During shows Ed will say what a song is about...

Backstop-440

is there anywhere that these little snippets are collected?

If I have all the money and time in the world I would get all the bootlegs and transcribe them. I bet with the large number of songs they play he's said something about every last song.

Like in Cleveland, he said something about Army Reserve being not about the actual dude in the reserves, but the people left at home wondering.

phungi

let's start a collection...

from Vedder solo in Newark NJ, answering the question "what are the words to Yellow Ledbetter"

wait, this is a little, kinda an intense moment here right now... let me gather my... after all this time, are you telling me there are words to that song? this is new information, I am trying to accept it...
you know, I guess it's... uh, I can't remember how it goes... it's... where's Mike McCready when you need him? you know, uh, "they don't wave," something about "they don't wave," "I see them on the front porch, but they don't wave"...

so, what it was about.. this was written during the Gulf war... this is papa Bush, and uh, it was about a guy who's brother went to fight in the first Gulf war, and he was kinda an alternative looking guy, like we were with our shorts and tights and long hair, whatever we had going on... but you know, activists and artists and good young people of Seattle, and smart people, weren’t all drug addicts, you know… and so it is a story about his brother being killed over there and then he gets a yellow letter in the mail, saying “your brother was killed”... and so he tries to take a walk, he's walking this off, in this little suburban neighborhood, and his mind is racing and he doesn't know what to do, and he feels like he can't take a step without falling into a deep abyss... so he's walking and walking and walking, and he sees a couple on a porch with an American flag, and he waves to them, like “you know, my brother”... and then the people look at him like "you f*cking scumbag” you know what I mean… “who are you” like they don’t know, they don’t know the inside, they’re judging him by his cover… and um, so, um, that’s what the thought was

mcameronrocks

phungi wrote:

let's start a collection...

from Vedder solo in Newark NJ, answering the question "what are the words to Yellow Ledbetter"

wait, this is a little, kinda an intense moment here right now... let me gather my... after all this time, are you telling me there are words to that song? this is new information, I am trying to accept it...
you know, I guess it's... uh, I can't remember how it goes... it's... where's Mike McCready when you need him? you know, uh, "they don't wave," something about "they don't wave," "I see them on the front porch, but they don't wave"...

so, what it was about.. this was written during the Gulf war... this is papa Bush, and uh, it was about a guy who's brother went to fight in the first Gulf war, and he was kinda an alternative looking guy, like we were with our shorts and tights and long hair, whatever we had going on... but you know, activists and artists and good young people of Seattle, and smart people, weren’t all drug addicts, you know… and so it is a story about his brother being killed over there and then he gets a yellow letter in the mail, saying “your brother was killed”... and so he tries to take a walk, he's walking this off, in this little suburban neighborhood, and his mind is racing and he doesn't know what to do, and he feels like he can't take a step without falling into a deep abyss... so he's walking and walking and walking, and he sees a couple on a porch with an American flag, and he waves to them, like “you know, my brother”... and then the people look at him like "you f*cking scumbag” you know what I mean… “who are you” like they don’t know, they don’t know the inside, they’re judging him by his cover… and um, so, um, that’s what the thought was

Wow! That is awesome. I knew it had something to do with someone coming back in a "box or a bag" from war, but over the years it has become so muddied during the shows that I didn't realize just how heavy the lyrics are. Thanks for posting.

morello

Don't know I want to admit this in public but... I've got a spreadsheet of all PJ songs with columns for who wrote the lyrics, the music & what the song's about. Their songs have such great meanings, they have meanings ffs & I love knowing what they are, understanding where the guys are/were coming from.

Straitline

morello wrote:

Don't know I want to admit this in public but... I've got a spreadsheet of all PJ songs with columns for who wrote the lyrics, the music & what the song's about. Their songs have such great meanings, they have meanings ffs & I love knowing what they are, understanding where the guys are/were coming from.

That's actually pretty cool ! :thumbup:
And this is a great thread! I think it's very interesting to hear what the songs are about!

Straitline

Ed explained what "Sleight of Hand" meant at the Cleveland show in May. Here's what he said:

"We played this once so we could play it tonight and I was kind of hearing the lyrics for the first time in awhile and I realized it's kind of about a guy that has one of those jobs where you go to work & you have to kinda put yourself away or leave your real self in the car before you punch the clock or take your dreams & put them in your pocket & don't let anyone see them cause they might seem laughable or something. I mean, these days it's nice to have a job at all, but if you can get one where you can be yourself, that's a pretty great job & we want to thank you for giving that job to us. But it wasn't always this good. This song is called Sleight of Hand...."

Backstop-440

Straitline wrote:

morello wrote:

Don't know I want to admit this in public but... I've got a spreadsheet of all PJ songs with columns for who wrote the lyrics, the music & what the song's about. Their songs have such great meanings, they have meanings ffs & I love knowing what they are, understanding where the guys are/were coming from.

That's actually pretty cool ! :thumbup:
And this is a great thread! I think it's very interesting to hear what the songs are about!

yeah, that is cool. I made a spreadsheet of all the songs played on the US leg of this tour so I could see what song was played the most or least and so on.

When I got my Cleveland boot I thought, it would be neat if everyone could transcribe the talking parts and we'd know a lot of things.

Straitline

I'd help you out on more, but the Cleveland boot is the only one I have :(

PatrickBateman

Not for You was explained in Hartford 1996

skippybrew

phungi wrote:

let's start a collection...

from Vedder solo in Newark NJ, answering the question "what are the words to Yellow Ledbetter"

wait, this is a little, kinda an intense moment here right now... let me gather my... after all this time, are you telling me there are words to that song? this is new information, I am trying to accept it...
you know, I guess it's... uh, I can't remember how it goes... it's... where's Mike McCready when you need him? you know, uh, "they don't wave," something about "they don't wave," "I see them on the front porch, but they don't wave"...

so, what it was about.. this was written during the Gulf war... this is papa Bush, and uh, it was about a guy who's brother went to fight in the first Gulf war, and he was kinda an alternative looking guy, like we were with our shorts and tights and long hair, whatever we had going on... but you know, activists and artists and good young people of Seattle, and smart people, weren’t all drug addicts, you know… and so it is a story about his brother being killed over there and then he gets a yellow letter in the mail, saying “your brother was killed”... and so he tries to take a walk, he's walking this off, in this little suburban neighborhood, and his mind is racing and he doesn't know what to do, and he feels like he can't take a step without falling into a deep abyss... so he's walking and walking and walking, and he sees a couple on a porch with an American flag, and he waves to them, like “you know, my brother”... and then the people look at him like "you f*cking scumbag” you know what I mean… “who are you” like they don’t know, they don’t know the inside, they’re judging him by his cover… and um, so, um, that’s what the thought was

Is this real? Straight from Ed himself? Last I heard, from the Lost Dogs liner notes, Mike said: "A riff loosely based on... something I had during the Ten sessions. I thought it was pretty. Eddie started making up words on the spot and we kept them. I still don't know what it's about and I don't want to! I love it! Fans like it too!"

I have to say, if he has finally come out and said specifically what it's about... that's a little bit of a bummer for me. I tend to agree with Mike. I always kinda hoped it was just a transcendent moment in the studio and he started singing in tongues.

phungi

skippybrew wrote:

phungi wrote:

let's start a collection...

from Vedder solo in Newark NJ, answering the question "what are the words to Yellow Ledbetter"

wait, this is a little, kinda an intense moment here right now... let me gather my... after all this time, are you telling me there are words to that song? this is new information, I am trying to accept it...
you know, I guess it's... uh, I can't remember how it goes... it's... where's Mike McCready when you need him? you know, uh, "they don't wave," something about "they don't wave," "I see them on the front porch, but they don't wave"...

so, what it was about.. this was written during the Gulf war... this is papa Bush, and uh, it was about a guy who's brother went to fight in the first Gulf war, and he was kinda an alternative looking guy, like we were with our shorts and tights and long hair, whatever we had going on... but you know, activists and artists and good young people of Seattle, and smart people, weren’t all drug addicts, you know… and so it is a story about his brother being killed over there and then he gets a yellow letter in the mail, saying “your brother was killed”... and so he tries to take a walk, he's walking this off, in this little suburban neighborhood, and his mind is racing and he doesn't know what to do, and he feels like he can't take a step without falling into a deep abyss... so he's walking and walking and walking, and he sees a couple on a porch with an American flag, and he waves to them, like “you know, my brother”... and then the people look at him like "you f*cking scumbag” you know what I mean… “who are you” like they don’t know, they don’t know the inside, they’re judging him by his cover… and um, so, um, that’s what the thought was

Is this real? Straight from Ed himself? Last I heard, from the Lost Dogs liner notes, Mike said: "A riff loosely based on... something I had during the Ten sessions. I thought it was pretty. Eddie started making up words on the spot and we kept them. I still don't know what it's about and I don't want to! I love it! Fans like it too!"

I have to say, if he has finally come out and said specifically what it's about... that's a little bit of a bummer for me. I tend to agree with Mike. I always kinda hoped it was just a transcendent moment in the studio and he started singing in tongues.

transcribed word-for-word, straight from Ed...

stefrompa

@ Morello:

That's awesome! I love Pearl Jam and know I think all their songs but sometimes I think: I don't even know what most of them are about.

Could you send it? Would be sweet.

Stef PJ fan from Holland!

drummer1

skippybrew wrote:

phungi wrote:

let's start a collection...

from Vedder solo in Newark NJ, answering the question "what are the words to Yellow Ledbetter"

wait, this is a little, kinda an intense moment here right now... let me gather my... after all this time, are you telling me there are words to that song? this is new information, I am trying to accept it...
you know, I guess it's... uh, I can't remember how it goes... it's... where's Mike McCready when you need him? you know, uh, "they don't wave," something about "they don't wave," "I see them on the front porch, but they don't wave"...

so, what it was about.. this was written during the Gulf war... this is papa Bush, and uh, it was about a guy who's brother went to fight in the first Gulf war, and he was kinda an alternative looking guy, like we were with our shorts and tights and long hair, whatever we had going on... but you know, activists and artists and good young people of Seattle, and smart people, weren’t all drug addicts, you know… and so it is a story about his brother being killed over there and then he gets a yellow letter in the mail, saying “your brother was killed”... and so he tries to take a walk, he's walking this off, in this little suburban neighborhood, and his mind is racing and he doesn't know what to do, and he feels like he can't take a step without falling into a deep abyss... so he's walking and walking and walking, and he sees a couple on a porch with an American flag, and he waves to them, like “you know, my brother”... and then the people look at him like "you f*cking scumbag” you know what I mean… “who are you” like they don’t know, they don’t know the inside, they’re judging him by his cover… and um, so, um, that’s what the thought was

Is this real? Straight from Ed himself? Last I heard, from the Lost Dogs liner notes, Mike said: "A riff loosely based on... something I had during the Ten sessions. I thought it was pretty. Eddie started making up words on the spot and we kept them. I still don't know what it's about and I don't want to! I love it! Fans like it too!"

I have to say, if he has finally come out and said specifically what it's about... that's a little bit of a bummer for me. I tend to agree with Mike. I always kinda hoped it was just a transcendent moment in the studio and he started singing in tongues.

I have heard that Ed makes stories up sometimes, each one unique, each telling a different story. That would be just like him. From what I know, there are no written lyrics, but the generals remain the same frm show to show. But besides that, he makes up as he goes. pretty cool, eh?