Song of the day(Yellow Ledbetter)

JDE-PJ · September 2003

Time for the song that has ended more Pearl Jam shows than any other.

Yellow Ledbetter

RrVwMirror
1/12/01 8:15 PM
SOTD: ....YELLOW LEDBETTER

El Conquistador
8/23/99 09:45 AM
YELLOW LEDBETTER!!!!!!!

Okay, I think this coud be the most interesting interpretaion session of them all if we get some good involvement...here are the lyrics from the pearl jam songbook...please comment if you think they are something different (and as we all know they change from show to show)

YELLOW LEDBETTER ("Jeremy" B-side)

Unsealed, on a porch a letter sat
Then you said, 'I wanna leave it again'
once I saw her on a beach of weathered sand
And on the sand I wanna leave it again, yeah...
On a weekend, I wanna wish it all away, yeah...
And they called and I said that I want what I said...
And then I call out again...
And the reason, oughta' leave her calm, I know
I said, 'I know what I wear, not a boxer or the bag'
Ah yeah...can you see them?
Out on the porch, yeah, but they don't wave
I see them, round the front way, yeah...
And I know and I know I don't want to stay
Make me cry...

I see, ooh...I don't know why there's something else
I wanna drum it all away
Oh, I said, I don't, I don't know a-where there's a boxer or the bag'
Ah yeah...can you see them?
Out on the porch, yeah, but they don't wave
I see them, round the front way, yeah...
And I know, and I know, I don't wanna stay alone...
I don't wanna stay...yeah...
I don't wanna stay... (2x)
I don't, don't wanna, oh...yeah...ooh...ohh...

papi_chulo
8/23/99 10:01 AM
lots of meaning

Well this song can mean many things, but to me it means some sort of break up or leaving, and he can;t wait to leave, and the but they don;t wave part well it could mean that they are pist and want him to leave as well, but that is my own interpretation.

i did what i had to do, if there was a reason, it was you

RrVwMirror
8/23/99 10:22 AM
Re: YELLOW LEDBETTER!!!!!!!

I can't even begin to interpret this song...my brain hurts when I try! All I can say is for some reason this is the most EMOTIONAL song I ever heard! I don't even know why, but this song totally embraces me!

evenkat
8/23/99 12:33 PM
Re: YELLOW LEDBETTER!!!!!!!

I have no idea what the song is about except it's one of Pearl Jam's song that with Eddie's voice and Mike's guitar sends out something emotional that you just feel. With some of the words I can make out I get the feeling it's about loneliness or being left alone.

"You know what it's like" EV

yeah
8/23/99 12:53 PM
Re: YELLOW LEDBETTER!!!!!!!

i'm not sure what its about but i remember reading a post that said it was supposed to be called yellow letter or somethign and when the band went in to record it, ed had left his lyrics at home so he had to make them up on the spot. it was supposed to be about (the original) a girl who leaves a guy for another guy. something along those lines, and he reads the letter. that post realy explained the "not a boxer or a bag" line, but i've forgotten it.

i dont need to fight to prove i'm right. i dont need to be forgiven.

moyboy
8/23/99 1:02 PM
Re: YELLOW LEDBETTER!!!!!!!

some kind of leaving or breaking up or goodbye...other than that, its a mystery to me.
I think some if the words are probably incorrect as we all know he has kept them pretty much unknown and always changing. But for some reason I just can't imagine the words being "boxers or a bag"...unless possibly it is relating to moving "Boxers" being people packing and bags being luggage? hmmm.

And the porch reference again? hmmmm.
And wash it all away- the was reference again? hmmm. going back to my "Wash" post theory regarding the individual cheating on his lover and contracting a possible fatal disease and wanting to wash it away, maybe this is the follow up song- the individual has been found out or revealed his indiscretion and has been kicked out, which would make sense for why he is leaving and perhaps why they are happy to see him go?
probably a stretch, but its all I got....

JDE-PJ
8/23/99 1:05 PM
locked out?

Hey everyone isn't this the song where Eddie was locked out of the studio and he was listening to Mike on guitar and he made up the lyrics on the spot, for some reason I believe this to be fact correct me if I am wrong, could be to many blows to the head.
As for the song one word Mikey!

evenkat
8/23/99 1:08 PM
Re: locked out?

I think it was oceans.

"You know what it's like" EV

JDE-PJ
8/23/99 1:22 PM
to many falls during porch

Thank you EK, I posted about my dancing days I guess the damage was permanent!

Bastet
8/23/99 1:54 PM
Re: YELLOW LEDBETTER!!!!!!!

I hear something different everytime I listen to this song, so I've never really tried to make sense out of it. But when I hear "the box or the bag" I always think "paper or plastic?"! I think the point of this song is to just let Mike go. And there's certainly nothing wrong with that!

=^--^=

PJMom
8/23/99 2:02 PM
Re: YELLOW LEDBETTER!!!!!!!

I had a comment on this song some weeks ago, especially the "don't know what I wear not a boxer or the bag" line. It did not make any sense to me to hear it that way and I got several replies to that. One person, I forgot who, pointed out that the line is "I don't know whether I was the boxer or the bag" which makes a lot of sense and if you listen carefully, that IS what he says. Which I understand to mean he is not sure if he is the abuser or the abused. Makes the song all that more poingnant (don't think I spelled that right but you get my drift).

Up_In_My_Tree
8/23/99 2:09 PM
Re: YELLOW LEDBETTER!!!!!!!

well this will be my first post with my interpretation, so alike the majority, i agree im not sure about this one, but when i hear that "boxer or bag" lyric, to me i sortof seems its hard to leave right,and not wanting to quarrel about the breakup, i know what I wear(how to act, in order to leave it calm), not a boxer (fight) or the bag (hold it all inside). CONFUSION of the situation. thats how I feel.

Up_In_My_Tree

PJMom
8/23/99 2:12 PM
Re: YELLOW LEDBETTER!!!!!!!

I still think that line is "I don't know whether I was the (a)boxer or the (a) bag"

dreamsinred
8/23/99 2:21 PM
Re: YELLOW LEDBETTER!!!!!!!

Yes, that is what I always thought and i think that's what's said sometimes. It's sure alot closer to some of the interp that say 'I was a box or a bag'.

dreamsinred
8/23/99 2:23 PM
Re: YELLOW LEDBETTER!!!!!!!

thank you for posting this beautiful reading ...The songbood..DA.. never thought to look at that!!

dreamsinred
8/23/99 2:28 PM
Re: YELLOW LEDBETTER!!!!!!!

I see it like that too "i'm not a boxer (abuser) or the bag (an abused victum)..it's so beautiful.

moyboy
8/23/99 2:57 PM
Re: YELLOW LEDBETTER!!!!!!!

wow. I had never thought of it like that....The Boxer (fighter) or the Bag (the object he is punching)
that makes alot more sense.

PJMom
8/23/99 3:23 PM
Re: YELLOW LEDBETTER!!!!!!!

Doesn't it? I had a wow moment when I realized it too.
By the way, how do you like this weather today? Summertime finally and the kiddies have to go back to school in a week! Hehehe...

dirty frank
8/23/99 3:53 PM
Re: YELLOW LEDBETTER!!!!!!!

my only input is this, in my opinion the one part in the song goes like this "I don't know whether I was the boxer or the bag"
Reasoning behind my opinion. Think about a fighter training for a fight. He punches a punching bag over and over getting ready for a fight. If you're the boxer, you're the one in control or the one punishing or what not, if you are that punching bag, you are getting the shit knocked out of you. Hence my interpretation that at least that little part of the song is about not knowing whether you're the one giving it to someone or the one getting it from someone. The it being whatever it is.

JDE-PJ · September 2003

PJMom
8/23/99 3:59 PM
Re: YELLOW LEDBETTER!!!!!!!

I think you are right about that. This is such a great song and once we understand the words right, the meaning becomes so clear. A lot of us end up in this same position--not sure if we are in control or not. "I wanna wish it all away" great line too.

moyboy
8/23/99 5:21 PM
Re: YELLOW LEDBETTER!!!!!!!

PJ MOM...I'm digging the weather! My boss told me on Friday to leave work and go grab a beer and lay in the sun and thats exactly what I did....
What do people make of the line dealing with the beach?
And what's up with his reference to a Porch again?

PJMom
8/23/99 5:33 PM
Re: YELLOW LEDBETTER!!!!!!!

Ed talks about porch's a lot it seems. I personally think it's because he likes the sound of the word. If you think about it, when you are on your porch, you are sort of exposed to the world, yet safe within your own home. So by singing about being on the porch, he might be alluding to being half hidden/half exposed sort of like not being sure if he is the boxer or the bag. Whoa, that was almost profound...

El Conquistador
8/23/99 5:40 PM
Re: YELLOW LEDBETTER!!!!!!!

Well a lot of people have written about how much pearl jam has touched their lives through music….well, this is the song where I can share my “life saving” experience.

About 1 year ago, or maybe a little more, my life seemed as though it was falling apart. I was not happy, I was losing my friends, and I lost the girl that I have loved more than anything in the world…I am still not over her by any means as a few of you may know….I am still wounded by my recent past, but I can honestly say that the reason I am here to type this post today is because of pearl jam…and more specifically Yellow Ledbetter…

I disagree with the post that said that once we understand the words that we can understand the meaning….I believe that is not the case in the least. I love this song because it is an improv on eddie’s part…it is stream of consciousness, in my opinion. This song is the ONLY pearl jam song that eddies words don’t have a substantial meaning…it is a song where his voice and emotions become an instrument….this song’s meaning is buried in it’s feeling….and to explain that meaning I will have to share what this song has done for me.

While I was ripped to shreds emotionally I was taken to a doctor who put me on antidepressants. I was all in favor of it, but I was skeptical about whether they would work because I felt that it was life that was bringing me down and not a chemical imbalance. I tuned out to be partially right. It was not purely chemical, but the antidepressant did help out a bit….but after a while it seemed to make not such a difference.

During this process of healing I imagined all sorts of ways to end my life. I tried to plan some out…I would go up and down…I would want to end it all one minute, and the next I would just start crying and realize that there were people that cared for me. I guess I was afraid to end my life because I didn’t want to crush them….

Anyway, I stayed on the pills, I talked to friends, and I tried to work out my problems logically. None of that really got the results that I wanted….I was still a wreck……..a wreck until I started turning to a different source for my healing….pearl jam. I have always been a pearl jam fanatic, but I started turning off the lights or sitting in my car and just listening to the powerful sound of pearl jam whenever I was down. A lot of songs touched me, but none like yellow ledbetter. Black and SOLAT really described my situation, but yellow ledbetter just sent a powerful message through me. When I would listen to it, I would feel an emotional calm come on me….almost as if it were the hand of a loved on on my chest….I could actually feel a sense of calm spread slowly through my body…

It was not long before I started using yellow ledbetter as my primary source of healing. I must have listened to this song 100s of times over a period of a month or two. It did things for me that I didn’t think possible…it made my mural of life much more clear. It helped me see what I had, and it helped me get over what I lost….and even nights where I would roll around all night sleepless all I would have to do is pop it into my stereo and by the harmonics at the end I was passed out like a child…. I eventually just threw my mediation away because yellow ledbetter was doing a better job at keeping me level than any pill could ever do…

If it were not for pearl jam I am fairly confident that I would not be here…and if it weren’t for yellow ledbtter I do not know what state I might be in today.

So like I said, I think that it’s meaning is in its sound…. its emotions….…I see it as a slow moving roller coaster of emotions…sometimes up…sometimes energetic…sometimes calm…and sometimes slow…but in the end it lulls the listener into a feeling of great comfort….

Thank you pearl jam…especially mike and ed for putting together this masterpiece….it has been more helpful than you will ever know…

JDE-PJ
8/23/99 5:48 PM
Very nicely told El Con

that story is what music is about not what even the artist meant the song to be about,but what we the listeners take out of the song and use for whatever purpose that fits us.
glad you are doing better and started this whole thing to begin with.

I know someday you will have a beautiful life
Jason

Yield
8/23/99 6:27 PM
Re: YELLOW LEDBETTER!!!!!!!

The Power Of Music Is Much More Powerful Than We Will Ever Be Able To Explain!

evenkat
8/23/99 6:47 PM
Re: Thanks El.

I'm so glad you made it though and you're here with us now. Thanks for sharing, I'm sure that was very difficult. That was one of the most inspiring posts I have ever read. Yellow Ledbetter is definitely one of the greatest songs ever.

Escape is never the safest place.

"You know what it's like" EV

brokenarrow
8/23/99 9:27 PM
For El....

......I'm speechless.
.......You are amazing, I felt like I was falling into an abyss reading about what you went through. It's amazing how far we can fall sometimes, isn't it?
This song has always been the same to me also...I've found the words not so important, but the feeling, the energy, the emotion and the calm so intense.
I can see how a song like this could help you through such a hard time...
I'm so happy that you're healthy again....and you sound as though you're a wonderful person. Perhaps BECAUSE of what you went through...look at it as knowledge and education, that's how I've dealt with some of the MAJOR problems I've encountered in my life....Humor is one of the ways I've always dealt....
or quiet reflection......
........Thank You El........Thanks for Everything in the past, and everything yet to come!.....brokenarrow>

JDE-PJ · September 2003

RrVwMirror
8/23/99 9:33 PM
WOW!......

what a story ElConquistador....it leaves me speechless!

JamFan
8/23/99 9:43 PM
Re: WOW!......

Really powerful story. I think that the music is a lot more powerful than the words here. I could just listen to it all day. It just puts everyone who listens to it in a certain groove. That is why this is one of the most powerful and well known PJ songs. Nothin but praise for this one.

I don't want to take what you can give. I would rather starve that eat your bread.-EV

wicca
8/24/99 00:08 AM
Re: WOW!......

I was really looking forward to hearing what everyone had to say about this one. I absolutely love this song but I could never figure out what Eddie was talking about so I just listened to the beautiful music. You guys are so amazing, the interpretations, the stories. You just never know what one song can do for a person. I will never hear this one the same way again! Thanks. (And still...Mike owns this song!)

JDE-PJ
8/24/99 00:14 AM
Mikey owns all the songs

Is there a song that he does not own, I do not think so!

share
8/24/99 6:11 PM
Re: YELLOW LEDBETTER!!!!!!!

hey - better late than ledbetter (nyuk nyuk)
i've seen a few versions of the lyrics on this one - and i always figured
they changed each time it was played

i also thought that it was some tribute to huddie ledbetter (the 12 string player)
if you've ever heard any of his music - you'd know that you CAN'T UNDERSTAND A
WORD HE'S SAYING

so i thought maybe ed was playing huddie

(but you know i've been known not to think some times)

RrVwMirror
9/2/99 12:37 PM
Re: YELLOW LEDBETTER!!!!!!!

bringing this to the top for 'villager'....in response to his post

It's funny when things change so much, it's all state of mind...

prljmfn
9/2/99 11:30 PM
Re: YELLOW LEDBETTER!!!!!!!

PJMOM-thank you so much for sharing that boxer or bag line, i am such a pea-brain, the only thing i could ever think about was a boxer(dog), and a bag like you would get at the grocery store or wal-mart...lol....thank you so much for putting a little light on the subject!

PJMom
9/3/99 5:07 PM
Re: YELLOW LEDBETTER!!!!!!!

Glad I could shed some light. And as far as not understanding things is concerned, I won't even go into how many times I have misheard or misunderstood PJ lyrics. Duuuuhhhh. 4 or 5 versions of a pelican...Bye bye now.

JDE-PJ
9/6/99 03:07 AM
this is for

WWYWTHM, NICE NAME WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

I know someday you will have a beautiful life

Jason

I let my music take me where my heart wants to go....
~C.S.

vitolochica
1/12/01 8:21 PM
Re: SOTD: ....YELLOW LEDBETTER

Wow, I was just reading all of these and the memories are coming back...thanks for reposting these RrVw, the memories have started to flood back.

Learn to love me assemble the ways. Now, today, tomorrow, and always....

quicksand
1/12/01 8:40 PM
Re: SOTD: ....YELLOW LEDBETTER

ALL THE YELLOW!!!

chewbacca rules
3/9/01 8:16 PM
Re: SOTD: ....YELLOW LEDBETTER

I could have sworn it was " idon't know whether it was the box or the bag I ye ye can you see them..."

"I'ld rather be. i'ld rather be with. I'ld rather be with an animal"

krzzzymary
3/9/01 9:53 PM
Re: SOTD: ....YELLOW LEDBETTER

Thank you so much for posting these.... that was one of the best one's I have read.

I thought I was alone in not knowing exactly what this song was about.... I agree that just Ed's voice and just the music in general is just one their best songs....
And thanks you guys for making me think about the boxer or the bag thing..... never looked at that way before...hmmmm....

SmallTown · September 2003

I'm surprised to see nobody has come up with this so far, but just think about it for a while. I didn't come to this until the last show I seen in Alpine Valley, WI. And although I realize Eddie's lyrics vary from one version to the next...his version at Alpine went like this...

Unsealed, on a wayside a letter said,
I don't have to ever feel this way again.
On the Eastside, on a frontside a letter said,
I don't wanna go, if I could go here I wouldn't my freind.
On a wayside, I'd like to wish it all away.
And I tried, and I dreamed that he's still alive,
But then I have to wake again.
And the memories the day that letter in my hand
Said...CD's comin' home in a box or the bag.
(at least it sounds like CD, might be Sidney)

That version definately makes me think of it definately being a casket (box) or a body bag (bag).
The chorus remains the same, and continues like this;

Unsealed, I'd like to wish it all away
And I dream of him, I could dream of this
Alot of things I could never forget
And the letter, I can still see it in my hands
It said, he's comin' home in a box or the bag.

This all made me think of this being war related. As if the letter, was a note sent home to a family stating some family member had just passed serving his/her country. Anyone else ever get this feeling?

i forget · September 2003

The Missoula version of Yellow Ledbetter
speaks volumes, Emphasizes this band's creativity and
ability to improvise frequently and
with such skill and ease, it's astounding.
A heart-string tugging song, no matter
what the lyrics may be. Pearl Jam rules!!

VedderGirl27 · September 2003

I,lke most people,don't understand a lot of the words to this song.But it's one of my favorites.The first time I heard it back in the early 90's,I was in a very dark,hopeless state of mind,and this song just fit.It has a sadness about it,but also a feeling of hope,of starting things over.For me anyway.I've recently joined TenClub and I'm beyond thrilled to see there's others who are as touched by this song,hell,by all of their songs as I am. VedderGirl27

Echoes · September 2003

Best sng to hear at the end of a show. period
to stand there and listen to the last few harmonics ring out over a stunned crowd.......I'm sure you all know the feeling

BhagavadGita · September 2003

is the guy sees this girl he really likes but this other fella is in there and he is afraid to wave.

he has a letter. she is waiting. the mailbox is at the archway, near the rose bushes.

i will leave the door open so you know there is nithing inside to be afraid of and the letter will be ok as long as you don't wake the d amsel a next n door.

and her dog

everyone snores really bad here.

thats my interiptation andy wayws

BhagavadGita · September 2003

no biggie little dbi

little DEBBIE SNACK CAKE

lets EAT em on THE PORCH

BE CAREFUL

DONT FALL

stupid

BhagavadGita · September 2003

Originally posted by BhagavadGita
no biggie little dbi

little DEBBIE SNACK CAKE

lets EAT em on THE PORCH

BE CAREFUL

DONT FALL

stupid

Song of the day(Yellow Ledbetter)

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