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thumbing my way

I fucking love this song......

Its my favourite song of the moment. i had it on repeat and am trying to figure out its meaning.

So I assume its about losing a loved one? whether they have died or a relationship has ended. the person is living in the past holding on to memories etc


No matter how cold the winter, there's a springtime ahead..... could me this person is doing it tough but there's good times ahead or hope for the future


I let go of a rope,... thinking that's what held me back
And in time I've realized,... it's now wrapped around my neck
I can't see what's next,... from this lonely overpass
Hang my head and count my steps, as another car goes past.....this could refer to a relationship and feeling stuck?
and not knowing what the future holds and missing out on opportunities


All the rusted sign we ignore throughout our lives
Choosing the shiny ones instead.... talking about our choices in life perhaps taking the easy option when the "rusted sign" might be a hidden gem or the better option
and
thumbing my way back to heaven ..... i feel is about putting your hand out and asking for guidance in the journey of life.

sorry im starting to ramble now but i feel its about relationships and losing someone in this life journey. Its definitely a song full of metaphors and possibly one of Eddie's best pieces of work and at the end of the day i guess theres no right or wrong answer here. thats the beauty of music being able to have our own interpertation ... but im interested in hearing other peoples meanings here...
also heres a clip of the song. sorry im not normally this deep or meaningful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDSStJ9I754
Post edited by Unknown User on

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    tcadd94tcadd94 North Jersey Posts: 611
    Oh, man. This song got me through some tough times!
    I've been fortunate enough to see Pearl Jam live.

    I am hanging in the balance of a perfect finished plan
    Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand.
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    chauncechaunce wilkes-barre, pa Posts: 54
    u very well could be right. i always figured its about redemption. putting the past behind u & getting back on track. my theory is in step w/ yours...just more vague.
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    Versus13Versus13 Vancouver, BC Posts: 192
    I love this song! "No matter how cold the winter, there's a spring time ahead" one of my favourites from Riot Act. I like the Chop Suey Seattle version
    Pittsburgh, PA 10/11/13
    Detroit, MI 10/16/14
    Tampa, FL 4/11/16
    Jacksonville, FL 4/13/16
    Toronto, ON 5/12/16
    Chicago, IL 8/22/16
    Chicago, IL 8/18/18
    Chicago, IL 8/20/18
    Boston, MA 9/4/18
    Ottawa, ON 9/3/22
    Hamilton, ON 9/6/22
    Toronto, ON 9/8/22
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    Versus13Versus13 Vancouver, BC Posts: 192
    chaunce wrote:
    u very well could be right. i always figured its about redemption. putting the past behind u & getting back on track. my theory is in step w/ yours...just more vague.
    Cool interpretation of redemption! I never thought of it that way
    Pittsburgh, PA 10/11/13
    Detroit, MI 10/16/14
    Tampa, FL 4/11/16
    Jacksonville, FL 4/13/16
    Toronto, ON 5/12/16
    Chicago, IL 8/22/16
    Chicago, IL 8/18/18
    Chicago, IL 8/20/18
    Boston, MA 9/4/18
    Ottawa, ON 9/3/22
    Hamilton, ON 9/6/22
    Toronto, ON 9/8/22
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    To me the rusted signs are like common wisdom that doesn't really seem overly appealing. The shinny ones are faster more fun, but in the end less fullfilling.

    I do see the relationship view you place on it, but later on I feel that it's more a longing for a feeling a place in time that the caracter has been in the past, which could stil be that relationship. Due to the mataphors it is easy to make it broader.

    He never really gets the feeling he had back then. He smiles, but it doesn't seem heart felt.
    The ride he gets every once in a while could be the friends or encounters with people he has a moment with who take him back to the place for a while.

    The rope he lets go that is now wrapped around his neck could be that he is now constandly longing for that what was.
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    EmmEmm Posts: 196
    Love the song ... your interpretation sounds to me to be on the money in the littoral sense ...

    For me though .. the magic of PJ is the open endedness of the lyrics and being able to apply them to the now ... songs for me have evolved over the years ... they meant one thing as a 13 - 19 yo ... and they resin-ate today in a very different way.

    Whats more important? what Ed was feeling when he wrote a lyric ... or what the innate meaning is to the listener???

    Just beautiful words strung together that are open to an individuals interpretations ....

    Its the connection ......
    Breath, breathe, engulfing .... Consuming, so beautiful ... Life ...
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