“Black Hole Sun” Lyrics & Meaning (Soundgarden)

What is a Black Hole Sun?

Nobody knows.

Not even Chris Cornell, who wrote the song.

He actually came up with the song title when he misheard something on the TV.

That got him imaging what a world with a black hole sun might look like.

And that led to the Black Hole Sun lyrics meaning we will go over below.

Cornell added a healthy does of criticism of the music industry and what it takes for many artists to see success into his imaginary world with the black hole sun. And with that, a monster hit was born.

 

Black Hole Sun Lyrics And Meaning

Chris Cornell, the lead singer of Soundgarden, wrote Black Hole Sun in 1994. Soundgarden released the song on their 1994 album, Superhuman. It became an instant hit. Black Hole Sun won both a Grammy and an MTV Video Music Award.

Chris Cornell reportedly wrote the song in his car. In several interviews, he stated that it was inspired by a misheard phrase on the radio. Chris Cornell thought the anchor said “Black Hole Sun”.

Who knows what he actually said. And it doesn’t really matter. Cornell was fascinated by this phrase and began imagining a landscape that could be described as a “Black Hole Sun.”

He has noted several times that the majority of the lyrics were just a play on words. He was playing around with phrases and words that sounded good together.

Despite several suggestions, Cornell has stated many times that Black Hole Sun was not a cry for help on his part. It was not written to be a depressing confession.

While some of the lyrics do have ominous implications, he wrote this song as an ode to the state of the industry at the time and the constant risk of temptations in the world.

Let’s look at the full lyrics and the video, before getting deeper into the Black Hole Sun lyrics meaning.

 

Black Hole Sun Lyrics

Verse 1

In my eyes, indisposed
In disguises no one knows
Hides the face, lies the snake
In the sun in my disgrace
Boiling heat, summer stench
‘Neath the black, the sky looks dead
Call my name through the cream
And I’ll hear you scream again

Chorus

Black hole sun, won’t you come
And wash away the rain?
Black hole sun, won’t you come?
Won’t you come? Won’t you come?

Verse 2

Stuttering, cold and damp
Steal the warm wind, tired friend
Times are gone for honest men
And sometimes far too long for snakes
In my shoes, a walking sleep
And my youth I pray to keep
Heaven send Hell away
No one sings like you anymore

Chorus

Black hole sun, won’t you come
And wash away the rain?
Black hole sun, won’t you come?
Won’t you come?
Black hole sun, won’t you come
And wash away the rain?
Black hole sun, won’t you come?
Won’t you come?

Post-Chorus

(Black hole sun, black hole sun)
Won’t you come?
(Black hole sun, black hole sun)
Won’t you come?
(Black hole sun, black hole sun)
Won’t you come?
(Black hole sun, black hole sun)

Verse 3

Hang my head, drown my fear
‘Til you all just disappear

Chorus

Black hole sun, (Black hole sun) won’t you come (Won’t you come?)
And wash away the rain?
Black hole sun, (Black hole sun) won’t you come? (Won’t you come?)
Won’t you come? (Won’t you come?)
Black hole sun, (Black hole sun) won’t you come (Won’t you come?)
And wash away the rain?
Black hole sun, (Black hole sun) won’t you come? (Won’t you come?)
Won’t you come? (Won’t you come?)

Post-Chorus

(Black hole sun, black hole sun)
Won’t you come?
(Black hole sun, black hole sun)
Won’t you come?
(Black hole sun, black hole sun)
Won’t you come?
(Black hole sun, black hole sun)
Won’t you come?
(Black hole sun, black hole sun)
Won’t you come?
(Black hole sun, black hole sun)
Won’t you come?
Won’t you come?

 

Black Hole Sun Meaning

Where better to begin our discussion of the Black Hole Sun meaning than with the title of the song itself. It combines the idea of a black hole, a massive void of nothingness and the sun, a symbol of life and hope.

There is a play on good versus bad and light versus dark throughout the song. It is meant to represent life and that no matter what bad things are surrounding you, there is always a chance for goodness. That is, if you don’t let the black hole fully encompass you.

Boiling heat, summer stench

This line is part of the description Cornell began to paint with this song of what he interpreted a land with a “Black Hole Sun” would look like. Many people have related this description to that of Hell. It is hot, it smells, and those who are near a “Black Hole Sun” are miserable.

Heaven send hell away

Again, this lyric ties back into the concept of misery. He is asking for help to get rid of the Black Hole Sun and make life bearable again. In this line, the environment is specifically stated as Hell which matches the descriptions from previous lines within the song.

Times are gone for honest men

Cornell said this line directly related back to the music industry at the time the song was written. Artists were doing whatever they had to do to get ahead, even at the expense of other people.

He said the industry was riddled with liars and posers who were willing to do and say anything to become famous. He spoke on the amount of backstabbing he saw in other bands and noted how thankful he was that Soundgarden was able to become successful without falling into the trap of drama and lies.

In my youth, I pray to keep

Youth is usually used to describe innocence. This line is a prayer to himself to keep his integrity and not fall victim to the dishonesty other artists are practicing to get ahead. He wants to stay naive to the badness in the world. 

Neath the black, the sky looks dead
Call my name through the cream
And I’ll hear you scream again

These lyrics seem to relate back to the idea that Cornell is ignoring the temptations of taking the easy climb to the top of the music charts by being dishonest.

He is being called to act badly and he can see the result of that decision as a “dead sky”. This can be interpreted to mean he knew that going down that path in life would bring him nothing but sorrow and regret.

 

Black Hole Sun Lyrics Meaning: Final Thoughts

Black Hole Sun was the biggest hit Seattle band Soundgarden ever had. And that’s saying something, because they had a number of big hits. They also had some amazing songs that are virtually unknown, like Storm, which is featured on our list of songs about bad weather.

The Black Hole Sun lyrics meaning was always a bit confusing. That’s due to Cornell pulling in various images and mostly just playing around with words. In other words, the song was never meant to have an overarching meaning.

But it does draw a picture of what a world with a black hole sun might look like and combines that with criticism of the music industry. The results speak for themselves.

We have a lot of articles analyzing the lyrics of various songs. For another one with black in the title, check out our deep dive into the meaning of the lyrics to Paint It Black by the Rolling Stones.

For another big hit from the 90s, though a very different type of song, check out our breakdown of the lyrics and meaning of Loser by Beck.

And for another song with somewhat cryptic lyrics from a different Seattle band of the same era, check out our breakdown of Pearl Jam’s Yellow Ledbetter lyrics and their meaning.