Like Suicide

She lived like a murder
How she’d fly so sweetly
She lived like a murder
But she dies
Just like suicide

This is a song I have loved since the first time I heard it in 1994. I got to listen to the acoustic version on a friend’s copy of Songs From The Superunknown but was not overly impressed by it at the time (ah, youth!). I have since changed my mind and now consider it superior to the released electric version; it could very well be one of Chris Cornell’s finest moments. Beautifully poignant like a Japanese death poem, the increased emphasis on the voice lends the elegant lyrics greater weight.

From Wikipedia: Frontman Chris Cornell was inspired to write the song when a bird flew into the window at his house. He heard the sound, and expecting a burglar, instead found the small creature suffering. He subsequently put the bird out of its misery. Cornell has been quoted saying the bird inspired him to “write a song about the harshness of love.”