I feel stupid, What is Sirens About?

slightofjeff

fortyshades wrote:

slightofjeff wrote:

What's interesting to me, according to the song, is that love can affect that fear in conflicting ways.

At first, love makes you MORE fearful. Before love, our narrator ("Ed") didn't feel like he had that much to lose. Death was not as scary. "I danced in laughter with the everafter" (MY GAWD, what an awesome line, by the way).

But by the end of the song, love is the thing that chases the fear away. "I study your face, and the fear goes away."

Well, that is the complexity of adult love, though, isn't it? Especially, if you have children. The more you love, the more intense the sense of mortality gets. But it is this same love that equates the fear.

Yes, exactly. Love simultaneously keeps us safe (to borrow a line from Force of Nature) but it also makes us feel more endangered.

dimitrispearljam

slightofjeff wrote:

fortyshades wrote:

slightofjeff wrote:

What's interesting to me, according to the song, is that love can affect that fear in conflicting ways.

At first, love makes you MORE fearful. Before love, our narrator ("Ed") didn't feel like he had that much to lose. Death was not as scary. "I danced in laughter with the everafter" (MY GAWD, what an awesome line, by the way).

But by the end of the song, love is the thing that chases the fear away. "I study your face, and the fear goes away."

Well, that is the complexity of adult love, though, isn't it? Especially, if you have children. The more you love, the more intense the sense of mortality gets. But it is this same love that equates the fear.

Yes, exactly. Love simultaneously keeps us safe (to borrow a line from Force of Nature) but it also makes us feel more endangered.

you two need to keep going the conversation..i love it!! :thumbup:

fortyshades

slightofjeff wrote:

fortyshades wrote:

Well, that is the complexity of adult love, though, isn't it? Especially, if you have children. The more you love, the more intense the sense of mortality gets. But it is this same love that equates the fear.

Yes, exactly. Love simultaneously keeps us safe (to borrow a line from Force of Nature) but it also makes us feel more endangered.

True. That is why, in my opinion at least, that love appeals to two of our primordial fears: fear of abondement and fear of commitment (which is in essence also a fear of abondement). I would even go as far as to say, that to tackle these fears, is partly what growing up, and having a solid relationship is all about.

But maybe I get a bit to psychological and philosophical now. But what is interesting about this song, is that it addresses both these issues.

teskeinc

Heres my take for what its worth...

Sirens = warnings
Circus = Eds life/craziness of it all
more and more in this here town = warnings from home, about doing crazy things

Taking a minute to "reach across the bed" grateful for the positive changes brought to his life, wife, kids etc and being safe at this moment, but the fearing he could lose it someday. Before marriage, he did a lot of crazy/risky things that could have put his life at risk (stage diving, swinging from lights, surfing, nearly dying) and he laughed at the thought of being killed. But now he has everything to lose. All things change, but hes now content so let this remain.

The choices and risks were not planned just living the life he always has and not made to drive her away or to another man by way of frustration or death. But to know that if something ever does happen he always loved her, and by studying her face he has no fear of the end.

... something like that, I could be way off base

CreedDisease

I haven't studied the song much at all yet.... But, before it came out I was wondering if there was a Kurt Vonnegut reference as in the sirens of Titan.... I read this book after Ed gave me a copy of a man without a country... The richest guy on the planet traveled the universe searching for the meaning of life... The meaning of life was “A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved.”
― Kurt Vonnegut, The Sirens of Titan
It's been a while since I read it, but just a thought...

sparky_fry

Some good views and discussions here. It just proves the depth of the song and hopefully the whole album

dimitrispearljam

sparky_fry wrote:

Some good views and discussions here. It just proves the depth of the song and hopefully the whole album

yes!

evsgjamm

jbalicki10 wrote:

I understand it is a love song, but what the heck are the sirens? (Police Sirens? Tornado Sirens? Greek mythology Sirens?)

Sorry just really confused...

really? I intentionally went over to the most appropriately labeled part of the forum to start this topic up yesterday. Sorry to be a crank, but why not talk about what the songs mean to you in the "Words and Music...Communication" index, which appropriately says "What do the songs mean to you? Pearl Jam's lyrics and interpretations here."

I've got 3 replies on that and I'm hijacking this thread ya bunch of bastards

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=217638

fortyshades

Before I was going off the psychological and philosophical deep end (that is always and indication that you should go to bed), I realized this morning that this theme of course has been used in Just Breathe too. But not with the urgency and symbolism of this song. JB was more straightforward; which made sense, for it was a straightforward, stripped down, get to the basics kind of ballad; this song is not. So not just the lyrics symbolise the theme, it is also symbolized in the music itself.

Ps: I truly wonder how this song intersect with the other songs on the album thematically. More and more I think that this album is about self-realization.

Spags

I think this one is clearly lyrically about mortality, but also a lot to do with his daughters. Especially the end - the fear goes away bit and the holding you high above bit. Its incredible how many times this can be listened to without it getting old, perfect radio song.

polaris_x

it is about the presumption that everything must end ... specifically relationships and life ... how do we deal with that inevitability? ... acceptance of that future without letting it cripple you ... allowing one to savour the now ...

fife

All i have to say after reading this thread is damm you i now have to listen to the song. ifs half as good as what people wrote about it than damm.

slightofjeff

fife wrote:

All i have to say after reading this thread is damm you i now have to listen to the song. ifs half as good as what people wrote about it than damm.

If you are some sort of hipster doofus who clings to rigid definitions of what kind of song is "cool" or "uncool" to enjoy, you might not like it.

If you are a normal person with like, a soul, you probably will.

slightofjeff

fortyshades wrote:

Before I was going off the psychological and philosophical deep end (that is always and indication that you should go to bed), I realized this morning that this theme of course has been used in Just Breathe too. But not with the urgency and symbolism of this song. JB was more straightforward; which made sense, for it was a straightforward, stripped down, get to the basics kind of ballad; this song is not. So not just the lyrics symbolise the theme, it is also symbolized in the music itself.

Ps: I truly wonder how this song intersect with the other songs on the album thematically. More and more I think that this album is about self-realization.

I told someone who asked yesterday that this song is like "Just Breathe on Viagra, having sex with a Journey song." I meant it as a compliment.

Jason P

Pushin Forward Back wrote:

running from police... living in the hood.

straight up interpretation, homie

love-boat-captain

Ed says one line that says it all, then the rest of the lyrics and song make total sense:

"Hear the sirens, covering distance in the night. Echoing closer, will they come for me next time"

incidental immortality

Spags wrote:

I think this one is clearly lyrically about mortality, but also a lot to do with his daughters. Especially the end - the fear goes away bit and the holding you high above bit. Its incredible how many times this can be listened to without it getting old, perfect radio song.

The obvious central themes of the song are love, protection, and inevitable mortality. It could be any relationship but when I listen to this song I hear the relationship between father and child. Having just gone through that stage in my life, your outlook totally changes when you have children. With a small child, protection is never off your mind.

"Before you were here I danced in laughter with the ever after"

As a young adult, you tend to view life with reckless abandon. You were responsible for your life and your life only.

"Its a fragile thing, this life we lead"

Once you have your own child who depends on you for EVERYTHING just to survive, the fragility of human life strikes you. Your child's mortality is a mirror for you own mortality.

"Want you to know that should I go I always loved you"

You start to think about what would happen to your child once you are gone. Will she remember that she was your entire world? Will she know that every minute that she was alive you loved her with all of your heart? That you were willing to change your life for her.

This is especially a concern with older parents who fear their children by passing away before they reach adulthood.

"I study your face, the fear goes away"

This happens to me all the time. I'm holding one of my daughters while she sleeps and we are both totally at peace. You can look down and see your features in her face and you know how special that is. You have helped create a new human and she will continue living after you're gone. Basically after my death my spirit lives on in her.

CornishMan

slightofjeff wrote:

I think the sirens are literal sirens. Emergency sirens. Blaring in the night and interrupting sleep.

When the narrator of this here song (we'll call him "Ed") hears the sirens, it leads him to reflect on the fragility of life, how everything we hold near and dear to us can be gone or wrecked or otherwise permanently altered in a heartbeat.

Every morning when we wake up, there are 1,000 ways our lives can come completely unraveled. One false move, and everything goes up in smoke. If we really dwell upon how fragile life is, it would lead to total paralysis.

It is a song, primarily, about fear and how love affects that fear.

slightofjeff wrote:

What's interesting to me, according to the song, is that love can affect that fear in conflicting ways.

At first, love makes you MORE fearful. Before love, our narrator ("Ed") didn't feel like he had that much to lose. Death was not as scary. "I danced in laughter with the everafter" (MY GAWD, what an awesome line, by the way).

But by the end of the song, love is the thing that chases the fear away. "I study your face, and the fear goes away."

Brilliantly put.... that's exactly how I interpret it as well. Got goosebumps listening to the song earlier!

Spags

Yeah Incidental Immortality, that's exactly what I was trying to say...nicely put.

shortstack

...three minutes too long