All or None...What's it mean to you....

stateofblack

What is this song about?? Any ideas?

Obsidian22

I take the meaning of All or None to come from being in a relationship, and not a great one at that. "shit or get off the pot" is a saying that comes to mind. Old patterns of behaviour that don't quite work anymore.
This tune is beautiful to listen to, the bass ,guitar and piano are arranged perfectly.

My favorite part of the song :
To myself I,... SURRENDER
To the One I'LL NEVER PLEASE,...

Pearl Jam and toast

Obsidian22 wrote:

I take the meaning of All or None to come from being in a relationship, and not a great one at that. "shit or get off the pot" is a saying that comes to mind. Old patterns of behaviour that don't quite work anymore.
This tune is beautiful to listen to, the bass ,guitar and piano are arranged perfectly.

My favorite part of the song :
To myself I,... SURRENDER
To the One I'LL NEVER PLEASE,...

Chills every time I hear that part. I got chills just thinking about it when I read the lines there.

I agree with your interpretation.

stateofblack

I think this song is a masterpiece! I took it to mean that it is about a relationship where he either has her all to himself or nothing at all......It is about something you can't have in its entirety......tortured love...you want him/her but can't really have him/her

Obsidian22

It could be that concept as well. As a woman, knowing myself now, no man could ever control me, ever. Not financially or emotionally. It was a different story a few years back. Growth comes in various ways, that is why like you pearl Jam and Toast( love your name) the line:
To Myself I,... SURRENDER
To the ONE I'LL Never PLEASE,...
sends chills up and down my spine as well. How bout that ARC. Ed's voice on these two masterpieces is like a lullaby. Soothes my soul.

Jamal

Pain, lots and lots of pain
and not being able to make it go away.

About wanting something so bad, you can't stand having it around if you can't have it. So it really becomes ll or none.
It's, in some way, jealousy, selfishness, love, hate, ...

It's the thing you want so much it makes all else seem obsolete

From love's point of view, it's the person you want so badly, you're so much in love with that you cannot be around them as a friend. Every day you fall in love a little more. Knowing she/he is not yours to get makes it all unbearable. So wouldn't it be easier to leave them behind and forget.
But deep inside, you know you can't... your heart won't let you
So "to myself I surrender, to the one I'll never please"

stateofblack

Jamal you interpreted it EXACTLY as I see it and feel it. Thanks for your clarity.
Believe me, its a most painful feeling. LOVE THIS SONG!

Jamal

stateofblack wrote:

Jamal you interpreted it EXACTLY as I see it and feel it. Thanks for your clarity.
Believe me, its a most painful feeling. LOVE THIS SONG!

I believe you
I'll say even more, I've been in such a situation for the last 1ear and three months

Thx to PJ for this one, it's helped me a lot (still does) and it's also made me cry a lot

Whizbang

Jamal wrote:

From love's point of view, it's the person you want so badly, you're so much in love with that you cannot be around them as a friend. Every day you fall in love a little more. Knowing she/he is not yours to get makes it all unbearable. So wouldn't it be easier to leave them behind and forget.
But deep inside, you know you can't... your heart won't let you
So "to myself I surrender, to the one I'll never please"

damn.......

Jamal

Whizbang wrote:

damn.......

just the way I see/hear/feel it, eh

Androgynous Mind

Obsidian22 wrote:

I take the meaning of All or None to come from being in a relationship, and not a great one at that. "shit or get off the pot" is a saying that comes to mind. Old patterns of behaviour that don't quite work anymore.
This tune is beautiful to listen to, the bass ,guitar and piano are arranged perfectly.

My favorite part of the song :
To myself I,... SURRENDER
To the One I'LL NEVER PLEASE,...

Yes, very true.

I take this song as my life motto, All or None.

Do it to the best of my abilities or fuckin dont do it at all.

Pearl Jam and toast

Jamal wrote:

I believe you
I'll say even more, I've been in such a situation for the last 1ear and three months

Thx to PJ for this one, it's helped me a lot (still does) and it's also made me cry a lot

I could tell you've had some personal experience with it,... I've been there for awhile too. Sadly I think I may be the one causing this more than the victim. Really perfectly said by the way.

Jamal

Pearl Jam and toast wrote:

I could tell you've had some personal experience with it,... I've been there for awhile too. Sadly I think I may be the one causing this more than the victim. Really perfectly said by the way.

Thanks

I also really like the way he sings it (of course I do, and so do you)
I personally think it's one of their best

mambida

i like how we see it differently!
to me, it doesn't necesarily speak about love or a relationship, but also the way of life in general, the way we deal with our dreams.
i guess it depends in what moment of life it catches us and than we hear what's on our mind at that point.
and i hear this as give yourself a break:
To myself I... surrender
To the one I'll never please
But I still try,.. to run on
I still try,.. to run on
But it's
All or none,... all or none.

Jamal

mambida wrote:

i like how we see it differently!
to me, it doesn't necesarily speak about love or a relationship, but also the way of life in general, the way we deal with our dreams.
i guess it depends in what moment of life it catches us and than we hear what's on our mind at that point.
and i hear this as give yourself a break:
To myself I... surrender
To the one I'll never please
But I still try,.. to run on
I still try,.. to run on
But it's
All or none,... all or none.

I believe that THAT is exactly what makes music beautiful
everyone has the liberty to figure out what it means to them personally

And I do understand what you're saying too, but it would lose a lot of it's healing powers in my mind.

*edit*
I just don't see it so broadly
I am not familiar with the concept of giving yourself a break, not with situations in life-broadly- that are all or none, per se

Anon

Pearl Jam and toast wrote:

Chills every time I hear that part. I got chills just thinking about it when I read the lines there.

I agree with your interpretation.

Anyone have an AMAZING live version of this one? IF so, which show?????

stateofblack

Benaroya Hall and Boston's "acoustic" set are the two live versions that stand out in my mind

Jamal

Pearl Jam and toast wrote:

I could tell you've had some personal experience with it,... I've been there for awhile too. Sadly I think I may be the one causing this more than the victim. Really perfectly said by the way.

Oh yeah, might I add that the girl is also considered my best friend
and basically, I like to think it's the other way around

And now, on NYE, I seem to have refused to say goodbye to her when she left and now it's become one big thing over MSN :(

Man, it definitely is All or None

mambida

Tackalac wrote:

Anyone have an AMAZING live version of this one? IF so, which show?????

Zagreb acoustic set, right after thin air and thumbing my way

Jamal

mambida wrote:

Zagreb acoustic set, right after thin air and thumbing my way

true, that one is f'in amazing

stateofblack

This song is very personal to me and my situation. My best Friend, my soulmate............ It's time to let go, I need to let go, for self preservation. It's just too painful. I must move on. All or None, I need to choose None. unfortunately I will lose my Best Friend, but it is the only way.....

Jamal

stateofblack wrote:

This song is very personal to me and my situation. My best Friend, my soulmate............ It's time to let go, I need to let go, for self preservation. It's just too painful. I must move on. All or None, I need to choose None. unfortunately I will lose my Best Friend, but it is the only way.....

Congratulations if you CAN do that, I've tried, and I failed, I just couldn't do it.
Amazing how people, as different as they probably are, can be in exactly the same situation...

And even more amazing is how some people manage to cover all those things so well in a song

stateofblack

I know, I have tried several times too, and have failed.but there has to be an end somehow, someway, dont'cha think? or are we supposed to live like this forever?

by the way, Thank you Eddie for writing a song for me

Jamal

stateofblack wrote:

I know, I have tried several times too, and have failed.but there has to be an end somehow, someway, dont'cha think? or are we supposed to live like this forever?

by the way, Thank you Eddie for writing a song for me

Us, ... I suppose you should say: "us"

And no, we are not meant to live like this forever, let's just kill the person instead, that way, we don't really have a choice

j/k

stateofblack

Eddie, Thanks for writing a song for "US".

I think the song of the week for me will be Indifference.

Obsidian22

1.stateofblack and Jamal need to get a room!
2.I somehow doubt Ed wrote All or None with you in mind.
3.Didn't Stone and ed write the lyrics. Stone wrote the music.
4. You both sound very young in your limited experience of love. Friendship in the long run means a hell of a lot more than "getting the one you can't live with or without."
5.What do you think about the lyrics in All or None:

Here's the selfless Confession
Leading me back to war
Can we help that,... Our Destinations
Are the ones we've been before.

Ms. Haiku

It's a hopeless... situation
And I'm starting to believe
That this hopeless... situation
Is what I'm trying to achieve
Maybe the protagonist is redefining *hopeless*, a hopeless situation may not be hopeless if we strive towards it.

But I try
To run on
Towards
All or none,... all or none
Nothing wrong with giving your all. In fact, if the choice is one or the other, how could it be none? These are not the words of those who choose none.

Here's the selfless confession
Leading me back to war
Can we help that,.. our destinations
Are the ones we've been before
Oops, someone did a boo boo, didn't learn from past mistakes.

I still try
To run on
Towards all
Or none,... all or none
You gotta give it your best even when you fuck up.

To myself I... surrender
To the one I'll never please
To be unsatisified is not so bad. If it's to the point of disillusion then it's not so good, but if being unsatisified means leaving what doesn't work to find what does, it's not so bad.

But I still try,.. to run on
I still try,.. to run on
But it's
All or none,... all or none.
Keep it up! You can do it! You're almost at the finish line, and then you can try a new goal.

See, it's a rather inspiring song, not so boo hoo.

stateofblack

1.stateofblack and Jamal need to get a room!
2.I somehow doubt Ed wrote All or None with you in mind.
3.Didn't Stone and ed write the lyrics. Stone wrote the music.
4. You both sound very young in your limited experience of love. Friendship in the long run means a hell of a lot more than "getting the one you can't live with or without."


Thought I would answer you:

1. Don't need a room just sharing some feelings with a fellow Jammer
2. Really?! Eddie didn't write the song with me in mind, you don't say
3.Eddie and Stone wrote the song
4.Agreed, Friendship is very important. Young and inexperienced in love?! you should really not comment on something you know nothing about - it just makes you sound like a dummy.

Obsidian22

I love seeing you post your wisdom, especially when it's related to lyrics. You are also a Goddess of Rock!

Jamal

stateofblack wrote:

Thought I would answer you:

1. Don't need a room just sharing some feelings with a fellow Jammer
2. Really?! Eddie didn't write the song with me in mind, you don't say
3.Eddie and Stone wrote the song
4.Agreed, Friendship is very important. Young and inexperienced in love?! you should really not comment on something you know nothing about - it just makes you sound like a dummy.

4. Iwouldn't say he's a dummy, just a quick judge

Being young doesn't mean you're inexperienced, nor do I think getting that one is more important than friendship
I just said it's hard to be around her without falling in love with her even more

NothinGBetteRPJMaN

stateofblack wrote:

This song is very personal to me and my situation. My best Friend, my soulmate............ It's time to let go, I need to let go, for self preservation. It's just too painful. I must move on. All or None, I need to choose None. unfortunately I will lose my Best Friend, but it is the only way.....

Ohhhh this is exactly where I am right now.....and i have tried as well and failed and when i came back and we talked again i found out she didnt understand that concept that well and hated me while i wasnt talking to her.....it sucked

But now i think I am at a point where it doesnt bother me anymore.....and im over it which makes things better cause now i can talk to her and not be hurt because we cant be.....but instead i get mad at her because of what happened

I think Jamal covered exaclty how i interpret the song......but i see everyone elses interpretaions in the song very well too.....its just this relates to me more