Corduroy
boxwine_in_hell
Posts: 1,263
One of their greatest songs in my opinion but the title of this song has somewhat baffled me. What's your interpretation? Why is the the song titled this and what is the meaning?
one foot in the door
the other foot in the gutter
sweet smell that they adore
I think I'd rather smother
-The Replacements-
the other foot in the gutter
sweet smell that they adore
I think I'd rather smother
-The Replacements-
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correct me if I'm wrong
so I guess this can somehow be related to it
- Antwerp '06, Nijmegen '07, Werchter '07
"I'll take the varmits path"
"you can buy but can't put on my clothes"
"rather starve then eat your bread"
"No one cares about climbing stairs, Nothing at the top no more." Chris Cornell
I know what the song's meaning is, I just can't figure out why it's called Corduroy?
the other foot in the gutter
sweet smell that they adore
I think I'd rather smother
-The Replacements-
That makes sense, that's sort of what I thought but thanks for reconfirming it for me. I think at one time some company actually had a model of shorts called "The Vedder".
the other foot in the gutter
sweet smell that they adore
I think I'd rather smother
-The Replacements-
my bad i didn't fully read your question.
Curdoroy could be a reference to a band from london that was popular in the early 90's
"No one cares about climbing stairs, Nothing at the top no more." Chris Cornell
read this somewhere, eddie used to wear a brown corduroy jacket that he got from a thrift store/salvation army, etc. and at the height of the commercialization of the whole "grunge" era, copies of the jacket were being mass produced and sold in department stores.
hence, "they can buy but can't put on my clothes"
That makes sense. Mystery solved.
"No one cares about climbing stairs, Nothing at the top no more." Chris Cornell
Here is the part where he talks about this song:
O: To what degree do you think the tension of that time informed the music you were writing? Vitalogy is often cited as the pinnacle of Pearl Jam's power, and it's filled with songs about that tension.
EV: I guess that was part of what was on our plate to write about at the time. Are you talking about a song like "Not For You"?
O: "Corduroy" has always seemed like the most direct one.
EV: Yeah, that song was based on a remake of the brown corduroy jacket that I wore. I think I got mine for 12 bucks, and it was being sold for like $650. [Laughs.] The ultimate one as far as being co-opted was that there was a guy on TV, predictably patterned, I guess, after the way I was looking those days, with long hair and an Army T-shirt. They put this new character on a soap opera, so there was a guy, more handsome than I, parading around on General Hospital. And the funny thing is, that guy was Ricky Martin. [Laughs.]
"I guess for all of us, whatever our part in the band is, we're satisfying whatever our standards are these days, which are probably higher and more well-rounded than they were 10 years ago."
Full interview: http://www.freewebs.com/pearljamstudy/06nov02onioninterview.htm
It's growing up just like me.
Good stuff. Thanks.
the other foot in the gutter
sweet smell that they adore
I think I'd rather smother
-The Replacements-
thanks!
The song could be about a relationship between 1 or a million people, but what's with forcing the words to fit in a line?
Example I'll pay it off in blood, let I be wed.
I think this reflects an almost giving up in lyric writing, like words were just forced to fit, and it reflects an anxiety within the author. It's not smooth, and it stands out, which is what the song is about, eh? There are two main themes within the song; giving up, and fighting back. In fact, talking about giving up, there's the line
I'm already cut up and half dead...
I'll end up alone like I began...
As I was just listening to it I noticed how the first part of the song is in complete opposition to the feeling in Given to Fly. In both songs there are challenges, but there is a cynicism, almost despair in the Corduroy lyrics. Also in Corduroy I'm sensing more and more a lack of time. Time is seen as tangible at this point because so many people grab pieces of the protagonist's stash. It's given a different value akin to food. The grating sounds within the music are like the grating of the hands of a clock, hurry hurry hurry.
At the same time the protagonist or author challenges those that create the original challenge. The following is one of my favorite lines from the song:
I take your entrance back
We could all be silenced throughout a walk along a sidewalk, but within us there may be the fighting spirit of a lion. Even with this line
I'll take the varmint's path
I don't sense as much a giving up, as a willingness to go underground; for the protagonist to find his way of doing things even if all those ways are new to him. It's still on his terms. There is strength within the song.
I sense annoyance, and a challenge to what is considered human. For instance, with the following line:
you're finally here and I'm a mess
If we are taught to be on time, and we think that is considerate, doesn't it challenge our perceptions of what is a good human if someone is late without apology? We have to take a step back, and re-evaluate if our safe haven is now just a bunch of bricks anyone could use.
I feel sorry for the protagonist with the following line:
I would rather run but I can't walk...
If walking implies time, then there must be anxiety, somewhere to go or rather somewhere to be away from implied in the line.
I heard this song a lot when the album first came out. Any song on Vitalogy makes me think of chills, windows without proper insulation, and cafes. I was always in cafes in Seattle, and I guess people in Seattle don't think they get cold because the windows are not insulated, just thin panes. What's interesting is that this song reminds me of that time full of chilled anxiety, and waiting waiting waiting. I had a couple jobs and either I was waiting for one to start, or just getting off one that ended, or waiting for a bus home in the chilled air. I didn't have anyone looking over my shoulder, in fact I didn't have anyone, but the discomfort of that time is mirrored in the memories of listening to this album which is full of discomfort.
The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I bad at math - The Mincing Mockingbird
The jacket represents all that Pearl jam disliked about being famous. People taking away parts of Eds individuality by trying to be just like him, and/or using Pearl Jam (mainly Ed in this one) for their own interests not at all realated to the message or artwork (selling 660 dollar jackets to make some designer rich because Ed wears one). I guess it can be pretty fucked up and hard to deal with as well when you go from being a gas station attendant to the hero and Idol of millions of people overnight. Mindblowing and confusing.
The song is kinda like saying "fuck you" to everyone who hears it, and loves it.
The waiting drove me mad...you're finally here and I'm a mess
I take your entrance back can't let you roam inside my head (all the lyrics and issues associated with it on this album which almost killed the band)
I don't want to take what you can give...
I would rather starve than eat your bread...
I would rather run but I can't walk...
Guess I'll lie alone just like before...
I'll take the varmint's path...oh, and I must refuse your test
Push me and I will resist...this behavior's not unique
I don't want to hear from those who know...
They can buy, but can't put on my clothes...
I don't want to limp for them to walk...
Never would have known of me before...
I don't want to be held in your debt...
I'll pay it off in blood, let I be wed...
I'm already cut up and half dead...
I'll end up alone like I began...
Everything has chains...absolutely nothing's changed