Candlebox - Far Behind

This was written about Andrew Wood, lead singer of the Seattle group Mother Love Bone, who died of an heroin-overdose in 1990. Other songs inspired by his death are "Would?" by Alice in Chains, "Hey Mr. Lovedog" by Faster Pussycat, and the whole Temple Of The Dog project.

Candlebox vocalist Kevin Martin first met Andy Wood when he was working at Seattle's Fluevog shoe store with Susan Silver, who was managing Soundgarden at the time. He explained: "Andy used to come in there with band flyers and stuff for shows and concerts. We just got to talking about music ever time he'd pop in. He asked me, 'Are you a singer? What do you do?' I said, 'Well, I'm a singing in this band, doing my thing and whatnot.' He said, 'Man, just do it. There are gonna be haters and people that love you. If you're meant to do it, you're meant to do it. Regardless of what anyone says to you or about you – it's what you're supposed to do.' And I never forgot that.

The day he died was incredibly sad – not only for those who were close to him but for the music community of Seattle – for the people that loved what he was doing: Malfunkshun, Mother Love Bone and all these f---ing amazing bands that he was a part of. And his talent was sad to see let go and initially the lyric was, 'Now Andy, I didn't mean to treat you bad.'

It was written from the perspective of the drug that destroyed him. When I got in the studio to track that song I changed it to 'Now maybe.' I didn't want it to be so obvious. I think that's why for years people thought it was a love song. Nobody really knew that it was about death and the loss of a friend and fellow musician. So that's how the song was written."

Lyrics

Now maybe

I did not mean to treat you bad

But I did it anyway

And now maybe

Some would say your life was sad

But you lived it anyway

And so maybe

Your friends they stand around they watch your crumble

As you falter to the ground

And then someday

Your friends they stand beside as you were flyin'

Oh you were flyin' oh so high

But then someday people look at you for what they call their own

They watch you suffer

Yeah they hear you calling home

But then some day we could take our time

To brush the leaves aside so you can reach us

But you left me far behind

Now maybe

I didn't mean to treat you oh so bad

But I did it anyway

Now I said maybe some would say you're left with what you had

But you couldn't share the pain

No, no, no

Couldn't share the pain, they watch you suffer

Now maybe I could have made my own mistakes

But I live with what I've known

And then maybe we might share in something great

But won't you look at where we've grown

Won't you look at where we've gone

But then someday comes tomorrow holds

a sense of what I fear for you in my mind

As you trip the final line

And that cold day when you lost control

It's a shame you left my life so soon you should have told me

But you left me far behind, yeah

Now maybe I didn't mean to treat you oh so bad

But I did it anyway

Now maybe some would say you're left with what you had

But you couldn't share the pain

No, no, no

Oh no

Oh no no no no...

Now maybe I didn't mean to treat you oh so bad

But I did it anyway

Now maybe some would say you're left with what you had

But you couldn't share the pain

I said times have changed your friends

They come and watch you crumble to the ground

They watch you suffer

Yeah, they hold you down

Hold on down

Now maybe lover, maybe love

I didn't mean to treat you bad

But you left me far behind

Left me far behind

Left me far behind