Ah, you better stop me before I begin ... Off He Goes is one of my favorite songs.
Specifically, the song is about ed getting famous, becoming a rock star, becoming this scowling guy on the cover of Time magazine. And it's written from the perspective of someone who knew ed way back when, before all this fame, fortune and surrounding bullshit happened.
The "man" in "know a man ... " is Ed, basically.
Imagine, for moment, that you knew Ed in high school. He was basically a normal guy. Maybe you sat behind him in Algebra class. He was friendly. He seemed happy. You hung out with him at parties on the weekend. He was normal. Just an average joe.
Now, let's say you both graduate, move on, and lose touch. And five years later, here's that guy, the normal guy who sat in front of you in Algebra, and now he's the biggest rock star in the world. And, what's more, he seemed really, really pissed off about it. You see his face on the cover of a magazine at your supermarket. And the face looks angry.
"But I seen his picture ... it doesn't look the same upon the rack." The rack, in that line, is a magazine rack.
The song, specifically, is about people in ed's past trying to reconcile what has become of their old friend.
Universally, however, I think this song is about something we all can relate to ... growing up, getting older, trying to hold on to our past even as we become more and more disconnected from it.
Since leaving college and what not, I've had hundreds of "Off He Goes" moments. You go back home to a party or something, and reconnect with all these old friends you haven't seen in years. And you start to talking. And laughing. And swapping tales from the old days. "Like we always did, my same old friend."
Nothing's changed but the surrounding bullshit, as it were.
But then the night starts to wear on. And you start to check your watch. And you remember you've got to be at work early the next day. And you've got to get that power-point presentation finished before bed tonight .... yada yada yada. It's like you mentally check out of the reunion before it's over. Real life comes back at you.
And before your first step, you are off again.
It's really a kind of sad song, and one ed must had to have been pretty self-aware to write. He basically wrote, in the third person, a song about himself being a shitty friend.
And this song convicts me every time I hear it. Just a brilliant piece of songwriting.
I agree with your explanation but i do have a question about one line.
"Before his first step he's off again"
if it was "before our first step..." i could get into the friendship idea but "his first step" implies that that person appearantly needs to take a first step at something. That one line really led me to think about drug abuse of some sort. The "strain" coming back perhaps meaning the addiction kicks in again and the persons thoughts drift away.
Another explanation could be that it is infact Ed and the mentioned "strain" is the strong political, moral need to fight for justice which Ed may be (in a way) suffering from. This is a little more farfetched but aligns better with the idea that it is about Ed.
Other than that I can totally go with your version.
"Ransom paid the Devil, he whispers pleasing words.
Triumphant are the angels if they can get there first."
Love Boat Captain -- Oh I understand it well enough, i just don't GET it...
quote]
gotta love LBC...my take is that it is about the fact that love is the most important thing to embrace in life and unfortunately many never seem to get it and if they do it always takes a long time going through life "wanting"before you realize love is in fact the most important...I don't know virtue I guess. In addition there are so many terrible things that happen in life that it makes you question your faith. I also believe the captain to be God or your own personal belief system which should encompass love as the foundation for perseverance and happiness.
I don't get in the song "saying no" why he sings "keep quiet like they taught us"; he talking about him or her; because she is saying "no", which is not exactly keeping quiet...maybe he is talking about other weaker individuals; I just don't know.
Last Exit, Spin the Black Circle, Whipping.
I don't see the attraction at all. I can't understand why so many people think Vitalogy is the best album. Doesn't make any sense.
if it was "before our first step..." i could get into the friendship idea but "his first step" implies that that person appearantly needs to take a first step at something.
Actually, the line is before HIS first step. And I don't really agree with the "addiction" interpretation, because it doesn't really fit with the rest of the song, or anything ed has said about the song while introducing it in concert.
"This song is about friendship," ed says, "It's about being friends with an asshole."
What the "his first step" line means is this:
This guy is checking out of the friendship again before the night's even over. It's like I said before, you've got these friends that are reuniting, and everything is exactly as it was back in the day, everybody is having a good time reconnecting, sharing stories about the good old days ... and then this guy starts to drift back into the present. In the back of his mind, he's starting to think about getting going. Before the night is over, he's already back in his own little world.
He seems distracted and I know just what is going to happen next ... before his first step, he's off again.
It has nothing to do with addiction, unless by addiction you mean a job, a life, responsibilities ... anything that would draw one away from the friendship.
It means that before he's even out the door, he's gone.
Another explanation could be that it is infact Ed and the mentioned "strain" is the strong political, moral need to fight for justice which Ed may be (in a way) suffering from.
The "strain" ed writes about is everything he was going through personally and professionally at the time. Remember when this song was written. It was one of the most turbulent times in the band's history. They were fighting with the record company, fighting with the press, fighting Ticketmaster, barely touring and barely speaking to one another. The strain is all of that.
And what this song is about is someone from ed's past watching all this from afar and going, "I used to know that guy. But now I don't even fucking recognize him."
Then they do get together again, reunite, and to everyone's surprise, it is just like the good old days ... but only for a moment ... then those strains begin to creep back in, distracting him, and Ed is gone, out the door, off again -- if not physically, the emotionally.
everybody wants the most they can possibly get
for the least they could possibly do
I remember reading somewhere that Daughter used to be son or brother or something in the male sense. That was how he used to sing it live before recording it. Can anyone back this up?
Also I think Off He Goes is about Ed. I think I heard that too. Makes sense to me. You loose sight of your true self when so many people are pulling from you emotionally every night. But even when he comes back down, the same old shit is going on and nothing has changed. It's all good.
I believe he refers to "daughter" as "brother" on the new years 1992 cd. I always assumed that daughter was ed's own personal experience with his step brothers maybe. I know he has a good relationship with them now but it always made sense to me that he was singing dont call me brother because in truth he wasn't a full member of his family. He was sort of a bastard child in his eyes. And lets be honest Ed was maybe a little sefl absorbed back in those days.
I have no idea if any of this post is true mind you. This is all in my own head so....
I believe he refers to "daughter" as "brother" on the new years 1992 cd. I always assumed that daughter was ed's own personal experience with his step brothers maybe. I know he has a good relationship with them now but it always made sense to me that he was singing dont call me brother because in truth he wasn't a full member of his family. He was sort of a bastard child in his eyes. And lets be honest Ed was maybe a little sefl absorbed back in those days.
I have no idea if any of this post is true mind you. This is all in my own head so....
Oh and the picture kept maybe its the one picture of his real father that he has or something.
By the way...I pretty much have my own meaning for just about every song and I don't really know the lyrics for very many of them. I just kind of make them up as I sing along.
why waste the track when u had all those from lost dogs?? come on, man. i'm sure there is some sort of "artistic reasoning" but i think i'll need matt, mike, jeff, ed, stone to explain it to me themselves.
Actually, I never REALLY understood Alive. I thought I understood it, but then I found this:
"The story of the song is that a mother is with a father, and the father dies. It's an intense thing because the son looks just like the father. The son grows up to be the father, the person that she lost. His father's dead, and now this confusion, his mother, his love, how does he love her, how does she love him? In fact, the mother, even though she marries someone else, there's no one she's ever loved as much as the father. You know how it is, first loves and stuff. And the guy dies. How could you ever get him back? But the son. He looks exactly like him. It's uncanny. So she wants him. The son is oblivious to it all. He doesn't know what the fuck is going on. He's still dealing, he's still growing up. He's still dealing with love, he's still dealing with the death of his father. All he knows is "I'm still alive" - those three words, that's totally out of burden. Now the second verse is "Oh she walks slowly across a young man's room. She says 'I'm ready for you.' I can't remember anything to this very day except the look...the look." And I don't say anything else. And because I'm saying "The look, the look," everyone thinks it goes with "on her face." It's not on her face. It's between her legs. Where do you go with that? That's where you came from. "But I'm still alive." I'm the lover that's still alive. And the whole conversation about "You're still alive, she said." And his doubts, "Do I deserve to be? Is that the question?" Because he's fucked up forever! So now he doesn't know how to deal with it, so what does he do, he goes out killing people - that was [the song] "Once". He becomes a serial killer. And Footsteps, the final song of the trilogy, that's when he gets executed." - Eddie Vedder (Rolling Stone, October 28, 1993)
I didn't know that was what Once was about either! Or Footsteps!
Actually, I never REALLY understood Alive. I thought I understood it, but then I found this:
"The story of the song is that a mother is with a father, and the father dies. It's an intense thing because the son looks just like the father. The son grows up to be the father, the person that she lost. His father's dead, and now this confusion, his mother, his love, how does he love her, how does she love him? In fact, the mother, even though she marries someone else, there's no one she's ever loved as much as the father. You know how it is, first loves and stuff. And the guy dies. How could you ever get him back? But the son. He looks exactly like him. It's uncanny. So she wants him. The son is oblivious to it all. He doesn't know what the fuck is going on. He's still dealing, he's still growing up. He's still dealing with love, he's still dealing with the death of his father. All he knows is "I'm still alive" - those three words, that's totally out of burden. Now the second verse is "Oh she walks slowly across a young man's room. She says 'I'm ready for you.' I can't remember anything to this very day except the look...the look." And I don't say anything else. And because I'm saying "The look, the look," everyone thinks it goes with "on her face." It's not on her face. It's between her legs. Where do you go with that? That's where you came from. "But I'm still alive." I'm the lover that's still alive. And the whole conversation about "You're still alive, she said." And his doubts, "Do I deserve to be? Is that the question?" Because he's fucked up forever! So now he doesn't know how to deal with it, so what does he do, he goes out killing people - that was [the song] "Once". He becomes a serial killer. And Footsteps, the final song of the trilogy, that's when he gets executed." - Eddie Vedder (Rolling Stone, October 28, 1993)
I didn't know that was what Once was about either! Or Footsteps!
There has always been undertones of incest referring to just what you speak of however you have to remember Ed's a storyteller and he does a fantastic job of utilizing several storylines together and weaving them into one. I like the "between her legs" idea and it may be true, but at the same time I have heard Ed speak of "the look" he would get from his stepfather's younger girlfriends (like they wanted to jump his bones); maybe he recognized that look in his Mom (due to the resemblance of his Dad as suggested) AND maybe in addition the "you know where" euphemism holds true...the cool thing is that he probably thought about all this and more.
I like the "between her legs" idea and it may be true, but at the same time I have heard Ed speak of "the look" he would get from his stepfather's younger girlfriends (like they wanted to jump his bones);
Actually, that "between her legs" interpretation comes directly from ed's mouth. Remember the Rolling Stone feature that came out at about the time they were recording Vs.:
Elvis' "Suspicious Minds" blasts on the jukebox as Vedder continues. "Now the second verse is 'Oh she walks slowly into a young man's room... I can remember to this very day... the look... the look.' And I don't say anything else. And because I'm saying, 'The look, the look' everyone thinks it goes with 'on her face.' It's not on her face. The look is between her legs. Where do you go with that? That's where you came from."
Actually, that "between her legs" interpretation comes directly from ed's mouth. Remember the Rolling Stone feature that came out at about the time they were recording Vs.:
That's much more interesting; thanks for the reference. He must not have shared this information with Kim Neely when she authored Five Against One, because I believe that is where I read it years ago. Either way thanks a bunch.
Comments
It's about wanting to be together ... but the person you want to be with is driving you up a fucking wall, basically.
It's probably the most sarcastic "love song" of all-time, a hipper version of "Love Stinks."
"If you're the only one then I'll never be enough ..." That line right there is the thesis of the song.
Someone else can translate the bit about being woman enough to be my man, though. Haven't wrapped my yet around that one.
for the least they could possibly do
I agree with your explanation but i do have a question about one line.
"Before his first step he's off again"
if it was "before our first step..." i could get into the friendship idea but "his first step" implies that that person appearantly needs to take a first step at something. That one line really led me to think about drug abuse of some sort. The "strain" coming back perhaps meaning the addiction kicks in again and the persons thoughts drift away.
Another explanation could be that it is infact Ed and the mentioned "strain" is the strong political, moral need to fight for justice which Ed may be (in a way) suffering from. This is a little more farfetched but aligns better with the idea that it is about Ed.
Other than that I can totally go with your version.
Triumphant are the angels if they can get there first."
and that 'woman enough to be my man' is my fave line in that song.
i think its to do with trust, like bringing her into his point of view directly, empathy as opposed to understanding.
I think you're confusing Off he goes with the song Hail, Hail.
Triumphant are the angels if they can get there first."
I don't see the attraction at all. I can't understand why so many people think Vitalogy is the best album. Doesn't make any sense.
Actually, the line is before HIS first step. And I don't really agree with the "addiction" interpretation, because it doesn't really fit with the rest of the song, or anything ed has said about the song while introducing it in concert.
"This song is about friendship," ed says, "It's about being friends with an asshole."
What the "his first step" line means is this:
This guy is checking out of the friendship again before the night's even over. It's like I said before, you've got these friends that are reuniting, and everything is exactly as it was back in the day, everybody is having a good time reconnecting, sharing stories about the good old days ... and then this guy starts to drift back into the present. In the back of his mind, he's starting to think about getting going. Before the night is over, he's already back in his own little world.
He seems distracted and I know just what is going to happen next ... before his first step, he's off again.
It has nothing to do with addiction, unless by addiction you mean a job, a life, responsibilities ... anything that would draw one away from the friendship.
It means that before he's even out the door, he's gone.
The "strain" ed writes about is everything he was going through personally and professionally at the time. Remember when this song was written. It was one of the most turbulent times in the band's history. They were fighting with the record company, fighting with the press, fighting Ticketmaster, barely touring and barely speaking to one another. The strain is all of that.
And what this song is about is someone from ed's past watching all this from afar and going, "I used to know that guy. But now I don't even fucking recognize him."
Then they do get together again, reunite, and to everyone's surprise, it is just like the good old days ... but only for a moment ... then those strains begin to creep back in, distracting him, and Ed is gone, out the door, off again -- if not physically, the emotionally.
for the least they could possibly do
I believe he refers to "daughter" as "brother" on the new years 1992 cd. I always assumed that daughter was ed's own personal experience with his step brothers maybe. I know he has a good relationship with them now but it always made sense to me that he was singing dont call me brother because in truth he wasn't a full member of his family. He was sort of a bastard child in his eyes. And lets be honest Ed was maybe a little sefl absorbed back in those days.
I have no idea if any of this post is true mind you. This is all in my own head so....
Oh and the picture kept maybe its the one picture of his real father that he has or something.
By the way...I pretty much have my own meaning for just about every song and I don't really know the lyrics for very many of them. I just kind of make them up as I sing along.
for me is about yourself, self esteem... something like that.
Goodbye for now.
why waste the track when u had all those from lost dogs?? come on, man. i'm sure there is some sort of "artistic reasoning" but i think i'll need matt, mike, jeff, ed, stone to explain it to me themselves.
Skype: pmacklin
"The story of the song is that a mother is with a father, and the father dies. It's an intense thing because the son looks just like the father. The son grows up to be the father, the person that she lost. His father's dead, and now this confusion, his mother, his love, how does he love her, how does she love him? In fact, the mother, even though she marries someone else, there's no one she's ever loved as much as the father. You know how it is, first loves and stuff. And the guy dies. How could you ever get him back? But the son. He looks exactly like him. It's uncanny. So she wants him. The son is oblivious to it all. He doesn't know what the fuck is going on. He's still dealing, he's still growing up. He's still dealing with love, he's still dealing with the death of his father. All he knows is "I'm still alive" - those three words, that's totally out of burden. Now the second verse is "Oh she walks slowly across a young man's room. She says 'I'm ready for you.' I can't remember anything to this very day except the look...the look." And I don't say anything else. And because I'm saying "The look, the look," everyone thinks it goes with "on her face." It's not on her face. It's between her legs. Where do you go with that? That's where you came from. "But I'm still alive." I'm the lover that's still alive. And the whole conversation about "You're still alive, she said." And his doubts, "Do I deserve to be? Is that the question?" Because he's fucked up forever! So now he doesn't know how to deal with it, so what does he do, he goes out killing people - that was [the song] "Once". He becomes a serial killer. And Footsteps, the final song of the trilogy, that's when he gets executed." - Eddie Vedder (Rolling Stone, October 28, 1993)
I didn't know that was what Once was about either! Or Footsteps!
http://www.twofeetthick.com/tft/readArticle.action?id=62
well, let us know how that turns out, eh
for the least they could possibly do
There has always been undertones of incest referring to just what you speak of however you have to remember Ed's a storyteller and he does a fantastic job of utilizing several storylines together and weaving them into one. I like the "between her legs" idea and it may be true, but at the same time I have heard Ed speak of "the look" he would get from his stepfather's younger girlfriends (like they wanted to jump his bones); maybe he recognized that look in his Mom (due to the resemblance of his Dad as suggested) AND maybe in addition the "you know where" euphemism holds true...the cool thing is that he probably thought about all this and more.
Actually, that "between her legs" interpretation comes directly from ed's mouth. Remember the Rolling Stone feature that came out at about the time they were recording Vs.:
http://www.fivehorizons.com/archive/articles/rs102893.shtml
for the least they could possibly do
That's much more interesting; thanks for the reference. He must not have shared this information with Kim Neely when she authored Five Against One, because I believe that is where I read it years ago. Either way thanks a bunch.