Red Mosquito

pacifier

Is this song really about a red mosquito? I remember as a kid one night a big red mosquito came into the house and dad said to watch out for it, that it was a "devil's needle" and it really hurts if it bites you. Of course I was the lucky one to have it bite me so I got to understand why it was called the devils needle, it hurt like hell! Of course whenever I hear Red Mosquito this is what I think about, but I can't imagine a song being written about it

darthvedder88

I heard that Eddie wrote it about a person looking out the window from a hospital who'd been infected with a disease, or something like that...

Anyways, for me it's always been about regret, doing something when you know you shouldn't have done it in the first place. The Red Mosquito being the devil in this song.

Ms. Haiku

Watched from the window, with a red mosquito
I was not allowed to leave the room
I saw the sun go down, and now it's coming up
Somewhere in the time between

I was bitten, must have been the devil
He was just paying me...
A little visit, reminding me of his presence
Letting me know, he's a-waiting... oh

Red man's your neighbor, call it behavior
While you're climbing up slippery hills
Two steps ahead of him, punctures in your neck
Hovering just above your bed
Hovering just above your bed

I was bitten, must have been the devil
He was just paying me...
A little visit, reminding me of his presence
And letting me know, he's a'waiting, he's a'waiting...
Ooh....

If I had known then what I know now...
If I had known then what I know now...
If I had known then what I know now...
If I had known then what I know now...


I could see it's about a hospital visit. Sounds Don't people recovering from drugs get the feeling that bugs are under their skin. So, it could be a rehab, you think, because the protagonist is itching for what got him/her there, but then he/she shows some regret in the last stanza. I just heard it on the Boston 1 06 boot, and I thought I wanted to know more about it.

DeLukin

I thought I read somewhere that it was written about Ed's experience w/a bad tuna sandwich.

Ms. Haiku

So, do I sense regret about eating the sandwich? Red Mosquito is food illness? So, the devil made him eat the tuna sandwich, and because he is supposedly a vegetarian, he felt he paid physically for his lapse.

I actually heard that story, also. I just didn't pay much attention to it

prljmfan92502

Ms. Haiku wrote:

Watched from the window, with a red mosquito
I was not allowed to leave the room
I saw the sun go down, and now it's coming up
Somewhere in the time between

I was bitten, must have been the devil
He was just paying me...
A little visit, reminding me of his presence
Letting me know, he's a-waiting... oh

Red man's your neighbor, call it behavior
While you're climbing up slippery hills
Two steps ahead of him, punctures in your neck
Hovering just above your bed
Hovering just above your bed

I was bitten, must have been the devil
He was just paying me...
A little visit, reminding me of his presence
And letting me know, he's a'waiting, he's a'waiting...
Ooh....

If I had known then what I know now...
If I had known then what I know now...
If I had known then what I know now...
If I had known then what I know now...


I could see it's about a hospital visit. Sounds Don't people recovering from drugs get the feeling that bugs are under their skin. So, it could be a rehab, you think, because the protagonist is itching for what got him/her there, but then he/she shows some regret in the last stanza. I just heard it on the Boston 1 06 boot, and I thought I wanted to know more about it.

Was just checking out the board, and the funniest thing happened without me realizing it. I was just reading your post, and skimming through the lyrics and when i got to the bottom, i realized that red mosquito was playing, and the song was at the same part as where i was reading. I know this is sort of stupid, but it was weird.

Oatmeal lady

I've vaguely wondered what this is about, but mainly just crank up the sound when it comes on-i loved the music before i knew what the words were.

reachdown12

Oh my goodness..as many gems as there are on No Code, I think this one in particular holds a certain huge anticipation for the track to come on. Just the vibe it gives off, Mikey's guitar playing, the lyrics..and once the instrumentals and lyrics, vocals reach that climax in the song...if i had known then what i know now...it is so emotionally impacting i can't even begin to describe. I love this song so very dearly. Beautiful in every which way.

Pearl_Jam_Necklace

pacifier wrote:

Is this song really about a red mosquito? I remember as a kid one night a big red mosquito came into the house and dad said to watch out for it, that it was a "devil's needle" and it really hurts if it bites you. Of course I was the lucky one to have it bite me so I got to understand why it was called the devils needle, it hurt like hell! Of course whenever I hear Red Mosquito this is what I think about, but I can't imagine a song being written about it

I've never heard of a red mosquito.where do you live? I tell you for sure if i saw a red mosquito thatd freak my shit out .for reals.

pacifier

Pearl_Jam_Necklace wrote:

I've never heard of a red mosquito.where do you live? I tell you for sure if i saw a red mosquito thatd freak my shit out .for reals.

I don't know if it is officially a mosquito but it definately looks like one. A big monster mosquito about 2cm long and red. I've only seen a few in my life, I don't know what they are really called but I call them a red mosquito and I stay well away. I grew up in New South Wales, Australia, in the bush.

Pearl_Jam_Necklace

pacifier wrote:

I don't know if it is officially a mosquito but it definately looks like one. A big monster mosquito about 2cm long and red. I've only seen a few in my life, I don't know what they are really called but I call them a red mosquito and I stay well away. I grew up in New South Wales, Australia, in the bush.

wow !!! thats wicked !

se7v7en

I thought it might be about a man on death row who is guilty and knows hes going to die soon and go to hell. The Devil is "always waiting" for him and "hovering above his bed." Hes "not allowed to leave the room."

suffragette

I just thought it was Satan. Eddie writes a lot about the guy, doesn't he?

hardinm78

maybe its about a guy who's becoming a vampire because he was bitten by one? lol

I was bitten, must have been the devil

Two steps ahead of him, punctures in your neck

Hovering just above your bed

Red man's your neighbor, call it behavior ??

Pearl Jam and toast

darthvedder88 wrote:

I heard that Eddie wrote it about a person looking out the window from a hospital who'd been infected with a disease, or something like that...

Anyways, for me it's always been about regret, doing something when you know you shouldn't have done it in the first place. The Red Mosquito being the devil in this song.

Ed (the other night i think): "This song was written after a really bad day" if that puts anything into persepctive

I've actually never quite figured this one out, i just like the imagery.

PNuttyJam

Pearl Jam and toast wrote:

Ed (the other night i think): "This song was written after a really bad day" if that puts anything into persepctive

I've actually never quite figured this one out, i just like the imagery.

He said this at SF 3. Also said that it was written in a hotel room in San Francisco...after a really bad day.

Anon

I swear I read that he specifically referenced at one of the recent San Fran shows about writing it from his hotel room while Neil was performing with the band at that infamous concert he had to sit out because of food poisoning.... at Golden Gate Park, I believe?!

Pearl Jam and toast

moonbeampainter wrote:

I swear I read that he specifically referenced at one of the recent San Fran shows about writing it from his hotel room while Neil was performing with the band at that infamous concert he had to sit out because of food poisoning.... at Golden Gate Park, I believe?!

i know that incident is true,... interesting turn of events we have here..

Seems to add up doesn't it?

Also, Red Mosquito made appearances (at least one) in 1995, so we know it was around then.

Have we solved it?

Sounds to me like Ed took a little something to settle his stomach

Memories of Grey

yeah i was at the SF3 show (amazing by the way) and before they played Red Mosquito, Ed said it was written in SF (on a sad day? rainy day? not sure) in a hotel. i'm pretty sure that's right.

the hospital thing seems to work really well
the red mosquito is definatly the devil
and where it says he's reminding me
he's a-waiting

Maybe, the red mosquito is a reminder that.. ed (or the person ed is writing about) has done some sin and is supposed to go to hell, since the devil is waiting for him.

just my thoughts, great song, and i just realized all this today haha

misty

With 100 posts, I've just become Red Mosquito

Pearl Jam and toast

misty wrote:

With 100 posts, I've just become Red Mosquito

^_^

ucsbledbetter

I thought it was about a bad trip with a drug.... red mans your neighbor.talkin about smokin somethin!!

Guiness

I had always heard that this song was written after Ed left a show in San Francisco after 8 songs because he had bad food poisoning. Neil Young came out and finished the show with the band.

Watched from the window, with a red mosquito
I was not allowed to leave the room
I saw the sun go down, and now it's coming up
Somewhere in the time between

- This is a clear reference to the food poisoning. I think the red mosquito is temptation. At this time, the band was fighting with ticketmaster and really starting to pull away from the mainstream. I believe the devil and the red mosquito represent the temptation to stay mainstream.

I was bitten, must have been the devil
He was just paying me...
A little visit, reminding me of his presence
Letting me know, he's a-waiting... oh

- I believe the bitten part refers to the fans at the show turning on the band as well as the media backlash for fighting with ticketmaster and the partial show. In a sense the devil reminding the band that their decision to pull back was not full proof and that they could lose it all. All they would have to do is give into the temptation and keep making the same albums and they could be on top forever.

Red man's your neighbor, call it behavior
While you're climbing up slippery hills
Two steps ahead of him, punctures in your neck
Hovering just above your bed
Hovering just above your bed

- I believe the slippery hills represent the band's decision to fight with ticketmaster and change their sound and pull back. While they felt this was the right decision, the devil is always present

I was bitten, must have been the devil
He was just paying me...
A little visit, reminding me of his presence
And letting me know, he's a'waiting, he's a'waiting...
Ooh....

If I had known then what I know now...
If I had known then what I know now...
If I had known then what I know now...
If I had known then what I know now...

- they end the song questioning if they did the right thing. Which ultimately they did, they might not sell as many albums but at least they have never sacrificed their visions for main stream success. As a result they have the most loyal fan base of any band touring today.

Of course I could be wrong about the song...just a theory

oktacoma

reachdown12 wrote:

Oh my goodness..as many gems as there are on No Code, I think this one in particular holds a certain huge anticipation for the track to come on. Just the vibe it gives off, Mikey's guitar playing, the lyrics..and once the instrumentals and lyrics, vocals reach that climax in the song...if i had known then what i know now...it is so emotionally impacting i can't even begin to describe. I love this song so very dearly. Beautiful in every which way.

Lovely words...nice...:D

darthvedder88

Red Mosquito is one of those songs where you hear each member showcase how good of a musician they are. I mean, Eddie's lyrics are amazing, and his vocals rock your nuts off when you listen to it, Stone's riffs on the acoustic guitar provide a nice waltz feel which makes you wanna rock out, and his backing vocals towards the end really enhance the climatic ending, Jeff's bass work adds a nice bounce to the song which then adds to Stone's groove, Mike's guitar work just totally blows you the fuck away as he goes haywire, and Jack's tribal feel on the song just makes it a classic.

BrainOfJD

darthvedder88 wrote:

Red Mosquito is one of those songs where you hear each member showcase how good of a musician they are. I mean, Eddie's lyrics are amazing, and his vocals rock your nuts off when you listen to it, Stone's riffs on the acoustic guitar provide a nice waltz feel which makes you wanna rock out, and his backing vocals towards the end really enhance the climatic ending, Jeff's bass work adds a nice bounce to the song which then adds to Stone's groove, Mike's guitar work just totally blows you the fuck away as he goes haywire, and Jack's tribal feel on the song just makes it a classic.

That's a great point. I love that buzzy sound on the lead guitar, supposedly due to being played with a zippo lighter.

When they play it live, it also showcases what a psychopath I am. Time to rock out, apologies to the poor suckers sitting next to me!

pjfanatic10

ucsbledbetter wrote:

I thought it was about a bad trip with a drug.... red mans your neighbor.talkin about smokin somethin!!

That was always my take on the song too...about a bad trip.

darthvedder88

jdonelson.nyc wrote:

That's a great point. I love that buzzy sound on the lead guitar, supposedly due to being played with a zippo lighter.

When they play it live, it also showcases what a psychopath I am. Time to rock out, apologies to the poor suckers sitting next to me!

Yeah, there's no other song like it really. I love the 12/8 feel in it, gives it a unique vibe!!

ucsbledbetter

I took this off the skyiscrape because it shows what I think the song is about...

It took me a while to realize what this song was about and I've come to the conclusion that this song is about someone that has tried heroin. It's a about someone not sleeping because the drug keeps them up; "I saw the sun go down and now it's coming up somewhere in the time between." Also whoever this person is justified taking the drug by saying that Native-Americans used drugs as a way of life; "Red man is your nieghbor. Call it behavior." But the high is an awful and confusing one which distorts reality; "While you're climbing slippery hills." The user now knows that it was a bad idea to have taken the drug because know he wants to try it again and refers to it as "the devil" who is "always waiting" for him to come back for more. He regrets trying the drug; "If I had known then what I know now." The title itself, Red Mosquito, is also a reference to the color of heroine and the way it is used, by injection with a needle, like a mosquito's sting. The reason I feel that this is what this song is about is bacause right before the sang this song in the 2nd Houston (a place known for it's mosquito population) show in 2000, Eddie Vedder raises up his sleeve and says "these aren't track marks, i promise. they're mosquito bites."

Pearl Jam and toast

ucsbledbetter wrote:

I took this off the skyiscrape because it shows what I think the song is about...

It took me a while to realize what this song was about and I've come to the conclusion that this song is about someone that has tried heroin. It's a about someone not sleeping because the drug keeps them up; "I saw the sun go down and now it's coming up somewhere in the time between." Also whoever this person is justified taking the drug by saying that Native-Americans used drugs as a way of life; "Red man is your nieghbor. Call it behavior." But the high is an awful and confusing one which distorts reality; "While you're climbing slippery hills." The user now knows that it was a bad idea to have taken the drug because know he wants to try it again and refers to it as "the devil" who is "always waiting" for him to come back for more. He regrets trying the drug; "If I had known then what I know now." The title itself, Red Mosquito, is also a reference to the color of heroine and the way it is used, by injection with a needle, like a mosquito's sting. The reason I feel that this is what this song is about is bacause right before the sang this song in the 2nd Houston (a place known for it's mosquito population) show in 2000, Eddie Vedder raises up his sleeve and says "these aren't track marks, i promise. they're mosquito bites."

I think he's absolutely right.

I hope Ed was talking about a friend..

Solat13

All I know is there is nothing better than being drunk on wine and listening to Red Mosquito on Vinyl.

Wooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love this song.