AboutBrandon Parsons Expertise I can answer any question regarding Pearl Jam's career, music, albums, songs, setlists,when what song was played, varied versions of songs, lyrics, important dates, members, and general history of the band, all the releases, concert poster info too. Try to keep personal questions about members of the band to a minimum, although I am well versed in Eddie's life. I have a lot of info to fall back on that I have personally experienced.
Experience I have loved Pearl Jam since hearing Jeremy in 1992. I've been to 23 PJ shows. I have all 72 2ooo Bootlegs. I am 9 away from having all 72 2003 bootlegs. Many other import singles, a large collection of Pearl Jam music in general, in the Ten Club, 10 concert posters up on my wall and 10 more to be framed, and a stickman tattoo. I am also tapped into a HUGE network of fans.If you've got a question, and it has to do with Pearl Jam, I'm your man.
Education/Credentials High School
General Studies College
Culinary College
Expert: Brandon Parsons Date: 5/8/2008 Subject: Song Meanings
Question I have been a huge fan of Pearl Jam, but don't know exactly what some song meanings are. Could You help me with some of the following songs?
Yellow Ledbetter, Animal, Wishlist, Alive, Daughter, and Betterman.
Thank You
Answer Great Questions. Big answers. These are just some song meanings, from myself and other sources for these songs. The great thing about Pearl Jam is that they want the songs to have meaning to individuals and possibly there is no right answer as to want one song is about. Some albums dont come with lyrics, some come with a few. Its all subjective.
I’ll keep them short, to give you a little idea about each one, but if you really want to know more, go search out some other opinions or just stick to what you think it is. I don’t want to push you in any certain direction, as meanings are very personal.
Animal:
3 different meanings.
1) animal rights
2) the media
3) gang rape
ed: I don't wanna talk about [who the anger is directed at]. It's not so much personal, it's just, some person at the record company said the other day that they wanted the vocals turned up. He wanted people to understand exactly what I was singing. So I told him what it was about and he said, 'You're right. Let's leave the vocals as they are. Maybe we don't really want people to understand it.[3]
Wishlist:
trying to be everything beautiful to/for someone.
Daughter:
ive heard dyslexia for this one.
Heres a good quote
"this song is a mix between eddies own experiences being verbally abused by his stepdad and a story of a child with a learning disability (ive heard dyslexia too, but ive never heard any solid proof for it). it definitely works hand in hand with 'rearview mirror': "the shades go down" turns into "finally the shades are raised". at their cores, both songs are essentially about living in an abusive situation. 'daughter' is about being in that situation, and 'rearview mirror' is about finally getting out of it. the end of daughter does offer some hope of the escape to come; "she will rise above"
And Ed on the song daughter:
"The child in that song obviously has a learning difficulty. And it's only in the last few years that they've actually been able to diagnose these learning disabilities that before were looked at as misbehaviour, as just outright fucking rebelliousness. But no one knew what it was. And these kids, because they seemed unable or reluctant to learn, they'd end up getting the shit beaten outta them. The song ends, you know, with this idea of the shades going down--so that the neighbours can't see what happens next. What hurts about shit like that is that it ends up defining peoples' lives. They have to live with that abuse for the rest of their lives. Good, creative people are just fucking destroyed.[2]
Betterman:
Ed wrote this for his first band bad radio way back. It then became a pearl jam song. If you read the lyrics you should be able to make out what this one is about as it is not as cryptic as his other lyrics. She wants to get out of a bad relationship, but is too comfortable with it and has no confidence.
Waitin, watchin the clock, its four oclock, its got to stop
Tell him, take no more, she practices her speech
As he opens the door, she rolls over...
Pretends to sleep as he looks her over
She lies and says shes in love with him, cant find a better man...
She dreams in color, she dreams in red, cant find a better man...
Cant find a better man (2x)
Ohh...
Talkin to herself, theres no one else who needs to know...
She tells herself, oh...
Memories back when she was bold and strong
And waiting for the world to come along...
Swears she knew it, now she swears hes gone
She lies and says shes in love with him, cant find a better man...
Yellow Ledbetter:
This ones a doozy, there are no set lyrics for this. They change constantly. They were made up on the spot for the original and Ed changes them live all the time. And ah yes, the mumbling.
Quoting wiki:
The song's name is derived from the actual name of an old friend of lead singer Eddie Vedder from Chicago, named Tim Ledbetter.[2] The lyrics of "Yellow Ledbetter" have proven undecipherable when heard live and even on the early recorded version, as Eddie Vedder mumbles through much of the song with only certain parts being heard prominently, such as the famous line "I said, I don’t know whether I was the boxer or the bag", with these parts of the song heard on almost every live rendition of the song. There are many unofficial lyrics on various websites.
Because of the freeform nature of its lyrics many fans have attached their own meaning to the song. Fans have debated about the lyrical meaning of the song and have even questioned the existence of a central theme (although, one common theory is about someone receiving a letter and finding his brother had died overseas in war,[7] cited from the lyrics in the Live at the Garden version "I don't know whether my brother will be coming home in a box or a bag"). About the song, Vedder said that it was written around the time of the Gulf War, and added that "it's an anti-patriotic song, actually."[8]
That one is a whole can of worms I will let you look into on your own.
ALIVE:
One of the very first ever written. Part of what is known as the mamasan trilogy.
This is the best place to read up on the famous mamasan trilogy and how ed wrote it.
Good luck and like I said, keep listening and making up your own meaning, don’t let the internet lyrics and translations change your take on things. They are your songs too.
Thanks for the question!
brandon
UPDATE: could you please leave some feedback so i know how i did?
