Warrel, you should think about maybe putting out a book in the future with explanations and background info to assorted songs.
Yes, you said you usually don't like to explain lyrics and I can wholeheartedly relate to that, especially with very personal lyrics. The obscurity and abstractness of heavy metaphors is like a wall guarding most private thoughts and emotions. The ones one doesn't want to become a public subject.
Yet at the same time, these metaphors have a non-binding nature that allows these most private feelings to be communicated in a way that the recipient has to construct a meaning on his own. As Jerry Cantrell put it: "Whatever you think it means to you, it does mean.". Adding so much more to it than the initial idea, in a beautiful way.
However, some stories, some lives, some thoughts etc. are meant to be told, because they deserve to not drown in the obscurity of metaphors. The story of Jimmy certainly did and we are thankful to be able to participate because now this song will have a different significance for all of us.
And I have a feeling that there are oh so many songs throughout the back-catalogue, whose stories deserve to be told in a similar fashion.
Just some thoughts...
