Song of the day(Eldery Woman)
JDE-PJ
Posts: 721
The tenth song off of VS, this song has been called many things, including the longest song in the Pearl Jam catalogue.
Elderly Woman
RrVwMirror
1/18/01 09:05 AM
SOTD: ....EWBTC
El Conquistador
9/13/99 11:14 AM
ELDERLY WOMAN BEHIND THE COUNTER IN A SMALL TOWN
Here is The song of The day...what deos it mean to you?
Elderly Woman Behind The Counter IN A SMALL TOWN
I seem to recognize your face
Haunting, familiar, yet I can't seem to place it
Cannot find The candle of thought to light your name
Lifetimes are catching up with me
All These changes taking place, I wish I'd seen The place
But no one's ever taken me
Hearts and thoughts They fade, fade away... (2x)
I swear I recognize your breath
Memories like fingerprints are slowly raising
Me you wouldn't recall, for I'm not my former
It's hard when you're stuck upon The shelf
I changed by not changing at all, small town predicts my fate
Perhaps that's what no one wants to see
I just want to scream...hello...
My god its been so long, never dreamed you'd return
But now here you are, and here I am
Hearts and thoughts They fade...away...
Hearts and thoughts They fade, fade away... (2x)
Hearts and thoughts They fade...away...
Hearts and thoughts They fade, fade away... (3x)
Hearts and thoughts They fade...
Lea
9/13/99 11:24 AM
Re: ELDERLY WOMAN BEHIND THE COUNTER IN A SMALL TOWN
I've always thought maybe it was about meeting someone from a past life. And The familiarness of The person is There but total recognition is not. I'm probably wrong, but that's what it has always reminded me of.
Literally it sounds like it's about seeing someone that he saw in childhood and now he's all grown and just wanting to say hello again.
Anyway...looking forward to reading oThers interpretations of it.
Peace & Love!!
Ranee
9/13/99 4:18 PM
Re: ELDERLY WOMAN BEHIND THE COUNTER IN A SMALL TOWN
I like LEA's view that it's about meeting someone in a past life.
Here's one of my takes on it:
The picture this song paints on my canvas is that of a meeting between an Elderly Woman and a young man. The song is a dialogue between The two. They gradually come to realize that They are in fact The same person.
Probably wrong.
"...I swear I recognize your breath..."
CandleOfThought
9/13/99 4:43 PM
Re: ELDERLY WOMAN BEHIND THE COUNTER IN A SMALL TOWN
This is a portrait of a wasted life, and a warning against letting it happen to you.
The realization is made through The confrontation with someone, a childhood friend maybe, who left a long ago and now returns, changed, and she is confronted with The difference between Them, for she has "changed by not changing at all", she didn't evolve while The world outside spun at its fast pace, and her old friend rode its whirl while she remained sheltered and oblivious to The change. And now, as she realizes what she lost, as she sees in her friend what she could have been, it's too late...
The title is The key to The song: she is an Elderly Woman Behind The Counter in a small town. The key part here is "Elderly" and "small town". "Elderly" tells us The choices this Woman made or failed to make are irrefutable, irreversible, for she doesn't have The time in her life to go back, restart, make amends. And "small town" is The exiguity of her world, The narrowness of her horizons, The claustrophobia of her world, which trapped her and did not let her metamorphose out of her cocoon, but laid out her path in its micro-society, with few or no choices. For she did not heed The words in "Breath", she did not "go out to see The world" and indeed it may be that all that passed between The breath and The scream is worth very little.
(And, since everyone here likes to find links between songs, just compare These two lines:
"Breath": "If I knew where it was, I would take you There"
EWBTCIAST: "I wish I'd seen The place, but no one's ever taken me")
The funny thing about this song, is that There is no revolt in it, only resignation, embodying perfectly The quiet and lost stare of The elder upon his youth. Its music is pure bittersweet melancholy, regretful yes, but with that overwhelming feeling of acceptance of one's fate. We are very far away from The world of teenage anguish in "Ten", in fact ages away. The only true emotional moment, The moment when The shell cracks, is when she screams The giant "Hello", a hello to The world she never saw, a hello to embrace it whole for one precious moment and which is in itself a goodbye, a single stare into The vast horizon before she turns her eyes again to The walls of her confinement.
*** CandleOfThought ***
"Shower The people you love with love, show Them The way you feel"
Sister Parish
9/13/99 6:21 PM
Re: ELDERLY WOMAN BEHIND THE COUNTER IN A SMALL TOWN
Am I The only one who's going to have to look "exiguity" up in The dictionary when she gets home?
I just love this song! It seems like most people have that one PJ song that touches Them The most, and "Elderly Woman . . . " is it for me.
As far as interpretation goes, I look at it as a warning to not let life pass you by from someone who has done just that and has realized it too late.
Personally, this song is a very special and emotional one for me. It's not so much The message (although that's pertinent as well), but it's The combination of The music and Ed's vocals; The way They are so sad and yet manage to soar. This song has comforted me during low times and served as inspiration to get out of bed and face life on days when I just didn't think I could take anymore. This is one of very few songs that has actually made me cry, and its beauty is undeniable.
RrVwMirror
9/13/99 9:13 PM
Re: ELDERLY WOMAN BEHIND THE COUNTER IN A SMALL TOWN
I love this song also, actually There are not many PJ songs I don't love!
I am in a hurry tonight, don't have time to read what everyone was written about this song, so I will post my interp...and read The oThers later this evening if I get a chance to get back on ....I hope I am not repeating what anyone else has already said....
I think this is a fairly simple song, nothing too deep to interpret...I believe it is about Eddie returning home to his small town, after all his fame and fortune...
I think it is in his perspective of what it is like to return home...where he feels like The same person he was before he left, yet everyone perceives him to be different...he seems to enCounter familiar faces....it slowly all comes back to him....
"I just want to scream hello...." This line expresses how elated he feels to be back....seeing old friends, old memories slowing returning....that welcome feeling of being 'home'....yet something about it is not quite The same....he is treated differently because of who he is NOW, when in actuality he is The same person he always was, yet nobody sees it that way....kinda sad actually...
Well, that's The way I see it.... if I repeated what anyone else said, I apologize...my time is very limited lately....
It's funny when things change so much, it's all state of mind...
redmosquito
9/13/99 9:37 PM
Re: ELDERLY WOMAN BEHIND THE COUNTER IN A SMALL TOWN
I think CandleOfThought grasped every essence of The song so well...really it was beautiful The way you said it...so I just want to add some personal importance.
Everytime I get really tired and I totally want to give up on everything...or everytime I'm afraid to go beyond my boundaries and take a huge risk...I always remind myself of this song...I always vow that I will do anything in my power to live my life to The fullest...I think it's The saddest thing that The Elderly Woman discovers her emptiness when it is too late...and it's even more heartbreaking to me that she has no choice but accept The small life she has lived...I will try to do anything to live as much as I can...to not have that realization when I'm old and too feeble to do anything about it.
Also, probably one of my favorite PJ lines of all time: "I changed by not changing at all, small town predicts my fate" Isn't it so unbelievably amazing how hard Eddie's lyrics can hit you when it applies to your own life. I love it! It's so sad but true that I have to just stop and let it sink in sometimes.
Last thing: I think that when CandleOfThought mentioned The similarities between Breath and this song, I think it's because Eddie really wants to live a fulfilled and beautiful life. I think it's something that he's concerned with, and I think that he has already accomplished that.
redmosquito
Elderly Woman
RrVwMirror
1/18/01 09:05 AM
SOTD: ....EWBTC
El Conquistador
9/13/99 11:14 AM
ELDERLY WOMAN BEHIND THE COUNTER IN A SMALL TOWN
Here is The song of The day...what deos it mean to you?
Elderly Woman Behind The Counter IN A SMALL TOWN
I seem to recognize your face
Haunting, familiar, yet I can't seem to place it
Cannot find The candle of thought to light your name
Lifetimes are catching up with me
All These changes taking place, I wish I'd seen The place
But no one's ever taken me
Hearts and thoughts They fade, fade away... (2x)
I swear I recognize your breath
Memories like fingerprints are slowly raising
Me you wouldn't recall, for I'm not my former
It's hard when you're stuck upon The shelf
I changed by not changing at all, small town predicts my fate
Perhaps that's what no one wants to see
I just want to scream...hello...
My god its been so long, never dreamed you'd return
But now here you are, and here I am
Hearts and thoughts They fade...away...
Hearts and thoughts They fade, fade away... (2x)
Hearts and thoughts They fade...away...
Hearts and thoughts They fade, fade away... (3x)
Hearts and thoughts They fade...
Lea
9/13/99 11:24 AM
Re: ELDERLY WOMAN BEHIND THE COUNTER IN A SMALL TOWN
I've always thought maybe it was about meeting someone from a past life. And The familiarness of The person is There but total recognition is not. I'm probably wrong, but that's what it has always reminded me of.
Literally it sounds like it's about seeing someone that he saw in childhood and now he's all grown and just wanting to say hello again.
Anyway...looking forward to reading oThers interpretations of it.
Peace & Love!!
Ranee
9/13/99 4:18 PM
Re: ELDERLY WOMAN BEHIND THE COUNTER IN A SMALL TOWN
I like LEA's view that it's about meeting someone in a past life.
Here's one of my takes on it:
The picture this song paints on my canvas is that of a meeting between an Elderly Woman and a young man. The song is a dialogue between The two. They gradually come to realize that They are in fact The same person.
Probably wrong.
"...I swear I recognize your breath..."
CandleOfThought
9/13/99 4:43 PM
Re: ELDERLY WOMAN BEHIND THE COUNTER IN A SMALL TOWN
This is a portrait of a wasted life, and a warning against letting it happen to you.
The realization is made through The confrontation with someone, a childhood friend maybe, who left a long ago and now returns, changed, and she is confronted with The difference between Them, for she has "changed by not changing at all", she didn't evolve while The world outside spun at its fast pace, and her old friend rode its whirl while she remained sheltered and oblivious to The change. And now, as she realizes what she lost, as she sees in her friend what she could have been, it's too late...
The title is The key to The song: she is an Elderly Woman Behind The Counter in a small town. The key part here is "Elderly" and "small town". "Elderly" tells us The choices this Woman made or failed to make are irrefutable, irreversible, for she doesn't have The time in her life to go back, restart, make amends. And "small town" is The exiguity of her world, The narrowness of her horizons, The claustrophobia of her world, which trapped her and did not let her metamorphose out of her cocoon, but laid out her path in its micro-society, with few or no choices. For she did not heed The words in "Breath", she did not "go out to see The world" and indeed it may be that all that passed between The breath and The scream is worth very little.
(And, since everyone here likes to find links between songs, just compare These two lines:
"Breath": "If I knew where it was, I would take you There"
EWBTCIAST: "I wish I'd seen The place, but no one's ever taken me")
The funny thing about this song, is that There is no revolt in it, only resignation, embodying perfectly The quiet and lost stare of The elder upon his youth. Its music is pure bittersweet melancholy, regretful yes, but with that overwhelming feeling of acceptance of one's fate. We are very far away from The world of teenage anguish in "Ten", in fact ages away. The only true emotional moment, The moment when The shell cracks, is when she screams The giant "Hello", a hello to The world she never saw, a hello to embrace it whole for one precious moment and which is in itself a goodbye, a single stare into The vast horizon before she turns her eyes again to The walls of her confinement.
*** CandleOfThought ***
"Shower The people you love with love, show Them The way you feel"
Sister Parish
9/13/99 6:21 PM
Re: ELDERLY WOMAN BEHIND THE COUNTER IN A SMALL TOWN
Am I The only one who's going to have to look "exiguity" up in The dictionary when she gets home?
I just love this song! It seems like most people have that one PJ song that touches Them The most, and "Elderly Woman . . . " is it for me.
As far as interpretation goes, I look at it as a warning to not let life pass you by from someone who has done just that and has realized it too late.
Personally, this song is a very special and emotional one for me. It's not so much The message (although that's pertinent as well), but it's The combination of The music and Ed's vocals; The way They are so sad and yet manage to soar. This song has comforted me during low times and served as inspiration to get out of bed and face life on days when I just didn't think I could take anymore. This is one of very few songs that has actually made me cry, and its beauty is undeniable.
RrVwMirror
9/13/99 9:13 PM
Re: ELDERLY WOMAN BEHIND THE COUNTER IN A SMALL TOWN
I love this song also, actually There are not many PJ songs I don't love!
I am in a hurry tonight, don't have time to read what everyone was written about this song, so I will post my interp...and read The oThers later this evening if I get a chance to get back on ....I hope I am not repeating what anyone else has already said....
I think this is a fairly simple song, nothing too deep to interpret...I believe it is about Eddie returning home to his small town, after all his fame and fortune...
I think it is in his perspective of what it is like to return home...where he feels like The same person he was before he left, yet everyone perceives him to be different...he seems to enCounter familiar faces....it slowly all comes back to him....
"I just want to scream hello...." This line expresses how elated he feels to be back....seeing old friends, old memories slowing returning....that welcome feeling of being 'home'....yet something about it is not quite The same....he is treated differently because of who he is NOW, when in actuality he is The same person he always was, yet nobody sees it that way....kinda sad actually...
Well, that's The way I see it.... if I repeated what anyone else said, I apologize...my time is very limited lately....
It's funny when things change so much, it's all state of mind...
redmosquito
9/13/99 9:37 PM
Re: ELDERLY WOMAN BEHIND THE COUNTER IN A SMALL TOWN
I think CandleOfThought grasped every essence of The song so well...really it was beautiful The way you said it...so I just want to add some personal importance.
Everytime I get really tired and I totally want to give up on everything...or everytime I'm afraid to go beyond my boundaries and take a huge risk...I always remind myself of this song...I always vow that I will do anything in my power to live my life to The fullest...I think it's The saddest thing that The Elderly Woman discovers her emptiness when it is too late...and it's even more heartbreaking to me that she has no choice but accept The small life she has lived...I will try to do anything to live as much as I can...to not have that realization when I'm old and too feeble to do anything about it.
Also, probably one of my favorite PJ lines of all time: "I changed by not changing at all, small town predicts my fate" Isn't it so unbelievably amazing how hard Eddie's lyrics can hit you when it applies to your own life. I love it! It's so sad but true that I have to just stop and let it sink in sometimes.
Last thing: I think that when CandleOfThought mentioned The similarities between Breath and this song, I think it's because Eddie really wants to live a fulfilled and beautiful life. I think it's something that he's concerned with, and I think that he has already accomplished that.
redmosquito
I know someday you will have a beautiful Life
Jason
Jason
Post edited by Unknown User on
0
Comments
9/14/99 02:02 AM
Re: ELDERLY WOMAN BEHIND THE COUNTER IN A SMALL TOWN
RvVwMirror I really like your interp. I went back and re-read it with that idea in mind. I never saw it that way before. Very cool, thanks.
CandleOfThought
9/14/99 04:02 AM
Re: ELDERLY WOMAN BEHIND THE COUNTER IN A SMALL TOWN
Sorry about The "exiguity" part... since English is not my native tongue, I tend to use English Counterparts of familiar Portuguese words, and sometimes that may make my writing style a bit archaic.
(Btw, "exiguity" means lack of space...)
*** CandleOfThought ***
"Shower The people you love with love, show Them The way you feel"
Sister Parish
9/14/99 2:08 PM
Re: ELDERLY WOMAN BEHIND THE COUNTER IN A SMALL TOWN
Thanks, CandleOfThought. I actually did look "exiguity" up when I got home last night! Learned a new word. Never any harm in that.
Hope you know I was only teasing, and not because There's anything wrong with your command of The English language. You seem to have a much better grasp of English usage than a lot of native speakers! No offense intended.
I let my music take me where my heart wants to go....
~C.S.
RrVwMirror
1/18/01 09:08 AM
Re: SOTD: ....EWBTC
I miss Sister Parish.... :-(
good to see wicca's name here again....I miss her too!
I let my music take me where my heart wants to go....
~C.S.
share
1/18/01 09:13 AM
Re: SOTD: ....EWBTC
me too rearview - and candleofthought - or are they here???
i love this song - i think it reflects a sadness in realizing
that you can't go back
your heart and head are there - but you can't go back
"i never knew you, you never knew me
say hello, goodbye"
RrVwMirror
1/18/01 09:15 AM
Re: SOTD: ....EWBTC
hello share!
I think candle is among us somewhere....I got a nice PM from him.....he is hoping to be here on a more regular basis soon! He did reply to one of the SOTD threads a couple days ago.....so he is here!!! :-)
have a good day!!!
I let my music take me where my heart wants to go....
~C.S.
ILUVCATS
1/18/01 09:17 AM
Re: SOTD: ....EWBTC
That is one of my favorite songs.
Mirror!
1/18/01 09:34 AM
Re: SOTD: ....EWBTC
Cool post. Keep up the good work.
I think the song is about someone who realizes she should have done something more with her life, but now realizes that she's too old. (probably wrong)
"Don't trade magic for facts"
ILUVCATS
1/18/01 09:38 AM
Re: SOTD: ....EWBTC
I never thought of it that way, but you might be right.
Mirror!
1/18/01 11:13 AM
Re: SOTD: ....EWBTC
Just putting it back on top.
Jason