Pilate?

Cazpj

What do you guys think that Pilate is about? What does the line "Like Pilate I have a dog" mean?

Cheers!

Pearjamfanno1

I think Pilate, the guy that sentenced Jesus to death, had a dog. And so does someone from Pearl Jam?

DiRtyFranK38

Pearjamfanno1 wrote:

I think Pilate, the guy that sentenced Jesus to death, had a dog. And so does someone from Pearl Jam?

jeff explained the meaning of pilate and low light back to back in an interview. it's on fivehorizons somewhere. when i find it i'll post it.

Cazpj

That'd be awesome cheers!

wolfamongwolves

Read "The Master & Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov.

slightofjeff

Per Jeff Ament:

"I think "Pilate" was the question I was asking myself, and "Low Light " was the answer, the realization. Have you ever read The Master and Margarita [by Mikhail Bulgakov]? I just read that book, and at the end they talk about Pontius Pilate being all alone on a mountain with his dog. He couldn't sleep and he couldn't function.

"It really struck me hard, because at that point I was feeling very alone. I've always had this recurring dream about being old and just me and my dog sitting on the porch. It wasn't necessarily a sad dream or a premonition, but it did get me to thinking about why Pilate was so alone and freaked out. Then I realized he didn't get to finish his conversation with Jesus—that's why he can't function, because he didn't tie up the loose ends in his life.

"Later, I was playing the guitar, and I was hit so hard by this amazing, emotion. In that moment the words "low light" came out, and somehow those were the only words to explain what I was feeling. It was a kind of gratefulness at finding that place of calm and peace at my center and getting a glimpse of the person I could choose to be. It was the purest happiness that I've experienced in a long time, that particular emotion.

"God, I thought I was going to explode. I feel very lucky to have been able to put it down on tape that morning and work through it until it became a song."

dcfaithful

slightofjeff wrote:

Per Jeff Ament:

"I think "Pilate" was the question I was asking myself, and "Low Light " was the answer, the realization. Have you ever read The Master and Margarita [by Mikhail Bulgakov]? I just read that book, and at the end they talk about Pontius Pilate being all alone on a mountain with his dog. He couldn't sleep and he couldn't function.

"It really struck me hard, because at that point I was feeling very alone. I've always had this recurring dream about being old and just me and my dog sitting on the porch. It wasn't necessarily a sad dream or a premonition, but it did get me to thinking about why Pilate was so alone and freaked out. Then I realized he didn't get to finish his conversation with Jesus—that's why he can't function, because he didn't tie up the loose ends in his life.

"Later, I was playing the guitar, and I was hit so hard by this amazing, emotion. In that moment the words "low light" came out, and somehow those were the only words to explain what I was feeling. It was a kind of gratefulness at finding that place of calm and peace at my center and getting a glimpse of the person I could choose to be. It was the purest happiness that I've experienced in a long time, that particular emotion.

"God, I thought I was going to explode. I feel very lucky to have been able to put it down on tape that morning and work through it until it became a song."

damnit, Jeff Ament is so bad ass.

Pilate and Low Light are two of my fav PJ songs too.

Go Jeff, I'm gonna go read that book now.

dcfaithful

dcfaithful wrote:

damnit, Jeff Ament is so bad ass.

Pilate and Low Light are two of my fav PJ songs too.

Go Jeff, I'm gonna go read that book now.

or i'll go TRY and read it...just looked it up on wikipedia, looks pretty deep and confusing.. :(....shows how much public education did.