Small Town Interpretations

Shadow: Flag

Hey everyone. This is one of my first posts and I guess I'll use to introduce myself to the boards. My name's Ray and I've been a PJ Fan since the beginning. Was actually a fan of Mother Love Bone and Green River in those days. Anyways, that's me and I guess I'll get to the point.

Does anyone know if there are any personal references to Ed in Elderly Woman? I never really gave the song much of a chance (too much attention from the radio) until recently and have been getting really involved with it lately. Just wanted to hear some thoughts on its meaning or relativity to anyone in the band.

Fabes

An old lady.

Lost In Ohio

Seeing someone you haven't seen in a long time.

I seem to recognize your face.
Haunting familiar, yet I can't seem to place it.
(I think I recognize you, but am not sure.)

Cannot find the candle of thought to light your name.
Lifetimes are catching up with me.
All these changes taking place.
(It's been so long, you've changed so much, can't remember your name)




I swear I recognize your breath.
Memories, like fingerprints, are slowly raising.
Me you wouldn't recall for I'm not my former.
(I swear I recognize you, yet you wouldn't recognize me because even i've changed.)

It's hard when your stuck upon the shelf.
I changed by not changing at all.
(It's hard to see you because you live so far away. I changed, yet I didn't change.)


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.

(Should be fairly obvious.)

whatsthefreezer

It's how you feel when you meet someone you haven't seen in years and haven't moved forward yourself.

mymanvedder

I remeber hearing Ed say at one of the shows that this song is about growing older. And if you read the lyrics again, you can reference to the aging process. "Me, you wouldn't recall. I'm not my former. It's hard when your stuck up on the shelf" "Lifetimes are catching up with me"...

Pearl Jam and toast

"hearts and thoughts they fade away.."

maybe something about leaving your pasts behind or forgetting them.. forgetting people.. moving on.

beautiful line.

Binaural

It could mean a number of things. One interepretation I have liked is that it describes what it's like for Ed or any of the guys to go back and speak to old friends or people they knew after they got famous.



PEACE

Ms. Haiku

I only see Eddie as the author, maybe an outside observer. I don't see him as one of the participants who haven't seen each other after a long time. I'm under the impression he may have been inspired by someone he saw in a diner, and decided to give that person a story.

I wrote a poem from the older woman's point of view about this time last year, and it was the first thing I posted on the Message Pit. I can't find it now, but through that poem I think my view on the song came out. I'll ask someone to find it for me and post it. FinsburyParkCarrots found it for me:

"Woman Responds"

I'm behind the counter
growing older, not too tired,
though. Between taking orders from new diners
I fill coffee cups and sugar dispensers,
joke with the cook,
and write out sight-seeing directions.

We serve the best fries around, the ones that hit the spot
for weary couples and high school crowds
(just ignore the man with the black & white notebook.)

This may look small town to you,
but you're sitting in a Jersey diner booth.
The glorious colors of autumn always fool.

You may think I'm common,
my life not chosen, a chalkboard still blank,
but people my age inspire music when we walk.
We've worked hard for our calluses,
and proud of it!

If only you could see the tattoos on my shoulders.
One of the Garden State Parkway, the other an opened letter.
The Parkway tattoo - so I'll always find home.
The opened letter

designed by someone

another story, eh?

I've seen him once since

another story, some other time, alright?

How about more coffee?

_____
The "man with the black & white notebook" is a reference to Eddie Vedder since he wrote the lyrics. He is known to have that spotted black and white notebook, isn't he?

BinFrog

I believe it's from the point of view of a lady who never left the town she grew up in. She works in a little restaurant/etc and one day someone from her past, who she had a little crush on, walks through the door after having been out of her life and town for years. Suddenly there she is with nothing interesting to say, and she's too shy to approach him for fear of him not recognizing her or not finding her interesting anymore.

«¤tîg®ê§§¤»

"It's kind of about a lady, and she's getting on in years, and she's stuck in this small town. Small towns fascinate me: You either struggle like hell to get out, to some people want to stay 'cause then they're the big fish in the small pond, and then others just kind of get stuck there. So here she is working in this little place, and then an old flame comes in, and he's probably driving a nice car and looking kind of sharp - not a fancy car, but he's moved on. And then she sees him, and at first she doesn't even remember who he is, and then she realizes who it is. She's just too embarrassed to say 'hello'. -Eddie Vedder (Spin, December 1993)

http://www.twofeetthick.com

Binaural

«¤tîg®ê§§¤» wrote:

"It's kind of about a lady, and she's getting on in years, and she's stuck in this small town. Small towns fascinate me: You either struggle like hell to get out, to some people want to stay 'cause then they're the big fish in the small pond, and then others just kind of get stuck there. So here she is working in this little place, and then an old flame comes in, and he's probably driving a nice car and looking kind of sharp - not a fancy car, but he's moved on. And then she sees him, and at first she doesn't even remember who he is, and then she realizes who it is. She's just too embarrassed to say 'hello'. -Eddie Vedder (Spin, December 1993)

http://www.twofeetthick.com

Thanks very much.




PEACE