MYM and other PJ songs with religious commentary

Bonesmagoo

There seems to be a lot of contention over the religious implications of Mind Your Manners, but if you consider some other songs by PJ I think Ed's, and presumably the rest of the band's, contempt for religion is clear. Consider Garden and Faithfull.

Garden seems to be about facing death without buying into the consolation provided by faith in a religion that promises an afterlife. "Garden of stone" is a cemetery.

The narrator has lost his faith.

"The direction of the eye
So misleading
The defection of the soul
Nauseously quick"

He doesn't care about questions of existence. He is concerned with the present .
"I don't question our existence
I just question our modern need"

He has come to terms with the finality death, and though he accepts it he will strive to get all he can out of this life until that day inevitably comes

"I will walk...with my hands bound
I will walk...with my face blood
I will walk...with my shadow flag
Into your garden
Garden of stone"

He emphasizes once again that "after all is done we're still alone." (MYM has a similar lyric, "This world's so lonely that it all makes me want to cry")

"After all is done
and we're still alone
I won't be taken
Yet I'll go"

He keeps his lack of faith to himself and would appreciate if you kept your faith to yourself. (MYM seems to be about being so fed up that he decides to express his feelings. "I feel I don’t believe and now the truth is coming out")

"I don't show
I don't share
I don't need what you have to give"

Lastly he explains that he doesn't know and he doesn't care. He can live without that consolation. (MYM has a similar lyric "may not live another live, may not solve our mystery")

"I don't know
I don't care
I don't need you for me to live"

I think the outro verse for Faithfull is even more compelling:

M.Y.T.H is belief in the game
Controls that keep us in a box of fear
We never listen. Voice inside so drowned out.
Drowned, you are, you are, you are everything
And everything is you
Me you, you me, it's all related
What's a boy to do?
Just be darling and I will be too
Faithful to you

donnalee

He keeps his lack of faith to himself and would appreciate if you kept your faith to yourself.

My feelings exactly.

Rival178

donnalee wrote:

He keeps his lack of faith to himself and would appreciate if you kept your faith to yourself.

My feelings exactly.

He does? I don't believe he does at all.

Malroth

I can sure understand their doubt and contempt of religion.

I believe that most people who say they are religious are asses.

When you get down to it Pearl Jam has more in common with religion than you might think.

"love your neighbor as yourself, this is the greatest commandment of them all"- Jesus

Love is a theme throughout pearl jam's songs.

Unconditional love for each other is all we need.

That includes assholes

tempo_n_groove

I always thought Given To Fly was religious.

Glorified G is tongue and cheek as well as Evolution.

I've Got A Feeling talks about seeing Andy in the afterlife.

Just a few off the top of my head.

slightofjeff

This is quite possibly the most-used theme in the Pearl Jam canon. Faithfull is the most obvious example. Marker in the Sand is another. And now Mind Your Manners.

All of them plow the same field, with various levels of intensity: "How's about instead of worrying so much about the afterlife and the great beyond, we instead focus on not being total assholes to one another in the here and now."

Just be, darling, and I will be too -- faithful to you.