THE MEANINGS

 

Ten - 10 was the number on Mookie Blaylock's jersey.

Once - An angry rant from a man whose despiration has transformed him into a psychopath. It is the first song of a trilogy (the other two songs being Alive and Footsteps).

Even Flow - The song is about homelessness.

Alive - About a young man who is angry with his mother for not telling him about his biological father before his death. That is the part that was written from Eddie's point of view. The other part is about a son who grows up and ends up looking like his dead father, and is molested by his mother because of it. It is the second part of a *trilogy (the first being Once and the third being Footsteps).

Why Go - A saga of a teenager's fight for independence after her self-centered parents committed her to an institution. The only way that she can get out is for admitting to something she didn't feel was wrong. She doesn't want to go home to live with someone who put her in a place like that.

Black - About a brokenhearted Romeo who's remembering his absent lover.

Jeremy - Written about Jeremy Wade Delle, a 16-year-old loner from Richardson, Texas, who'd taken a gun to school and shot himself dead in English class.

Porch - This is a love song, written about breaking up and having to deal with never seeing the person again.

Deep - What I've gathered is its written about a depressed man standing on the ledge of a building, who takes drugs as a way of dealing with his problems. When the drugs don't work, he jumps off the building, killing himself. At least one person witnesses it, has their life screwed up by seeing this, and the cycle continues.

*Trilogy: The first song Ed wrote was "Alive",  and do to the ,mass confusion of his life he turns mad and crazy, this is where "Once" come in,  this confused person goes and kills someone, perhaps many. He end up in jail questyioning his faults and other peoples faults, "Footsteps"

 

Vs. - Originally supposed to be titled Five Against One.

Go - Addresses feelings of dependance and insecurity.

Animal - Seemed to be written from the viewpoint of a gang-rape victim.

Daughter - About a child being repressed by a parent.

Glorified G - A sarcastic antigun thesis.

W.M.A. - A statement on police racism. Stands for "White Male American".

Blood - A rant about media exploitation and how the band became what they hated most about other bands.

Rearview Mirror - About outrunning suicide.

Rats - About a sleazier side of human nature.

Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town - A play of Pearl Jam's history of one-word song titles.

Leash - Eddie's declaration of solidarity with a dysfunctional nation.

 

Vitalogy - Named after and inspired by an 1899 health encyclopedia Eddie picked up on tour.

Last Exit - Mostly about the past (it's already happened, so theres no need to wallow in your mistakes), the present (worry about that because it is now), and the future (don't worry about that, its yet to come).

Spin the Black Circle - About Eddie's love for vinyls.

Not For You - About the executives in the music industry who just want money (the songs aren't for them).

Tremor Christ - Putting your faith in something you believe in.

Nothingman - Written about how people dwell in the past.

Pry, To - Played backwards, it says "Pete Townshend oh you saved my life."

Corduroy - Stone bought Eddie a jacket that a clothing company started selling for $1000 after Eddie was seen wearing it.

Satan's Bed - Written about the temptation to cheat on your partner, and how Eddie will never do it.

Better Man - A song Eddie wrote about his mother and "that lawyer fuck" for a stepfather.

Immortality - No matter who you are, you and every other single living person have one thing in common: you all will eventually die.

*Webmaster note: I think it is accually about Kurt Cobain. I didnt believe that when I first heard that but then I closly examined the lyrics and It is definitly about him.The part about the cigar box in particular..Kurt died with it next to him because thats where he kept his drug stuff..

                                   

Stupid Mop - A patient's dialogue from a psychology video.

 

No Code

Hail Hail - A song where Eddie is trying to express his unhappiness of being a rock star, the TicketMonster fight, etc.

In My Tree - About having your own little world to go to where no one can bother you.

Off He Goes - About when Eddie leaves on tour.

Habit - Some think it is written about Mike and his battle with alcoholism.

Lukin - Named after Mudhoney's bassist Matt Lukin.

Present Tense - About going on with life instead of dwelling on regrets.

Around the Bend - Written by Jack Irons as a lullaby for his baby.

 

Yield

Brain of J - Conspiracies about JFK, and how his brain disappeared when he was assassinated and has yet to be found.

Wishlist - Wishing you were someone other than yourself.

MFC - Stands for "Mini Fast Cars". Eddie is impressed with Italian cars, how they're so small and so fast.

Push Me Pull Me - About death, how humans are just visitors to this planet.

 

B-Sides, Rarities, and Compilation Tracks

Alone - An ode to companionship or solitude.

Angel - The book "Eloping Angels" inspired a collaboration between Eddie and Dave for this song.

Black Red Yellow - Eddie got to pick Dennis Rodman's jersey number, and in turn, Dennis got a song from Eddie. The meaning behind the colors: Dennis is black, during the playoffs, Dennis put a red Pearl Jam logo in his hair, and yellow is one of the many colors Dennis has dyed his hair.

Crazy Mary - About the local crazy woman. She dies when a car crashes into her house.

Dead Man - Originally titled Dead Man Walking. The song is about a man on death row.

Dirty Frank - This song is about "Dirty Frank Dahmer," a cannibalistic tour bus driver who prowls concert venues across the nation looking for fans to eat.

Footsteps - A boy on death row awaiting execution. It is the last part of a 3 song trilogy (Once being the first, Alive being the second).

Gremmie out of Control - A gremmie is a rookie surfer that is usually out of control and screwing up.

I Got Shit - Pretty sure its about losing everything you have in life.

Just a Girl - Eddie's first attempt to address the abortion debate

Leatherman - Written about Jules Bourglay, The Leather Man, who wandered Westchester County, NY in the late 19th century.

Leaving Here - Asshole men who treat women like shit.

Long Road - Dedicated to Eddie's old drama teacher, Clayton Liggett.

Out of My Mind - Needing help and not getting it from anybody.

State of Love and Trust - A person is considering suicide, and the voices in their head are guiding them.

Wash - Love gone bad, needing to wash it away.

Yellow Ledbetter - Written in honor of a Chicago friend of Eddie's named Tim Ledbetter.

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