"The End" meaning

CJMST3K

What is your interpretation of The End? It seems to me about a man's life, to his death, pretty straight forward but on The Porch there was discussion about being something else. This is the way I hear it...



What were all those dreams we shared those many years ago,
What were all those plans we made, now left beside the road.
Behind us in the road.

(young couple making plans for many things, some of which didn't happen)


More than friends, I always pledge, ‘cuz friends they come and go,
People change as does everything, I wanted to grow old,
I just want to grow old.

("more than friends" = lovers/husband-wife; I just want to grow old = looking forward to growing old with her)


Slide on next to me, I’m just a human being,
I will take the blame, but just the same, this is not me, you see, believe,
I’m better than this – don’t leave me so close,

(he made a mistake, or they're going thru tough times, and is feeling vulnerable. "slide on next to me, I'm just a human being" = I know I made a mistake, but please be with me; "don't leave me so close" = though you're sitting with me, don't be so emotionally distant)


I’m buried beneath the stones,
I just want to hold on and know I’m worth your love,
and I, don’t think, there’s such a thing.

(he's overwhelmed by his position from his potential aforementioned mistake in the relationship, and he just wants to be loved, and know he's worth her love, though he doesn't believe he could ever attain "true" worth of her love)


It’s my fault now, I've been caught, a sickness in my bones.
How do you think it is to leave you here with the kids on your own,
Just don’t let me go.

("It's my fault now, i've been caught, a sickness in my bones" = I screwed up, and this illness is karma coming back around)


Help me see myself,
‘Cuz I can no longer tell,

(the sickness is getting worse, and he can no longer recognize himself)



Looking up from inside of the bottom of a well, it’s Hell,

(perhaps he's now medicated heavily or in a coma, and he's deep in a "well")



I yell, but no one hears before, I disappear, whisper in my ear.
Give me something to echo in my unknown future,
you see, my dear, the end, comes near, I’m here, but not much longer.

(he's scared and he's "yelling" inside, but since he's heavily medicated or in a coma or whatnot, no one can hear him. he's scared what death will be like, and he's about to die, and he's just hoping to have some words from her to comfort him before he disappears)


at the end of the song, in the last verse you hear a breath coming in, which is the last breath, and he dies. this song is so raw and emotional.

the simplicity and melancholy of The End seems like a complimenting song to radiohead's song Videotape. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kCKob1Y ... playnext=1


What are your thoughts about The End?

JordyWordy

I think you've nailed it.

Particularly the bit about not feeling he is truly capable of being worth her love, it's vulnerable.

This is really growing on me, one of Ed's best lyrics imo.

Jammer4Pearl

Bumped into your post while googling for it. Yeah, you got it pretty right. It's also very personal. Saw the song this year in Portugal and what Ed says before the song, it pretty describes it, also feel that in Black improv and other songs which are like pieces completing the mosaic during the whole concert. This is what Pearl Jam makes the best band in the world (one of) - They are real.

Here are the links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAq8CCcLTDM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UInHz1LqluY

mysticweed

i got a real chill in berlin
at the end of the end
i'm here

but not much longer was stressed

it scared me a little

unlost dogs

CJMST3K wrote:

Slide on next to me, I’m just a human being,
I will take the blame, but just the same, this is not me, you see, believe,
I’m better than this – don’t leave me so close,

It’s my fault now, I've been caught, a sickness in my bones.
How do you think it is to leave you here with the kids on your own,
Just don’t let me go.

What are your thoughts about The End?

I think you pretty much captured it here, but in reading your interpretation, something struck me _ the part about "I will take the blame... I've been caught" and I wondered about AIDS. At first I thought "sickness in my bones" was a bone cancer, leukemia or something like that. But I couldn't make sense out of the "it's my fault, I've been caught" lyric. Then I thought, if someone was in a loving relationship, slipped up and cheated, was infected with AIDS, what a tragedy all the way around.

Then I went back and reread the lyrics thinking of that. It sort of works.

TAC

I think it's a very straight forward song. I believe the husband feels guilty about leaving behind his family. "I've been caught, a sickness in my bones" just refers to the sickness he has. Not necessarily aids. Not karma just his guilt for becoming sick and leaving behind a family.

He is afraid and wants to know his loved ones are near as he dies. He wants to hear from his wife that everything is ok. He wants to hear it's OK as he slips away.

Natascha35

he has told about this song, he actually wrote this for a dying relative, he explained to ed how it felt leaving his wife and family behind and Ed took those words and made this beautiful song of it
I dont remember exactly what relative, it was an uncle or something