in with the "newborn" theme of the rest of the album, the title refers to "tendrils", which are defined as:

    "A twisting, threadlike structure by which a twining plant, such as a grape or cucumber, grasps an object or a plant for support. "

    So basically a fresh, or newborn child, clings to his mother or father like a tendril. The lyrics make a lot more sense that way, referring to a child biting off more than it can chew- longing to enter the world that everyone seems to hate. The "Shame shame throw yourself away" line is like a parent angrily ranting almost sarcastically to her child.

    Or that's how I take it.

    Schizimaon December 17, 2005   Link
  • +5
    General Comment

    I see this as a song about the dislike of the structure of relationships

    Lateralus518on November 20, 2007   Link
  • +5
    General Comment

    The War on Drugs has done a lot of awful things but the absolute worst is the influence it's had on song interpretation.

    But this song does seem to be about drugs, specifically alcohol. It sounds like it's about a teetotaller who takes up alcohol to help them out socially with fitting-in but eventually becomes addicted, leading to feelings of shame that he conformed rather than be himself.

    "seemed to take me through, get me by, satisfy, etc." - drinking helping him fit-in with others and giving him relief from problems

    "many served the few" - drinkers encouraging teetotallers to drink

    "give me little bits of more than I can take, try, etc." - the teetotaller commits himself to taking-up drinking and encourages offers of more shots, different drinks etc.

    "that everybody tries" - very few people never try alcohol

    acphenomon April 13, 2010   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    It's about manipulation of men by women.

    AntiPop245on April 19, 2006   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I always thought it was about alcohol addiction

    Yer_Maon August 21, 2007   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    Why does everything any heavy band from the 90's writes have to be about drugs? Shame, shame, throw yourself away - doesn't that seem like something a hateful parent would say? "What the hell is wrong with you? Why don't you do me a favor and get the hell out of my life?". Seeing how Cornell seemed to maybe have had problems with his dad (taking this from his newest solo album) it could be about the way he felt when his dad talked down to him in the past? "If it sits upon your tongue or naked in your eye" - If its so close to being a complete thought you can almost say it but its not quite there or if its so blatantly obvious its right in front of you. My point is with this is look into the lyrics before assuming "OH MY GOD THIS SONG IS ABOUT DRUGS". Give Cornell more credit than that.

    tsax421on January 11, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I am not sure about this song. I think it's about a couple when one of the partners (lets say the girl) who is always right made a big mistake and now he is ashamed about it and her partner is happy about seeing her like this and keeps reminding her she wanted to make mistakes like everyone else. But that's just what i think. you can never know with Chris.

    ShadowOfThePaston July 13, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Long time coming Many served the few

    seems so political to me ...make me remind of the feudal times ..ok .. but it´s all about rage too ..in a personal way

    RedSpikedWallson May 25, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    i think theres some drug elements in it but i agree with the parent/child interpretation, on account of the title... i always thought of the "shame shame throw yourself away" line as something a parent or teacher would say to a kid. and for some reason this song really, really reminds me of the show malcolm in the middle, if thats relevant to anyone.

    SludgeGarden13on March 10, 2010   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Corpse I Fell In Love With
Gadjits, The
He reuses the verse melody from the previous album's "Dirty Little Religion", the topics of the verses are all over the place, and he packs too many words into one line (goes to show...) and too few in another (it's pretty hard to find), and rhymes "Henley Regatta" with "Persona non grata", but gets away with it all as only he could.
Album art
The Spy
Doors, The
Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?
Album art
Techno Ted
Audioslave
Techno Ted may be a person who caused Chris incredible emotional pain & trepidation as well as moments of peace & happiness but now is removed and awaiting his fate. Darling may be a different person who is also free of him and can live her life free of Ted's tyranny. "In between all the laughing, and daydreams ... lies: a desert of truth" Lies are like a desert or the omission of Truth: Where there were Lies then Truth was absent. The song, "Techno Ted", may be a cathartic celebration of the downfall of this person.
Album art
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him. There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Album art
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere. In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.