Expert: Sarah Knowlton - 4/25/2003

Question
What is Daughter about (who)?

Answer
Hi Amanda,

Here is an excerpt about Daughter from the Melody Maker's Pearl Jam Biography by Allan Jones.

Eddie:  "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 songs ends, you know, with this idea of the shades going down-  so that the nighbours 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 thier lives.   Good, creative people are just fucking destroyed."


Thanks for your question and Keep Pearl Jamming!
~Sarah~