Sleight of Hand

i am mine, you are

This song is really amazing.

i am mine, you are

This song is really amazing.

Jeremy1012

easily the best song on binaural. and some of eds best vocals ever. I love this song so much.

"as dirt turns to sand..."

this is not for you

I don't know why there's been people and press saying binaural and riot act arent as good as the other albums i dont know how people cant see that binaural is genius i mean even the name suggests this album is something else as pearl jam used the binaural recording method and sleight of hand has to be one of the best tracks on the album let alone of all time.

In those two albums pearl jam jumped onto a whole new level that i personally feel people cant handle or take in and realise that those albums are works of art.


Pearl jam rule!!!!

peace and love

Sleight-Of-Hand

pjrvm wrote:

When he reached the shore of his... clip-on world...
He resurfaced to the norm
Organized his few things,... his coat and keys...
Any new realizations... would have to wait...
Til he had more time,... more time...
Time to dream,... to himself... he waves goodbye,
To himself... I'll see you on the other side...

Another man...moved by sleight of hand...

The last verse in Sleight of Hand, anyone have any ideas what this part means? I was listening to it on the way to school this morning and I wondered if the character committed suicide, but now reading the lyrics I'm not so sure. Maybe he just quits his job and dramatically changes his life. Anyone?

I think the last verse means that instead of thinking all the time that he wished he was somewhere else and had a diefferent life or job etc, he "waves goodbye to himself" i.e he continues with his life and tries not to think about what opportunities he may have missed, because he has a family to support and responsibilites.

He will see his dreams "on the other side" meaning he will take time to think about how different his life could have been when he dies, because then ther will not be the responsibilties of everyday life. he is essentially giving up and accepting this is the way his life is now even though he hates it and letting go of his dreams, for the sake of other people (his family).. and i think this makes the song sadder.

i hope i explained this ok..

goldrush

I love the imagery in this song, one of their best "story" songs. There's a post on The Porch about Best Lines In A Pearl Jam Song and part of my entry was


Sleight Of Hand:
Routine was the theme,...
he'd wake up,..wash and pour himself into uniform,...
something he hadn't imagined being...

Mondays were made to fall...
Lost on a road he knew by heart...
It was like a book he read in his sleep... endlessly...


just the futility of the same old daily shit getting a guy down put into words that are so poetic that you don't notice how deep they are at first. Beautiful.

Pearl Jam and toast

this is not for you wrote:

I don't know why there's been people and press saying binaural and riot act arent as good as the other albums i dont know how people cant see that binaural is genius i mean even the name suggests this album is something else as pearl jam used the binaural recording method and sleight of hand has to be one of the best tracks on the album let alone of all time.

In those two albums pearl jam jumped onto a whole new level that i personally feel people cant handle or take in and realise that those albums are works of art.


Pearl jam rule!!!!

peace and love

Ever since No Code they've been making stranger records (at least according to the way the used to sound) and a bunch of people are pissed.

I can understand it though..

Think about it... If the first 3 Pearl Jam albums were a beaming symbol of your youth and one of the most emotional connections you'll ever make in a lifetime wouldn't you be turned off by a change?

So i understand it... but I still think that opinion is one of the most backwards stupid ways to think about the band. Personally I believe that every one of their albums (including Riot Act) are far better than the first 2.



And I dunno if it's been mentioned yet, but how about a little applaus for Mr. Ament's incredible lyrical work?

Ms. Haiku

Routine was the theme,... he'd wake up,..wash and pour himself
Into uniform,... something he hadn't imagined being...

As the merging traffic passed,... he found himself staring,..
Down,... at his own... hands..
Not remembering the change,... not recalling the plan,
Was it...?

He was okay,... but wondering... about wandering
Was it age?... By consequence?... or was he moved by
Sleight of hand?

Mondays were made to fall,... lost on a road he knew by heart
It was like a book he read in his sleep,... endlessly...
Sometimes he hid in his radio,... watching others pull into their homes
While he was drifting...

On a line,... of his own,... off the line,... on the side
Bye the by,.... as dirt turned to sand,
As if moved by sleight of hand...

When he reached the shore of his... clip-on world...
He resurfaced to the norm
Organized his few things,... his coat and keys...
Any new realizations... would have to wait...
Til he had more time,... more time...
Time to dream,... to himself... he waves goodbye,
To himself... I'll see you on the other side...

Another man...moved by sleight of hand...



So, what would make someone write this song? At first it could be an examination of a group of people, those that wear "uniforms" of certain professions. Yet, ultimately, it is about an individual's choice. So, do you think the lyricist identified with the person in uniform on some level . . . at such a level that on an individual level the lyricist included more of himself?

gleemonex

Saw this song live on June 26th in St. Paul, and it was as amazing as I could've hoped it to be. One of my favourites on Binaural, unfortunately it was overshadowed the next night when they played Light Years.

share

this song absolutely moves me - and I've been really lucky to see it live a few times

I agree with all the interpretations - I also feel a huge sense of detachment

he finds himself in his own life without knowing how he got there - as if moved by sleight of hand

I live it - I'm somebody else during the day - I wave goodbye to who I am when I walk through the office doors - and do I know how I got here? complacency, necessity, lack of conviction

there's such a feeling of duality - maybe not so much a feeling of suicide as opposed to maybe just wanting to kill who you've become

the other side is where it's at baby, but can you make the leap

reaching hands

the song gives me an emotional rush everytime i listen to it, the mix, the lyrics...everything!

my interpretation is that of a man coming to a crossroads in life where he suddenly stops and realises that life is passing him by and he is there 'by the grace of god' so he feels he has to change and live his life rather than go through the motions.

a very emotional track. i love it

Androgynous Mind

I believe Binural is Pearl Jam's best album after Ten. It has some amazing tracks.

As for Sleight of Hand, one of my top five PJ songs of all time, it has a powerful lyrics. Everytime I listen to it, I think of all those people out there who hate their jobs and where they have gone with their lives. He is looking for something will save him from himself and his present life. He feels no true difference between his life and the after life. "Time to dream,... to himself... he waves goodbye, To himself... I'll see you on the other side..." If that something doesn't come, then he probably feels that he is better off dead.