Man Of The Hour

heartdesireheartdesire Posts: 430
What can one say about this song. It's melodic and beautiful. As all pearl jam songs go, well I love um' all and each take on a new meaning depending on what's going on in my life (literally, figuratively & metaphorically).

My dear dad just passed away May 2nd. Hardest day of my life saying good-bye to one that was so dear to me.

In the grand scheme of life i really do hope it is "just goodbye for now" ...

thanks eddie for writing such beautiful poetic lyrics ...

Tidal waves don’t beg forgiveness
'CRASHED' and on their way
Father he enjoyed collisions; others walked away
A snowflake falls in may.
And the doors are open now as the bells are ringing out
Cause the man of the hour is taking his final bow
Goodbye for now.

Nature has its own religion; gospel from the land
Father ruled by long division, young men they pretend
Old men comprehend.

And the 'SKY BREAKS' at dawn; shedding light upon this town
They’ll all come ‘round
Cause the man of the hour is taking his final bow
Goodbye for now.

And the road
The old man paved
The broken seams along the way
The rusted signs, left just for me
He was guiding me, love, his own way
Now the man of the hour is taking his final bow
As the curtain comes down
I feel that this is just goodbye for now.
"i'm a dedicated insomniac" ~ ev nyc beacon 6/22
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • normnorm Posts: 31,146
    i'm so sorry to hear about your dad......moth is just such an amazing song lyrically and musically......it's a real comfort to have music like this to get us through the tough times.......
  • Ms. HaikuMs. Haiku Posts: 7,265
    I'm very sorry about your dad.

    This is the saddest song in PJ catalogue in my opinion. Sad sad sad. Even sadder than Sad, which I didn't think possible until I read the words.
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  • mambidamambida Posts: 22
    very, very sorry about your dad... mine died 6 months ago and it just happened i listened pearl jam intensively about that time and parts of thumbing my way, nothingman and come back somehow became my background tune at that time. i still can't hear them without tears.
    i too hope with every little bit of me that it's just goodbye for now :)
  • slightofjeffslightofjeff Posts: 7,762
    Ms. Haiku wrote:
    I'm very sorry about your dad.

    This is the saddest song in PJ catalogue in my opinion. Sad sad sad. Even sadder than Sad, which I didn't think possible until I read the words.

    Actually, I find MOTH to be uplifting. Sad, sure. But uplifting.

    Whereas the protagonist in Sad knows, deep down, that just one wish can't bring back his loved one, the protagonist in MOTH knows -- not hopes, but knows -- that it's just goodbye for now.

    It's not just a hope that it's just "goodbye for now" -- it's an unshakeable faith that it is such. I find that to be wildly comforting.
    everybody wants the most they can possibly get
    for the least they could possibly do
  • heartdesireheartdesire Posts: 430
    Actually, I find MOTH to be uplifting. Sad, sure. But uplifting.

    Whereas the protagonist in Sad knows, deep down, that just one wish can't bring back his loved one, the protagonist in MOTH knows -- not hopes, but knows -- that it's just goodbye for now.

    It's not just a hope that it's just "goodbye for now" -- it's an unshakeable faith that it is such. I find that to be wildly comforting.

    love this! thanks! h&d

    my deepest regards to you mambida ... xo h&d
    "i'm a dedicated insomniac" ~ ev nyc beacon 6/22
  • jamie ukjamie uk Posts: 3,812
    My, I'm so touched by some of the the stories here. I hope you can get by, and maybe with a little help from PJ and your friends on this message board you will come to know contentment again. Man of the hour is a wonderful song, my children all love it (even the my chemical romance daughter!) I guess they got interested because we all watched the movie together. I have to say that to me it is a really special movie,very touching, very beautiful. The song really was written about the story in the movie, which is not to take away any importance because the message in the movie is the same one, and such a common one-one so many of us share of not relating to our parents, for whatever reason until it's too late. It's helped me, although my dad is still alive, because sometimes I felt so dissasociated from him that I could have walked away and never seen him again. Yet as you get a little older, you get slightly wiser,and more importantly more tolerant, and hopefully we will learn lessons, and not leave our own children feeling alone or alienated from us. Once again good wishes to all you who are, or have suffered loss. Love to all,JUK.
    I came, I saw, I concurred.....
  • dcfaithfuldcfaithful Posts: 13,076
    For the original thread poster, i'm terribly sorry about your loss...that must have been an extremely tough one and i extend to you my sympathy.

    MOTH to me is very inspirational and uplifting also, it's a damn sad tune, but it's one of those songs that give you hope in the long run...this song and 'Nothingman' are so sad, but uplifting.

    My dad was never there, he had an affair and left my mom, brother, and myself for another, personality-lacking, old woman when I was 11, just that age when a boy needs a father the most...i was ashamed. I had no father figure to look up to or one to set a good example, but my grandfather was always there for me for advice, support, and just about everything else a father should give his son...he died on March 3, 2005 and this song has always reminded me of him ever since.
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  • jwhjr17jwhjr17 Posts: 2,000
    It's going on 18 yrs since I lost my dad when I was 15. This song makes me remember. Even though he's been gone nearly half of my life he still had a powerful influence on me. Now that I'm a father of 4, I find myself striving to have the same positive impact on my kids because I don't take it for granted that I'll be around to see them grow up. I'm sure when my dad was 33 he didn't imagine that he only had 10 more years to go before passing.
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  • momofglynnmomofglynn Posts: 849
    jwhjr17 wrote:
    It's going on 18 yrs since I lost my dad when I was 15. This song makes me remember. Even though he's been gone nearly half of my life he still had a powerful influence on me. Now that I'm a father of 4, I find myself striving to have the same positive impact on my kids because I don't take it for granted that I'll be around to see them grow up. I'm sure when my dad was 33 he didn't imagine that he only had 10 more years to go before passing.

    My dad passed away almost 18 years ago too. He was 53, not 43. It's the point in my life where I have been with him as long as I have been without him. It's been hard to think about it lately. He dies 2 days after I turned 18. My 18th b-day, I signed papers to take him off life support. It's like he waited until I was an "adult".

    I hope you and your family continue to remember your dad fondly, and really talk openly about him. My family did not. There was no talking about anything. We did the traditional keep quiet and cry alone crap that to this day has really taken a toll on me. Remember your dad the way you knew him best. I hope that over time your pain and sadness will become less and your heart and mind be filled with the happiness he gave you for the short time he was with you here on earth.
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  • heartdesireheartdesire Posts: 430
    dcfaithful wrote:
    For the original thread poster, i'm terribly sorry about your loss...that must have been an extremely tough one and i extend to you my sympathy.

    MOTH to me is very inspirational and uplifting also, it's a damn sad tune, but it's one of those songs that give you hope in the long run...this song and 'Nothingman' are so sad, but uplifting.

    My dad was never there, he had an affair and left my mom, brother, and myself for another, personality-lacking, old woman when I was 11, just that age when a boy needs a father the most...i was ashamed. I had no father figure to look up to or one to set a good example, but my grandfather was always there for me for advice, support, and just about everything else a father should give his son...he died on March 3, 2005 and this song has always reminded me of him ever since.


    my blessings to you dcfaithful. glad that you had your grandfather. always know he is in your heart. sometimes it isn't a parent and sometimes it is one parent who help to guide us to our best selves.

    my dad was my rock. he was always there for me whether he knew how to be or not. and i am forever thankful for this. he wasn't perfect (who is :>)
    and had his issues to deal with in life. the beauty is i saw these issues come full circle and that i am thankful for too!
    "i'm a dedicated insomniac" ~ ev nyc beacon 6/22
  • heartdesireheartdesire Posts: 430
    jwhjr17 wrote:
    It's going on 18 yrs since I lost my dad when I was 15. This song makes me remember. Even though he's been gone nearly half of my life he still had a powerful influence on me. Now that I'm a father of 4, I find myself striving to have the same positive impact on my kids because I don't take it for granted that I'll be around to see them grow up. I'm sure when my dad was 33 he didn't imagine that he only had 10 more years to go before passing.

    it is always wonderful to hear/read the positive impact one has had on an individual. especially a parent as this is where we truly take shape and form.
    how awesome you are striving to have a positive impact on your kids. that to me is a gift to the world.

    what an amazing gift you were given though it came through the loss of losing your father at a tender formative age. that is, embrace the present moment. even if we knew we had countless days it's about how we treat one another right now.

    if anyone has someone to call and keeps saying i'll do it tomorrow, i encourage you to do it today. i was out of town and going to call my dad on sunday. i knew time with him was limited (but not that limited) and would call him when i got back. i am comforted that we have had many a great moments together especially of late. though had i taken that moment i could have had one more beautiful conversation with him.

    thanks for listening ...
    "i'm a dedicated insomniac" ~ ev nyc beacon 6/22
  • heartdesireheartdesire Posts: 430
    many thanks and heartfelt wishes to all ... remember the ones you love who have left, celebrate the memories and carry them gently in your heart.

    lookin' forward to pj at lollapalooza. i can go celebrate life and all its depths among the union of loving pj souls. as eddie shared during the chicago may 17th show ...

    "alright chicago were almost there we almost did it. its been a great 2 nights here. thanks so much. obviously there is a war goin' outside and a', this feels like a safe place to a', to break bread, play music, and a feel like a family and feel safe and think about things, and express ourselves. thanks so much for comin' down to the gig and being part of it and a' makin us feel like human beings thank you so much ..."

    so glad i get to experience them live again around this time. a pj show, it is a safe place, it is a place to express, to think about things, feel connected, feel the music, feel like a human being where ones spirit can fly for the night with many others.

    And hopefully they will open with Release ... "oh dear dad, can you see me now, i am myself, like you somehow." ...
    "i'm a dedicated insomniac" ~ ev nyc beacon 6/22
  • ooba Foxooba Fox Posts: 43
    MOTH inspires me, I will be getting a new tattoo shortly with a Pearl Jam logo from the recent tour with M.O.T.H. underneath. I have asked my wife to make sure this is played at my funeral along with Light Years.
    I have two young girls who I want to share as much time as possible with and be a great father.

    Condolences to all who have lost loved ones.
    Perth 1998
    Adelaide 2003
    Melbourne 13 Nov 2006
    Adelaide 21 Nov 2006
    Adelaide 22 Nov 2006
    Adelaide 2009
    EV Adelaide 27 Mar 2011
    EV Adelaide 28 Mar 2011

    'Always amongst the waves'
  • heartdesireheartdesire Posts: 430
    I love you pearl jam ... all of you, the whole crew of you. Without your synergy there would be no pearl jam. Relationships aren't always easy, but when differences are set aside and the pure uniting of souls is embraced amazing and wonderful things happen.

    merci, thank you, multitudes of gratitude for your music.

    A gift to the world it is.

    h&d
    "i'm a dedicated insomniac" ~ ev nyc beacon 6/22
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