Song of the day(Even Flow)
JDE-PJ
Posts: 721
The second song off of the album titled Ten, this tune is called Evenflow.
RrVwMirror
1/12/01 7:32 PM
SOTD: ...EVENFLOW
El Conquistador
8/4/99 10:27 AM
TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
EVEN FLOW
Freezin', rests his head on a pillow made of concrete, again
Oh, Feelin' maybe he'll see a little better set a days, ooh yeah
Oh, hand out, faces that he sees time again ain't that familiar, ooh yeah
Oh, dark grin, he can't help, when he's happy looks insane, oh yeah
Even flow, thoughts arrive like butterflies
Oh, he don't know, so he chases them away, yeah...ooh...
Oh, someday yet, he'll begin his life again...life again...life again...
Kneelin', looking through the paper though he doesn't know to read, ooh yeah
Oh, prayin', now to something that has never showed him anything
Oh, feelin', understands the weather of the winters on its way
Oh, ceilings, few and far between all the legal halls of shame, yeah...
Even flow, thoughts arrive like butterflies
Oh, he don't know, so he chases them away, yeah...
Someday yet, he'll begin his life again
Oh, whispering hands, gently lead, lead him away...him away, him away...
Yeah! Woo...ah yeah...fuck it up...
Even flow, thoughts arrive like butterflies
Oh, he don't know, so he chases them away...
Ooh, someday yet, he'll begin his life again, yeah
Oh, whispering hands, gently lead, lead him away...him away...him away...
Yeah! Woo...uh huh...yeah, yeah, mommy, mommy...
El Conquistador
8/4/99 10:35 AM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
let's get some interpretations going....what does the song mean to eddie, what does it mean to you, how does it make you feel, what does it remind you of....all these questions are fair game for the interpretations.....
jcborges
8/4/99 11:01 AM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
OK, here we go... if anyone noticed my simultaneous start of this thread elsewhere, please ignore it...
Even Flow is clearly the portrait of the beggar, the homeless, those excluded by the same society that walks in front of them, oblivious, those people who purposedly ignore them and make them invisible so they won't have to be touched by their misery.
Even Flow is a criticism to this indifference and urges us to look down and take notice of those people, beyond their outstreched hands that we now and then grace with some pennies to appease our guilt, and let us be touched by their scarred faces and hearts.
It is also an essay on alienation, on how far apart from the rest of humanity some people can be driven, away from our perfect idea of developped countries, so away that we prefer to deny that testimony of its failure... but I digress back to the previous point.
What I really meant in this second point is that the song wishes to convey the emptiness, the handful of nothingness that is these people's lives, who merely get by every day, not living but only surviving. The song is somewhat chaotic, like it mimics the ramblings of the people it depicts.
There is an element of hope in the song, however: the hope to start again. and the gentle whispering hands... or is there? I could never figure if it is meant to be real hope or only self-delusion... what do you think?
As I write, I come to another conclusion: most of the whole album is about exclusion and privation: from life and control in 'once', from society in 'Even Flow', from sanity in 'Why Go', from innocence in 'Alive', from love in 'Black', from family in 'Jeremy', from identity in 'Release'... of course, this is not exclusive, these elements blend in several songs, but it's all about missing something, about the pain in life, Baudelaire's "Mal de vivre"...
Returning to Even Flow... I'm never sure about how I feel listening to this song... I guess I cannot fully interiorize it, since it depicts a reality so far apart from my own, since I belong myself, most of the time, to the grey mass that speeds up to quickly leave the unconfortable sight behind... sadly or fortunately, it is one of the PJ songs that I relate less to.
<b>João da Câmara Borges</b>
"Shower the people you love with love, show them the way you feel"
El Conquistador
8/4/99 11:04 AM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
All I gotta say is that you add some of the best insight into pearl jam songs that I have ever heard....thanks a ton for sharing your time with the rest of us!!!
Quarterman
8/4/99 11:20 AM
He hit the nail on the head...
Next song please...
pearljamgirl
8/4/99 11:23 AM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
I agree that this about someone homeless but hoping for better days. This person seems very depressed. He wants to change but doesn't know how to do it. I think he's lost faith in GOD, but still prays just in case. He has ideas of what to do, but he ignores them because he's at a point of tough return to society or doesn't want to try because he's afraid of failure.
"Oh, whispering hands, gently lead, lead him away...him away, him away..." I'm not sure about this line. Does this song end with a happy ending that he indeed gets help? Or does he die or is he put in jail. I'm not sure.
I live in San Diego and I see a lot of homeless people...I imagine when Eddie lived here he watched the homeless at the beach and on the street begging for help. I've always liked this song, the music is awesome. The lyrics from Eddie are always so deep and intense about life situations. Very thought provoking.
jcborges
8/4/99 11:27 AM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
It's a pleasure... REALLY... so I have to thank YOU for thinking this up (and for flattering me!) ... obvious yet brilliant, just like Columbus' egg story.
Anyway, I would like to add a few doubts on my mind about the lyrics themselves... Eddie's diction is terribly difficult at times, and this is one of the songs I had more discussions about with Joe Danziger and his version of them. (The other two were SOLAT and Yellow Ledbetter)
My main doubt is: Does "maybe he'll see a little better SET A DAYS" make sense to you? how do you read it?
I had several other parts of the transcription to nitpick, but they don't interfere with my understanding of the song, so I'll skip it and ask the #1 question: WHAT IS EVEN FLOW? Even flow of what? Thoughts? They don't seem even, since they "arrive like butterflies"... people in the crowd?
Also, who are the whispering hands?
This song is a puzzle, and I'm glad all you people are here to help me sort it out...
<b>João da Câmara Borges</b>
"Shower the people you love with love, show them the way you feel"
El Conquistador
8/4/99 11:31 AM
Re: He hit the nail on the head...
well let's give everyone a chance...let's stick to a song a day if everyone is okay with that....
Mod x 2
8/4/99 11:31 AM
Album art...
The album art offers a lot to help the interpretations...
Love,
Kat
> WHAT IS EVEN FLOW? Even flow of what? Thoughts?
Quarterman
8/4/99 11:33 AM
Sorry,,,
Sorry, that was just my way of complimenting what's his face for doing a swell job of interpreting Even Flow...
redmosquito
8/4/99 11:39 AM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
I had always thought that "evenflow" meant the constant recieving of money that most people who are part of society (and not excluded like this character) recieve from work or whatever.
In the chorus eddie keeps saying that evenflow comes around like butterflies (I don't quite understand the butterflies metaphor) but anyway, the evenflow comes to him in different shapes and forms, and since he has been away from society and work and money for so long that he can't even recognize it.
jcborges
8/4/99 11:50 AM
Re: Album art...
So you mean money, like redmosquito suggested? I'm not about to challenge YOUR knowledge of Pearl Jam (my hat's off to the caretakers of this place!), but I always thought the dollar bill was just the symbol of the materialistic and uncaring society, and that Even Flow related to the main character, the beggar himself, like everything in the song except for the "legal halls of shame"...
<b>João da Câmara Borges</b>
"Shower the people you love with love, show them the way you feel"
RrVwMirror
1/12/01 7:32 PM
SOTD: ...EVENFLOW
El Conquistador
8/4/99 10:27 AM
TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
EVEN FLOW
Freezin', rests his head on a pillow made of concrete, again
Oh, Feelin' maybe he'll see a little better set a days, ooh yeah
Oh, hand out, faces that he sees time again ain't that familiar, ooh yeah
Oh, dark grin, he can't help, when he's happy looks insane, oh yeah
Even flow, thoughts arrive like butterflies
Oh, he don't know, so he chases them away, yeah...ooh...
Oh, someday yet, he'll begin his life again...life again...life again...
Kneelin', looking through the paper though he doesn't know to read, ooh yeah
Oh, prayin', now to something that has never showed him anything
Oh, feelin', understands the weather of the winters on its way
Oh, ceilings, few and far between all the legal halls of shame, yeah...
Even flow, thoughts arrive like butterflies
Oh, he don't know, so he chases them away, yeah...
Someday yet, he'll begin his life again
Oh, whispering hands, gently lead, lead him away...him away, him away...
Yeah! Woo...ah yeah...fuck it up...
Even flow, thoughts arrive like butterflies
Oh, he don't know, so he chases them away...
Ooh, someday yet, he'll begin his life again, yeah
Oh, whispering hands, gently lead, lead him away...him away...him away...
Yeah! Woo...uh huh...yeah, yeah, mommy, mommy...
El Conquistador
8/4/99 10:35 AM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
let's get some interpretations going....what does the song mean to eddie, what does it mean to you, how does it make you feel, what does it remind you of....all these questions are fair game for the interpretations.....
jcborges
8/4/99 11:01 AM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
OK, here we go... if anyone noticed my simultaneous start of this thread elsewhere, please ignore it...
Even Flow is clearly the portrait of the beggar, the homeless, those excluded by the same society that walks in front of them, oblivious, those people who purposedly ignore them and make them invisible so they won't have to be touched by their misery.
Even Flow is a criticism to this indifference and urges us to look down and take notice of those people, beyond their outstreched hands that we now and then grace with some pennies to appease our guilt, and let us be touched by their scarred faces and hearts.
It is also an essay on alienation, on how far apart from the rest of humanity some people can be driven, away from our perfect idea of developped countries, so away that we prefer to deny that testimony of its failure... but I digress back to the previous point.
What I really meant in this second point is that the song wishes to convey the emptiness, the handful of nothingness that is these people's lives, who merely get by every day, not living but only surviving. The song is somewhat chaotic, like it mimics the ramblings of the people it depicts.
There is an element of hope in the song, however: the hope to start again. and the gentle whispering hands... or is there? I could never figure if it is meant to be real hope or only self-delusion... what do you think?
As I write, I come to another conclusion: most of the whole album is about exclusion and privation: from life and control in 'once', from society in 'Even Flow', from sanity in 'Why Go', from innocence in 'Alive', from love in 'Black', from family in 'Jeremy', from identity in 'Release'... of course, this is not exclusive, these elements blend in several songs, but it's all about missing something, about the pain in life, Baudelaire's "Mal de vivre"...
Returning to Even Flow... I'm never sure about how I feel listening to this song... I guess I cannot fully interiorize it, since it depicts a reality so far apart from my own, since I belong myself, most of the time, to the grey mass that speeds up to quickly leave the unconfortable sight behind... sadly or fortunately, it is one of the PJ songs that I relate less to.
<b>João da Câmara Borges</b>
"Shower the people you love with love, show them the way you feel"
El Conquistador
8/4/99 11:04 AM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
All I gotta say is that you add some of the best insight into pearl jam songs that I have ever heard....thanks a ton for sharing your time with the rest of us!!!
Quarterman
8/4/99 11:20 AM
He hit the nail on the head...
Next song please...
pearljamgirl
8/4/99 11:23 AM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
I agree that this about someone homeless but hoping for better days. This person seems very depressed. He wants to change but doesn't know how to do it. I think he's lost faith in GOD, but still prays just in case. He has ideas of what to do, but he ignores them because he's at a point of tough return to society or doesn't want to try because he's afraid of failure.
"Oh, whispering hands, gently lead, lead him away...him away, him away..." I'm not sure about this line. Does this song end with a happy ending that he indeed gets help? Or does he die or is he put in jail. I'm not sure.
I live in San Diego and I see a lot of homeless people...I imagine when Eddie lived here he watched the homeless at the beach and on the street begging for help. I've always liked this song, the music is awesome. The lyrics from Eddie are always so deep and intense about life situations. Very thought provoking.
jcborges
8/4/99 11:27 AM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
It's a pleasure... REALLY... so I have to thank YOU for thinking this up (and for flattering me!) ... obvious yet brilliant, just like Columbus' egg story.
Anyway, I would like to add a few doubts on my mind about the lyrics themselves... Eddie's diction is terribly difficult at times, and this is one of the songs I had more discussions about with Joe Danziger and his version of them. (The other two were SOLAT and Yellow Ledbetter)
My main doubt is: Does "maybe he'll see a little better SET A DAYS" make sense to you? how do you read it?
I had several other parts of the transcription to nitpick, but they don't interfere with my understanding of the song, so I'll skip it and ask the #1 question: WHAT IS EVEN FLOW? Even flow of what? Thoughts? They don't seem even, since they "arrive like butterflies"... people in the crowd?
Also, who are the whispering hands?
This song is a puzzle, and I'm glad all you people are here to help me sort it out...
<b>João da Câmara Borges</b>
"Shower the people you love with love, show them the way you feel"
El Conquistador
8/4/99 11:31 AM
Re: He hit the nail on the head...
well let's give everyone a chance...let's stick to a song a day if everyone is okay with that....
Mod x 2
8/4/99 11:31 AM
Album art...
The album art offers a lot to help the interpretations...
Love,
Kat
> WHAT IS EVEN FLOW? Even flow of what? Thoughts?
Quarterman
8/4/99 11:33 AM
Sorry,,,
Sorry, that was just my way of complimenting what's his face for doing a swell job of interpreting Even Flow...
redmosquito
8/4/99 11:39 AM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
I had always thought that "evenflow" meant the constant recieving of money that most people who are part of society (and not excluded like this character) recieve from work or whatever.
In the chorus eddie keeps saying that evenflow comes around like butterflies (I don't quite understand the butterflies metaphor) but anyway, the evenflow comes to him in different shapes and forms, and since he has been away from society and work and money for so long that he can't even recognize it.
jcborges
8/4/99 11:50 AM
Re: Album art...
So you mean money, like redmosquito suggested? I'm not about to challenge YOUR knowledge of Pearl Jam (my hat's off to the caretakers of this place!), but I always thought the dollar bill was just the symbol of the materialistic and uncaring society, and that Even Flow related to the main character, the beggar himself, like everything in the song except for the "legal halls of shame"...
<b>João da Câmara Borges</b>
"Shower the people you love with love, show them the way you feel"
I know someday you will have a beautiful Life
Jason
Jason
Post edited by Unknown User on
0
Comments
8/4/99 11:58 AM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
I totally love hearing this song.....it takes be back to Aug.22, 1998, Barrie Ontario. It was a beautiful night at this outdoor concert. When I hear this song all the sights, sounds and emotions of that evening come back to me...I remember standing there(at this point, I was on the outer circle of the crowd of 35,000) and it seemed that each and everyone of them were singing, as I was, "evenflow, thoughts arrive like butterflies"....etc....I remember thinking to myself, "this is incredible, I love this!" I know at the time I tried to absorbing every momemt I could, I never wanted it to end, I never wanted to forget this awesome experience, and I never will!
jcborges
8/4/99 12:07 PM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
I know how you feel... that's why I wrote the fanviews for the two 1996 Lisbon concerts (the only time that Pearl Jam EVER played in Portugal!! :-< ) and why I once in a while come back to that page, not to admire my own work (which was kind of cheesy, to be honest) but to relive that moment and rekindle it while I wait for them to come back one day...
<b>João da Câmara Borges</b>
"Shower the people you love with love, show them the way you feel"
EmptyShell
8/4/99 12:17 PM
Re: Album art...
I think Kat is referring to the dollar that the lyrics are written on. It says "Even Flow (Not Even)". The flow of money is not always even, or fair for that matter. And let's not forget the ending of the re-recorded version...
"I died I died and you just stood there I died and you watched me I died and you walked by and said No I'm dead"
Empty Shell
El Conquistador
8/4/99 12:22 PM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
the wispering hands.......what are they? That is a good question....depending on what you believe that they are, the song takes a totally different twist...
Could they be his own that lead him away from his hopes?
Could they be someone who is willing to help him, take him in, get him back on track?
Could they be abstract.....could they be the hands that lead him away from this life?
What are they...what does everyone think?
jcborges
8/4/99 12:28 PM
Re: Album art...
OK, now I get it... Even flow as in equitative distribution of wealth... I never had seen it that way, always thought of the constant movement of the crowd, like a dark river of faces and cold stares... but you're right, it makes perfect sense once you've put it that way...
God I love this! I am really learning so much!
Can we give a commendation to El Conquistador for getting us to do what we should have been doing all along?
<b>João da Câmara Borges</b>
"Shower the people you love with love, show them the way you feel"
PearlJamGrrl
8/4/99 12:30 PM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
I wanted to talk a little bit about the album art because as Kat said, it gives some insight to the song. It says Even Flow and under it (Not Even). I think that Ed is suggesting that the cash flow is not even in the US. It "floats around like butterflies", meaning it goes all around and some butterflies pick a flower and stay for a while, but then flies away....you can get a lot of money in a small amount of time, but sooner or later, it will be gone again and you will be back to where you started. Inside the two big circles on the dollar bill, where undernearth it, it says The Great Seal of the US, there are words in there that say "whispering hands, gently lead him away". I think that either the poor man in the song dies or the government, cops, take him away easily and hide him and try to hide that part of our society without other people knowing that they're doing that. Also In God We Trust is circled on the dollar bill, I think it refers to the part where the guy in the song still believes in God and is praying, even though he has not been blessed with anything, or so he thinks.
Just some of my thoughts,
Lauren
Reading a book does not make you smarter, thinking deep about the book is what does.
Mod x 2
8/4/99 1:01 PM
Re: Album art...
I wasn't sure where to post this so I'll just put it here.
I'm loving the interpretations...it's one of my favorite things
and I always learn something new...a new way of looking at
something.
~It can help a little to remember the time period in which
Even Flow was written...right after the cutbacks of the 80's
which put so many people on the streets. It would be safe
to say that the author was outraged by what he saw and the
uncaring attitudes of people who only care about the
"even flow" into their own pockets, instead of sharing and
helping the more unfortunate of their fellow humans.
~I hear "all illegal halls of shame." Does anyone else?
(Only the author knows every single word and sometimes
he changes them.)
~I hear the poem after the Even Flow video as:
I died.
I died and you just stood there.
I died and you watched.
I died and you walked by and said nothing.
I'm dead.
Does anyone else hear that too? Well, I'll stop here. It's
an amazing song and one of my favorites from Ten. Thank
you for the discussion too. I installed Win98 and am
having a bunch of problems...need to find solutions...see
you again soon, I hope.
Love,
Kat
jcborges
8/4/99 1:29 PM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
I think you nailed it with the "whispering hands"... I too believe now that it refers to the sweepers of society... by the way, I seem to recall (I don't have the album with me, correct me if I'm wrong) that there is an eye on the picture, which could be like the Public Eye, who watches to ensure that everything is tidy and in place, and hides away all that isn't... so we're left with no hope in the song whatsoever, since I now also believe that the idea of starting over is self-delusion, something like the beggar putting his hope in the far future to excuse himself for not taking action in the present (he "chases away" the thoughts).
This brings me to a part in your post from which I disagree: you and others mentioned the butterflies as being the money flow, but the words say "THOUGHTS arrive like butterflies" (the chorus is written around the bill). So I believe it refers to his resigning from doing something about his life: the thoughts on improving his life flutter around occasionally, then he dismisses them out of despair and illudes himself with a vague notion about a future that will never come.
Also, the part about 'In God We Trust', I don't think that refers to the beggar's faith. Maybe he does pray because he sees his misery's like Job's, part of a divine plan, and that gives him another reason not to do anything about it (a classic Catholic attitude of redemption through suffering). But to me it seems clear that the circle around the words emphasizes the hypocrisy of a nation whose ideals profess freedom and equal opportunity and Christian values, and then is incapable of pity and shuts out the outcasts its system created...
<b>João da Câmara Borges</b>
"Shower the people you love with love, show them the way you feel"
jcborges
8/4/99 1:42 PM
Re: Album art...
Since people are talking about the video, and since we've included the lyrics, can anyone also describe the videos (they're not that many!)? It happens that I never saw a Pearl Jam video except for 'Oceans'(really!), since PJ only hit the charts big in Portugal with "Vs.", and they weren't making videos anymore by then, and, by the time of "Ten", I didn't have cable nor satellite.
So, since this is about reaching insight, and video is a powerful way to tell a story (sometimes too powerful, since it imposes an interpretation to the music, and that's probably one of the reasons why Pearl Jam stopped doing them), it would really help if you could include sort of a storyboard for those few videos of 'Ten'...
BTW, the only time I did see 'Oceans' was in August 1995, on MTV Europe, about 03:00 AM Central European Time...
<b>João da Câmara Borges</b>
"Shower the people you love with love, show them the way you feel"
Jason
8/4/99 1:48 PM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
I agree with most of what has been written about this song (the signifigance of the album art, flow of money, whispering hands, etc.). How about the connection between the song title and the line of baby products (carseats, strollers, etc.) marketed under the name Evenflo. Coincidence? Seriously, though, does anyone know what Ed whispers at about 3:25 of the album version (at the end of the first solo)? It is short and very hard to make out.
EVedder23
8/4/99 1:53 PM
Re: Album art...
I just read about that in Kat's post too...
I died, I died and you just stood there, I died and you watched me...
Where is that recorded? I don't think I've ever really heard it.
Love~EVedder
Schumi
8/4/99 1:57 PM
Re: Album art...
It's at the end of the radio and video version of the song, which was released commercially on the Japanese Alive single (pretty hard to find).
Elegant-Waste
8/4/99 6:00 PM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
I just read everyone's idea of what this song is about, and it's amazing! In about 3 hours people here managed to really break this song apart and analyze it. We've got very intelligent people on this board and know what they're saying. I'm not one of them, I just learn from others. This what this message board was meant for, and a new song everyday is really a great idea. As for my interpertation of this song, I've always knew it was about homelessness, but after seeing further interpretations from everyone, I've got a deeper understanding of Evenflow.
-My My Hey Hey Pearl Jam Is Here To Stay-
Elegant-Waste
8/4/99 6:11 PM
Re: Album art...
The line: "I died I died and you just stood there I died and you watched me I died and you walked by and said No I'm dead" refers to people on the street obviously, and is something easy to interpret, something I do everyday. I work downtown Toronto and walk through the streets to see many of these people and just walk by give. I guess I'm making a confession here too that I never give any change to the homeless on the streets, but everytime I'm in this situation "evenflow" comes to mind. To me the last line is somewhat of a lesson, I just don't follow it. (shame on me)
-My My Hey Hey Pearl Jam Is Here To Stay-
JamFan
8/4/99 6:12 PM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
When I first heard the song, I was like Ten years old. I couldn't understand the lyrics, I just rocked out to it. Now I see the importance and deep meaning of this wonderful song. I remember at one live show Eddie said this: "This is for anyone with a little red wine in their blood, whether they are sitting in this room, on the side of the stage, or in a gutter somewhere." While it seems to be from the perspective of a homeless person, their are parts of the song that we can all relate to.
I don't want to take what you can give. I would rather starve that eat your bread.-EV
Bastet
8/4/99 6:39 PM
Re: Ten videos
I finally got some time to read through these posts (now that it's time to go home!). Wow, I really can't add anything. I've been enjoying hearing what everyone has to say. But I can tell jcborges that the videos for alive and evenflow were performance videos, no stories (and I preferred them that way - I'm not a big fan of the Jeremy video, which we'll get to later). This is great guys!
=^--^=
brokenarrow
8/4/99 6:52 PM
WOW!!!!
.........I couldn't possibly add to anything that hasn't allready been said...
.........To be perfectly honest with you, I've never seen all of the lyrics slam-bammed right in front of me!
...........It's a tough one to figure while he's singing.....
............Many heart felt Thanks to ALL of you for explaining this song to me!
...........Just wonderful Guys and Gals!
..........Thanks ElConquistidor.......it's very cool to see Kat out there also with interpretations!!!!!
brokenarrow
8/4/99 6:58 PM
That's how I felt also Rrview....
.......When they play.....I never want the moment to end........
........Evenflow was amazing in NY and Philly..........
..........I would just absorb.....and enjoy the energy of everyone around me...and sing and dance my ass off..........That's how it makes me feel.......
Working in NYC and schooling there, makes you VERY aware of the homelessness.
It's unbelievable......
evenkat
8/4/99 6:59 PM
Re: WOW!!!! Again.
Yes, what can you possibly add to this already insightful post. Just thanks and what Brokenarrow said.
"You know what it's like" EV
pirch
8/4/99 8:43 PM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
this song is so the shit just because (and i know this is gonna distract from the songs message) Ed shows how he can sing from other's points of view. i know he constantly gets props for singing from a woman's point of view, but the line "dark grin, he can't help when his happy looks insane" is so exactly right. my home town has a lot of homeless people constantly moving through it and this song tipifies societies view of them. when i first figured out all the words it blew me away, mainly because i was dissipointed in myself for not being able to see it from that point of view. great song, great message, huge endorsment for Ed's legitimate right to be outspoken. when u can speak for other people this realistically, u have a right to say what u feel.
i'm a rhinocerous with skin two feet thick
MFC
8/5/99 00:20 AM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
ok.. i work all day, so im gonna be late with all i have to say about these..=(... EVEN FLOW has always just sounded like a surf word eddie thought up *and i think this cos of when he wrote it*.. Whispering Hands seems to me to be like death.. comming silently.. and noone notices when it happens.. (the Japanese Alive Poem) EvenFlow could be the crowd around him, the moneymakers.. everything ignoring this person.. the single cover comes to mind.. the dude sitting in the corner of the VERY large door?.. is he dead?... undereducated.. he doesnt know his thoughts.. so he chases them away..
all i can add.. nice idea dude.
'there's alot to be said for Nowhere.'
-robby
Jason
8/5/99 00:48 AM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
Damn - by the time I get here all the good stuff's taken! Very interesting ideas, well thought out. Can I get a head start on Alive?
BADRADIO
8/5/99 08:56 AM
EVEN FLOW.
I think this song is screaming out to anyone who is a victim of their past.
Victim not being the key word here - but past.
Where you are today - was affected by where you've been, what you've done, and
the people around you.
This person knows who he wants to be - but can't.
jcborges
8/4/99 12:28 PM
Re: Album art...
OK, now I get it... Even flow as in equitative distribution of wealth... I never had seen it that way, always thought of the constant movement of the crowd, like a dark river of faces and cold stares... but you're right, it makes perfect sense once you've put it that way...
God I love this! I am really learning so much!
Can we give a commendation to El Conquistador for getting us to do what we should have been doing all along?
<b>João da Câmara Borges</b>
"Shower the people you love with love, show them the way you feel"
PearlJamGrrl
8/4/99 12:30 PM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
I wanted to talk a little bit about the album art because as Kat said, it gives some insight to the song. It says Even Flow and under it (Not Even). I think that Ed is suggesting that the cash flow is not even in the US. It "floats around like butterflies", meaning it goes all around and some butterflies pick a flower and stay for a while, but then flies away....you can get a lot of money in a small amount of time, but sooner or later, it will be gone again and you will be back to where you started. Inside the two big circles on the dollar bill, where undernearth it, it says The Great Seal of the US, there are words in there that say "whispering hands, gently lead him away". I think that either the poor man in the song dies or the government, cops, take him away easily and hide him and try to hide that part of our society without other people knowing that they're doing that. Also In God We Trust is circled on the dollar bill, I think it refers to the part where the guy in the song still believes in God and is praying, even though he has not been blessed with anything, or so he thinks.
Just some of my thoughts,
Lauren
Reading a book does not make you smarter, thinking deep about the book is what does.
Mod x 2
8/4/99 1:01 PM
Re: Album art...
I wasn't sure where to post this so I'll just put it here.
I'm loving the interpretations...it's one of my favorite things
and I always learn something new...a new way of looking at
something.
~It can help a little to remember the time period in which
Even Flow was written...right after the cutbacks of the 80's
which put so many people on the streets. It would be safe
to say that the author was outraged by what he saw and the
uncaring attitudes of people who only care about the
"even flow" into their own pockets, instead of sharing and
helping the more unfortunate of their fellow humans.
~I hear "all illegal halls of shame." Does anyone else?
(Only the author knows every single word and sometimes
he changes them.)
~I hear the poem after the Even Flow video as:
I died.
I died and you just stood there.
I died and you watched.
I died and you walked by and said nothing.
I'm dead.
Does anyone else hear that too? Well, I'll stop here. It's
an amazing song and one of my favorites from Ten. Thank
you for the discussion too. I installed Win98 and am
having a bunch of problems...need to find solutions...see
you again soon, I hope.
Love,
Kat
jcborges
8/4/99 1:29 PM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
I think you nailed it with the "whispering hands"... I too believe now that it refers to the sweepers of society... by the way, I seem to recall (I don't have the album with me, correct me if I'm wrong) that there is an eye on the picture, which could be like the Public Eye, who watches to ensure that everything is tidy and in place, and hides away all that isn't... so we're left with no hope in the song whatsoever, since I now also believe that the idea of starting over is self-delusion, something like the beggar putting his hope in the far future to excuse himself for not taking action in the present (he "chases away" the thoughts).
This brings me to a part in your post from which I disagree: you and others mentioned the butterflies as being the money flow, but the words say "THOUGHTS arrive like butterflies" (the chorus is written around the bill). So I believe it refers to his resigning from doing something about his life: the thoughts on improving his life flutter around occasionally, then he dismisses them out of despair and illudes himself with a vague notion about a future that will never come.
Also, the part about 'In God We Trust', I don't think that refers to the beggar's faith. Maybe he does pray because he sees his misery's like Job's, part of a divine plan, and that gives him another reason not to do anything about it (a classic Catholic attitude of redemption through suffering). But to me it seems clear that the circle around the words emphasizes the hypocrisy of a nation whose ideals profess freedom and equal opportunity and Christian values, and then is incapable of pity and shuts out the outcasts its system created...
<b>João da Câmara Borges</b>
"Shower the people you love with love, show them the way you feel"
jcborges
8/4/99 1:42 PM
Re: Album art...
Since people are talking about the video, and since we've included the lyrics, can anyone also describe the videos (they're not that many!)? It happens that I never saw a Pearl Jam video except for 'Oceans'(really!), since PJ only hit the charts big in Portugal with "Vs.", and they weren't making videos anymore by then, and, by the time of "Ten", I didn't have cable nor satellite.
So, since this is about reaching insight, and video is a powerful way to tell a story (sometimes too powerful, since it imposes an interpretation to the music, and that's probably one of the reasons why Pearl Jam stopped doing them), it would really help if you could include sort of a storyboard for those few videos of 'Ten'...
BTW, the only time I did see 'Oceans' was in August 1995, on MTV Europe, about 03:00 AM Central European Time...
<b>João da Câmara Borges</b>
"Shower the people you love with love, show them the way you feel"
Schumi
8/4/99 1:48 PM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
I agree with most of what has been written about this song (the signifigance of the album art, flow of money, whispering hands, etc.). How about the connection between the song title and the line of baby products (carseats, strollers, etc.) marketed under the name Evenflo. Coincidence? Seriously, though, does anyone know what Ed whispers at about 3:25 of the album version (at the end of the first solo)? It is short and very hard to make out.
EVedder23
8/4/99 1:53 PM
Re: Album art...
I just read about that in Kat's post too...
I died, I died and you just stood there, I died and you watched me...
Where is that recorded? I don't think I've ever really heard it.
Love~EVedder
Schumi
8/4/99 1:57 PM
Re: Album art...
It's at the end of the radio and video version of the song, which was released commercially on the Japanese Alive single (pretty hard to find).
Elegant-Waste
8/4/99 6:00 PM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
I just read everyone's idea of what this song is about, and it's amazing! In about 3 hours people here managed to really break this song apart and analyze it. We've got very intelligent people on this board and know what they're saying. I'm not one of them, I just learn from others. This what this message board was meant for, and a new song everyday is really a great idea. As for my interpertation of this song, I've always knew it was about homelessness, but after seeing further interpretations from everyone, I've got a deeper understanding of Evenflow.
-My My Hey Hey Pearl Jam Is Here To Stay-
Elegant-Waste
8/4/99 6:11 PM
Re: Album art...
The line: "I died I died and you just stood there I died and you watched me I died and you walked by and said No I'm dead" refers to people on the street obviously, and is something easy to interpret, something I do everyday. I work downtown Toronto and walk through the streets to see many of these people and just walk by give. I guess I'm making a confession here too that I never give any change to the homeless on the streets, but everytime I'm in this situation "evenflow" comes to mind. To me the last line is somewhat of a lesson, I just don't follow it. (shame on me)
-My My Hey Hey Pearl Jam Is Here To Stay-
Jason
8/4/99 6:12 PM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
When I first heard the song, I was like Ten years old. I couldn't understand the lyrics, I just rocked out to it. Now I see the importance and deep meaning of this wonderful song. I remember at one live show Eddie said this: "This is for anyone with a little red wine in their blood, whether they are sitting in this room, on the side of the stage, or in a gutter somewhere." While it seems to be from the perspective of a homeless person, their are parts of the song that we can all relate to.
I don't want to take what you can give. I would rather starve that eat your bread.-EV
Bastet
8/4/99 6:39 PM
Re: Ten videos
I finally got some time to read through these posts (now that it's time to go home!). Wow, I really can't add anything. I've been enjoying hearing what everyone has to say. But I can tell jcborges that the videos for alive and evenflow were performance videos, no stories (and I preferred them that way - I'm not a big fan of the Jeremy video, which we'll get to later). This is great guys!
=^--^=
brokenarrow
8/4/99 6:52 PM
WOW!!!!
.........I couldn't possibly add to anything that hasn't allready been said...
.........To be perfectly honest with you, I've never seen all of the lyrics slam-bammed right in front of me!
...........It's a tough one to figure while he's singing.....
............Many heart felt Thanks to ALL of you for explaining this song to me!
...........Just wonderful Guys and Gals!
..........Thanks ElConquistidor.......it's very cool to see Kat out there also with interpretations!!!!!
brokenarrow
8/4/99 6:58 PM
That's how I felt also Rrview....
.......When they play.....I never want the moment to end........
........Evenflow was amazing in NY and Philly..........
..........I would just absorb.....and enjoy the energy of everyone around me...and sing and dance my ass off..........That's how it makes me feel.......
Working in NYC and schooling there, makes you VERY aware of the homelessness.
It's unbelievable......
evenkat
8/4/99 6:59 PM
Re: WOW!!!! Again.
Yes, what can you possibly add to this already insightful post. Just thanks and what Brokenarrow said.
"You know what it's like" EV
pirch
8/4/99 8:43 PM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
this song is so the shit just because (and i know this is gonna distract from the songs message) Ed shows how he can sing from other's points of view. i know he constantly gets props for singing from a woman's point of view, but the line "dark grin, he can't help when his happy looks insane" is so exactly right. my home town has a lot of homeless people constantly moving through it and this song tipifies societies view of them. when i first figured out all the words it blew me away, mainly because i was dissipointed in myself for not being able to see it from that point of view. great song, great message, huge endorsment for Ed's legitimate right to be outspoken. when u can speak for other people this realistically, u have a right to say what u feel.
i'm a rhinocerous with skin two feet thick
MFC
8/5/99 00:20 AM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
ok.. i work all day, so im gonna be late with all i have to say about these..=(... EVEN FLOW has always just sounded like a surf word eddie thought up *and i think this cos of when he wrote it*.. Whispering Hands seems to me to be like death.. comming silently.. and noone notices when it happens.. (the Japanese Alive Poem) EvenFlow could be the crowd around him, the moneymakers.. everything ignoring this person.. the single cover comes to mind.. the dude sitting in the corner of the VERY large door?.. is he dead?... undereducated.. he doesnt know his thoughts.. so he chases them away..
all i can add.. nice idea dude.
'there's alot to be said for Nowhere.'
-robby
wicca
8/5/99 00:48 AM
Re: TIME FOR EVENFLOW!!!!
Damn - by the time I get here all the good stuff's taken! Very interesting ideas, well thought out. Can I get a head start on Alive?
BADRADIO
8/5/99 08:56 AM
EVEN FLOW.
I think this song is screaming out to anyone who is a victim of their past.
Victim not being the key word here - but past.
Where you are today - was affected by where you've been, what you've done, and
the people around you.
This person knows who he wants to be - but can't.
Jason
i like the images in this song... i mean, I can take away the original intent and place these words on so many ppl i know who are consciously "fast asleep" batting away thoughts like butterflies...
i've never batted away a butterfly...
of course not, you would not hurt a fly, let alone a butterfly lifeisworth:)
these posts are over 4 years old, that's pretty weird, huh.
Jason
http://www.myspace.com/brain_of_c