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Song of the day(Footsteps)
JDE-PJ
Posts: 721
The last song to be posted before we move onto VS, why not save one of the best for last with this tune.
Footsteps
RrVwMirror
1/12/01 8:16 PM
SOTD: ...FOOTSTEPS
Bastet
8/20/99 09:52 AM
mamasan part 3 FOOTSTEPS
FOOTSTEPS
Don't even think about reachin' me, I won't be home
Don't even think about stoppin' by, don't think of me at all
I did what I had to do, if there was a reason, it was you...
Aah...don't even think about gettin' inside
Voices in my head...ooh voices
I got scratches, all over my arms
One for each day, since I fell apart
I did...oh, what I had to do, if there was a reason, it was you
Footsteps in the hall, it was you, you...oh...
Pictures on my chest, it was you, it was you...
Hey...I did what I had to do...oh, and if there was a reason, no
And if there's something you'd like to do
Just let me continue to blame you
Footsteps in the hall, it was you, you...oh...
Pictures on my chest, it was you, you...oh...
Bastet
8/20/99 11:03 AM
Re: mamasan part 3 FOOTSTEPS
I'll admit it - this song never really made much of an impression on me. I haven't heard it in years so last night I tried to find the tape of the 92 Rockline show where it was performed. I remember taping that whole thing but all I found was a tape labeled "PJ radio thing" (great) that only had Eddie singing "beegirl" and giving out his phone number on it. Weird. So I still haven't heard it in years. (And yes I called Eddie, always busy!)
=^--^=
JDE-PJ
8/20/99 12:31 PM
Times Of Trouble
Well I'am not going to describe this song in my head not now anyway, but what I will say is that anyone who is a TOTD fan knows where this song came from and also how great it is to listen to back to back, especially if you heard TOTD first, Stone is a very talented one young man!
El Conquistador
8/20/99 3:07 PM
Re: mamasan part 3 FOOTSTEPS
Okay jammers, I am back...let's get some discussion going on this song...it is one of pearl jam's most powerful songs in my mind...
The greatest part of this song on the surface level is eddie's voice...amazing...it is probably the song that best displays his voice in a slower song....
on a different level I love this song because of it's message...as we all know it is the third part of the alive/once/footsteps trilogy..I love this song so much because of the internal conflict....
he is sitting in a jail cell trying to blame his wrong doings on someone else....he is tearing himself apart emotionally and physically ("I've got scratches all over my arms...")
The turning point of this song is when the character comes to the realization that he is wrong, and that he is at fault....
"Hey...I did what I had to do...oh, and if there was a reason,
there wasn't no reason, no
And if there's something you'd like to do
Just let me continue to blame you"
I love that part of the song, becuase I think that many of us have been there so many times...we tend to blame our mistakes and wrong doings on others because it is confortable....it is hard to realize that we have to be 100% responible for ourselves...we feel that blame is the best way out.....
that is what the character thought too, but he came to terms and gave this story a decent ending....the realization that although you may have had some terrible circumstances, you and only you can be accountable for yourself...
I have a lot to learn from this song...
JDE-PJ
8/20/99 3:16 PM
Re: mamasan part 3 FOOTSTEPS
Very nicely put EL Con, I'll just add there is nothing like driving in a car on a long trip and listening to Eddie sing this song.
Sister Parish
8/20/99 3:24 PM
Re: mamasan part 3 FOOTSTEPS
I bought the "Jeremy" single for "Yellow Ledbetter," but the first time I heard "Footsteps," it really affected me. It is such a beautiful, simple, haunting song, and, I agree, Ed's voice is in top form on this one. This song stayed in my head for days, and I just had to listen to it over and over. "Footsteps" is still my favorite B-side.
An interesting discussion I've had about "Footsteps" concerns the "pictures on my chest" line. Is the speaker referring to actual photographs that he is holding to himself? I've suggested that this line might refer to tattoos or even scars and marks on his body from self-inflicted wounds, to go along with the "scratches all over [his] arms." What do others envision?
share
8/20/99 6:20 PM
Re: mamasan part 3 FOOTSTEPS
this is one of those songs where i just listen to ed's voice
and get caught up in the raw emotion..i always well up
distraught, angry, pain, anguish, blame, hatred, love
i'm always left with the need to comfort somebody
(yeah - i gotta go squish the cat)
me2u
8/20/99 6:36 PM
Re: mamasan part 3 FOOTSTEPS
when I first brought this home and put it on my little boy became very relaxed (when he was 2 months old he had a very high fever and suffered brain damage)I think he really likes the rhythm of it and when he has hard times the words seem to relate to how he is a infant trapped in a body of a 9 yr old , that's why he scratches and hits himself and others, and how he feels about it. He still sleeps to it everynight, over and over.I really love this song , the guitar and Ed are so raw and pure.
brokenarrow
8/20/99 10:14 PM
Re: mamasan part 3 FOOTSTEPS
....Wow...As Rearview always says..."The Power of Music"....
...This is a very powerful song.....It has always given me a sad feeling, it also mellows me out and I can see where your son would relax listening to it.
.......I'm sorry by the way about his brain damage, you must have a rough time at different moments......If you ever need to talk, we're here for you...(just a thought)!
brokenarrow
8/20/99 10:24 PM
I too love that part.....and to Sister Parish.....
."And if there's something you'd like to do....
....just let me continue, to blame you"
I also feel it's a very important part of the song.......I see and hear excuses everyday, at work, at home, children, grown-ups etc.........
We all do, and I feel this line sums up so many people who can't admit it when they're wrong.......even me at times............
Sister Parish.......I don't understand the "Pictures on my Chest" line.....
It feels more like something has been etched into him, perhaps even spirtiualy, that's what I kind of picture or feel when I hear it....I don't know why really!
It makes me feel empty.......
.......It could be a tattoo, but I'm not quite sure about it......???????
Any thoughts El?
brokenarrow>
JDE-PJ
8/21/99 01:12 AM
pictures on his chest
Just my guess on the line is this, the memories that made him a killer and lead him to this point in his life are still there, they are pictures on his chest.
Well I like that interpretation let me know what you think Brokenarrow and
Sister Parish, and everyone else this is the end of the triolgy so a very important time in the making of PJ.
Jason
papi_chulo
8/21/99 02:00 AM
the best break up song
Well this song has a special place in my heart, and i mean that sarcastically. This song reminds me of my ex, and it practically describes what i went through:
i went through a big change after we broke up--BIG change. *i did what i had to do if there was a reason it was you)and the scratches for every day that i fell apart part cause well, that's how many speed bags i went through in my garage. I blame her like the last line as well. overall this is the song that gets me the most, but gets me through getting over her when i think about her.
i did what i had to do, if there was a reason, it was you
evenkat
8/21/99 08:36 AM
Re: pictures on his chest
Yes, JDE-PJ. That line makes me think of something weighing very heavy on your chest.
"You know what it's like" EV
Footsteps
RrVwMirror
1/12/01 8:16 PM
SOTD: ...FOOTSTEPS
Bastet
8/20/99 09:52 AM
mamasan part 3 FOOTSTEPS
FOOTSTEPS
Don't even think about reachin' me, I won't be home
Don't even think about stoppin' by, don't think of me at all
I did what I had to do, if there was a reason, it was you...
Aah...don't even think about gettin' inside
Voices in my head...ooh voices
I got scratches, all over my arms
One for each day, since I fell apart
I did...oh, what I had to do, if there was a reason, it was you
Footsteps in the hall, it was you, you...oh...
Pictures on my chest, it was you, it was you...
Hey...I did what I had to do...oh, and if there was a reason, no
And if there's something you'd like to do
Just let me continue to blame you
Footsteps in the hall, it was you, you...oh...
Pictures on my chest, it was you, you...oh...
Bastet
8/20/99 11:03 AM
Re: mamasan part 3 FOOTSTEPS
I'll admit it - this song never really made much of an impression on me. I haven't heard it in years so last night I tried to find the tape of the 92 Rockline show where it was performed. I remember taping that whole thing but all I found was a tape labeled "PJ radio thing" (great) that only had Eddie singing "beegirl" and giving out his phone number on it. Weird. So I still haven't heard it in years. (And yes I called Eddie, always busy!)
=^--^=
JDE-PJ
8/20/99 12:31 PM
Times Of Trouble
Well I'am not going to describe this song in my head not now anyway, but what I will say is that anyone who is a TOTD fan knows where this song came from and also how great it is to listen to back to back, especially if you heard TOTD first, Stone is a very talented one young man!
El Conquistador
8/20/99 3:07 PM
Re: mamasan part 3 FOOTSTEPS
Okay jammers, I am back...let's get some discussion going on this song...it is one of pearl jam's most powerful songs in my mind...
The greatest part of this song on the surface level is eddie's voice...amazing...it is probably the song that best displays his voice in a slower song....
on a different level I love this song because of it's message...as we all know it is the third part of the alive/once/footsteps trilogy..I love this song so much because of the internal conflict....
he is sitting in a jail cell trying to blame his wrong doings on someone else....he is tearing himself apart emotionally and physically ("I've got scratches all over my arms...")
The turning point of this song is when the character comes to the realization that he is wrong, and that he is at fault....
"Hey...I did what I had to do...oh, and if there was a reason,
there wasn't no reason, no
And if there's something you'd like to do
Just let me continue to blame you"
I love that part of the song, becuase I think that many of us have been there so many times...we tend to blame our mistakes and wrong doings on others because it is confortable....it is hard to realize that we have to be 100% responible for ourselves...we feel that blame is the best way out.....
that is what the character thought too, but he came to terms and gave this story a decent ending....the realization that although you may have had some terrible circumstances, you and only you can be accountable for yourself...
I have a lot to learn from this song...
JDE-PJ
8/20/99 3:16 PM
Re: mamasan part 3 FOOTSTEPS
Very nicely put EL Con, I'll just add there is nothing like driving in a car on a long trip and listening to Eddie sing this song.
Sister Parish
8/20/99 3:24 PM
Re: mamasan part 3 FOOTSTEPS
I bought the "Jeremy" single for "Yellow Ledbetter," but the first time I heard "Footsteps," it really affected me. It is such a beautiful, simple, haunting song, and, I agree, Ed's voice is in top form on this one. This song stayed in my head for days, and I just had to listen to it over and over. "Footsteps" is still my favorite B-side.
An interesting discussion I've had about "Footsteps" concerns the "pictures on my chest" line. Is the speaker referring to actual photographs that he is holding to himself? I've suggested that this line might refer to tattoos or even scars and marks on his body from self-inflicted wounds, to go along with the "scratches all over [his] arms." What do others envision?
share
8/20/99 6:20 PM
Re: mamasan part 3 FOOTSTEPS
this is one of those songs where i just listen to ed's voice
and get caught up in the raw emotion..i always well up
distraught, angry, pain, anguish, blame, hatred, love
i'm always left with the need to comfort somebody
(yeah - i gotta go squish the cat)
me2u
8/20/99 6:36 PM
Re: mamasan part 3 FOOTSTEPS
when I first brought this home and put it on my little boy became very relaxed (when he was 2 months old he had a very high fever and suffered brain damage)I think he really likes the rhythm of it and when he has hard times the words seem to relate to how he is a infant trapped in a body of a 9 yr old , that's why he scratches and hits himself and others, and how he feels about it. He still sleeps to it everynight, over and over.I really love this song , the guitar and Ed are so raw and pure.
brokenarrow
8/20/99 10:14 PM
Re: mamasan part 3 FOOTSTEPS
....Wow...As Rearview always says..."The Power of Music"....
...This is a very powerful song.....It has always given me a sad feeling, it also mellows me out and I can see where your son would relax listening to it.
.......I'm sorry by the way about his brain damage, you must have a rough time at different moments......If you ever need to talk, we're here for you...(just a thought)!
brokenarrow
8/20/99 10:24 PM
I too love that part.....and to Sister Parish.....
."And if there's something you'd like to do....
....just let me continue, to blame you"
I also feel it's a very important part of the song.......I see and hear excuses everyday, at work, at home, children, grown-ups etc.........
We all do, and I feel this line sums up so many people who can't admit it when they're wrong.......even me at times............
Sister Parish.......I don't understand the "Pictures on my Chest" line.....
It feels more like something has been etched into him, perhaps even spirtiualy, that's what I kind of picture or feel when I hear it....I don't know why really!
It makes me feel empty.......
.......It could be a tattoo, but I'm not quite sure about it......???????
Any thoughts El?
brokenarrow>
JDE-PJ
8/21/99 01:12 AM
pictures on his chest
Just my guess on the line is this, the memories that made him a killer and lead him to this point in his life are still there, they are pictures on his chest.
Well I like that interpretation let me know what you think Brokenarrow and
Sister Parish, and everyone else this is the end of the triolgy so a very important time in the making of PJ.
Jason
papi_chulo
8/21/99 02:00 AM
the best break up song
Well this song has a special place in my heart, and i mean that sarcastically. This song reminds me of my ex, and it practically describes what i went through:
i went through a big change after we broke up--BIG change. *i did what i had to do if there was a reason it was you)and the scratches for every day that i fell apart part cause well, that's how many speed bags i went through in my garage. I blame her like the last line as well. overall this is the song that gets me the most, but gets me through getting over her when i think about her.
i did what i had to do, if there was a reason, it was you
evenkat
8/21/99 08:36 AM
Re: pictures on his chest
Yes, JDE-PJ. That line makes me think of something weighing very heavy on your chest.
"You know what it's like" EV
I know someday you will have a beautiful Life
Jason
Jason
0
Comments
8/21/99 7:09 PM
To JDE-PJ and Evenkat...
......Yes, that's the feeling I get when I hear that line......I didn't word it very well.....That feeling inside of you, it almost makes your chest feel tight and fills up with despair! That's why this song makes me feel so empty!
Tamara
8/21/99 8:03 PM
Re: To JDE-PJ and Evenkat...
I think "Pictures on my chest, it was you, it was you..." is referring to his memories of what/who he blames his actions on. He's blaming this person,
and like pictures sitting on a chest (memories of those moments) he has pictures of this person in his mind. Just a thought...
Tamara
"If I knew where it was I would take you there..."
SteinbeckPearl
8/21/99 10:11 PM
Re: To JDE-PJ and Evenkat...
The double-meaning on chest works nicely here... the body's chest (could be literally, as in tattoos, or figuratively as in the heart) or a box with a lid to keep things safely in, as tamara pointed out. The tattoo idea sounds like a scarlet letter-type deal, and ties in well with the song's mood and the scarred arms. I tend to picture an actual chest for belongings when I listen to this song, though. The analogy of pictures kept in a chest and memories kept in his mind also relates to footsteps, in my opinion. We could go on about what the footsteps mean... but I just like to picture them as tracks on the ground left from treading in the past that won't go away (like memories marked forever or, like he says, "pictures on my chest").
And since I have the right to go on a major tangent (cause that's how my mind is working today), these footsteps/pictures/memories are opposed to footsteps on the sand that are just washed away by the waves and the ocean (which goes back to the whole idea we've been discussing -moyboy, especially- about how water/the ocean/the rain can wash/soothe/cleanse/heal us.)
Peace.
I let my music take me where my heart wants to go....
~C.S.
Jason